A video of teachers jostling each other in a pit for money has gone viral, with many criticizing the premise as humiliating and dystopian. The video was taken at a charity event during the Sioux Falls Stampede hockey game on December 11, 2021, in South Dakota, where 10 teachers argued over money to buy supplies for their classrooms. , sponsored by CU Mortgage Direct bank.
AT THE ENTRANCE: An arena in South Dakota hosts a ‘Dash for Cash’ where teachers kneel and fight over dollar bills they can use for classroom supplies while spectators watch and applaud. (h / t @ AnnieTodd96) pic.twitter.com/jIht84Ls9W
– No Lying with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) 12 December 2021
According to the description of the event on the Stampede Hockey Team’s website:
New this season, the Stampede and CU Mortgage Direct are looking for teachers who would like to raise money for their classes! Not just money, but over $ 5,000 will be donated to local schools! Teachers will compete to raise funds in two ways.
1) Tickets – Each teacher will have their own ticket link that they can share. Each ticket purchased will equal $ 5 going back to their school! In addition, the teachers who sell the most will receive additional prizes.
2) Dash for Cash – During the 1st intermission on December 11, teachers will compete to collect as much money as possible! There will be 5,000 $ 1 bills on the ice and teachers can keep whatever money they collect for their class!
In the video, teachers crawl around a pit, grabbing as many dollar bills as they can in five minutes. Critics online have called it dehumanizing and disgusting.
Disgusting & dehumanizing. Tax billionaires already. It’s dystopian.
The South Dakota Arena hosts a ‘Dash for Cash’ where teachers kneel down and fight over $ 1 bills to use for classroom supplies while people watch and clap.
SD ranks 29th in K-12 educationpic.twitter.com/JCaLabloYd
– Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) December 13, 2021
It just shouldn’t be.
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on social upliftment programs is approaching a spiritual destiny. “-MLK https://t.co/8fTNMlJQAa
– Be a king (@BerniceKing) December 13, 2021
CU Mortgage Direct bank had donated the money, according to the BBC. In response to the backlash, the company apologized in a statement, “While our intention was to provide a positive and fun experience for teachers, we can see how demeaning and insulting this seems to participating teachers and the teacher. teaching profession as a whole. . We deeply regret and apologize to all teachers for any embarrassment this may have caused. “
The teachers involved told the local Sioux Falls newspaper Argus Leader about the event. Alexandria Kuyper, a fifth-grade teacher, said it would help cover the costs of holiday treats and decorations. “I think it’s really cool when the community offers an opportunity like this for things that [educators] often they pay out of pocket, ”she said.
Another said he would use the money to purchase equipment for his online sports club, which was not a South Dakota High School Activities Association sanctioned sport, so he relied on donations and fundraisers.
Sioux Falls Education Association President Tim Eckart criticized the event: “While this event is a well-meaning gesture from our community, it really highlights the meager funding structure our teachers need to use to provide a high quality education to our students. No educator should have to crawl on their hands and knees to provide appropriate teaching tools for our students. “
In total, each teacher ended up with money ranging from $ 300 to around $ 500. After the controversy, the bank and the hockey team announced that they would give more money to each participating teacher:
We have an update to the Stampede & CU Mortgage Direct: They’re offering an additional $ 500 to the 10 teachers who participated in Dash for Cash, and $ 500 to the 21 other teachers who applied but were unable to participate. That’s $ 15,500 more for teachers in the region. https://t.co/dY77kRW555
– Morgan Matzen (@bymorganmatzen) December 13, 2021
According to the National Education Association, the average annual salary for teachers in South Dakota is nearly $ 49,000. This makes it one of the lowest salaries for teachers in the United States.
Sources:
“Apologies to American teachers for the dash for cash charity stunt. BBC News, December 14, 2021. www.bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59646803. Accessed December 14, 2021.
“Teacher Compensation and Student Expenses: How Does Your State Rank?” | NEA. National Education Association, https://www.nea.org/resource-library/teacher-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank. Accessed December 14, 2021.
Dash for Cash. https://www.sfstampede.com/dashforcash. Accessed December 14, 2021.
“‘Dash for Cash’ provided a strong metaphor for chronic underfunding of education, of teacher pay.” Sioux Falls Argus Leader, https://www.argusleader.com/story/opinion/2021/12/13/dash-cash-south-dakota-metaphor-teacher-salary-pay-underfunding-stampede/6495760001/. Accessed December 14, 2021.
“Dash for Cash” stunts demean teachers, critics say. CBS News, December 13, 2021. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-dakota-teachers-dash-for-cash/. Accessed December 14, 2021.
«Reviews | The organizers of South Dakota’s Dash for Cash really thought they had done something. MSNBC.Com, December 14, 2021, https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/why-south-dakota-teachers-dash-cash-felt-so-gross-n1285883. Accessed December 14, 2021.
“Sioux Falls area teachers ‘Dash for Cash’ for classroom improvements to the Stampede Game.” Sioux Falls Argus Leader, December 11, 2021, https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2021/12/11/dash-cash-stampede-hockey-teachers-sioux-falls/6448189001/. Accessed December 14, 2021.