South Dakota Teachers Scramble For $1 Bills; Community Event Draws Criticism Online

A competition pitting Teachers in South Dakota against each other to collect $5,000 worth of cash in an ice rink has drawn heavy criticism on social media.

The competition, "Dash for Cash" was launched Saturday. It pitted 10 teachers from the Sioux Falls area against each other as they scrambled to collect as many single-dollar bills as possible under five minutes from a pit. The money was donated by CU Mortgage Direct and was meant to go toward the teacher’s schools and classrooms.

"With everything that has gone on for the last couple of years with teachers and everything, we thought it was an awesome group thing to do for the teachers," Ryan Knudson, Director of Business Development and Marketing for CU Mortgage Direct, told Argus Leader.

A video of the competition showed teachers scrambling in a pit to collect the cash. They scooped up bills and stuffed them into their T-shirt and hats while an audience cheered in the background.

"The teachers in this area, and any teacher, they deserve whatever the heck they get," Knudson added.

Participant and fifth-grade teacher Alexandria Kuyper said that was "cool when the community offers an opportunity like this." Kuyper said that most of the time, teachers had to pay out of pocket for the supplies they need for their class, USA Today reported.

Participants said they are planning on using the cash to buy document cameras so they could upload lessons online or get flexible seating such as standing desks for their classroom.

Critics on social media found the game "demeaning" and called the contest dystopian.

"Teachers, on their hands and knees, grabbing for $1 bills to buy classroom supplies, for the amusement of a crowd. yeah, totally uplifting and fun not at all totally dystopian," one Twitter user wrote.

Following the criticism on social media, the mortgage firm and the United States Hockey League team apologized in a joint statement.

"Although our intent was to provide a positive and fun experience for teachers, we can see how it appears to be degrading and insulting towards the participating teachers and the teaching profession as a whole," they wrote, Reuters reported.

Sioux Falls Education Association president Tim Eckart said that the gesture was well-intentioned but the incident highlighted how teachers have to work through meager funding to give quality education to students.