South Dakota

How much will school choice bill cost South Dakota? Committee delays vote to find out

Published

12 months ago

January 22, 2025

How much will school choice bill cost South Dakota? Committee delays vote to find out

The House Education Committee is delaying a vote on a school choice finance bill for one week so it can get a definitive answer on how much the proposal would cost the state.

House Bill 1009, which would create South Dakota educational empowerment accounts, was brought by five members of the 15-person committee: Republican Reps. Heather Baxter, Phil Jensen, Dylan Jordan, Logan Manhart and Kathy Rice.

Jordan, who opened his testimony on the bill by noting he’s not a teacher, was the prime sponsor and couldn’t answer questions from committee members about what exactly his bill would cost the state, and what it could cost the South Dakota Department of Education in staffing and audits.

He noted the DOE hasn’t supported the bill.

What’s in HB 1009?

HB 1009 as introduced would make educational empowerment accounts with funds that could be spent on tuition fees; fees for sports programs and fine arts programs; textbooks, curricula or other instructional materials and supplies; educational therapies; registration fees for nationally standardized achievement tests, advanced placement exams or other tests or exams related to postsecondary admission; transportation services between a student’s home and the private school, institution of higher education or location or program the student is enrolled in; or, technological devices, instruments and equipment necessary for educational pursuits.

To open an account, parents of students who will attend private school must file a request with the DOE that acknowledges their student can’t switch back into public school or into alternative instruction that school year.

Each account would give parents the per student equivalent amount, which is currently $7,405.19, in the form of a debit card.

More than 15,000 students are currently enrolled in the state’s private schools. If all 15,185 private school students were given $7,405.19, that would total more than $112 million for the new program.

When Rice asked if Jordan would support an amendment reducing the funding amount, Jordan said he wouldn’t, because “we’d be saying individual children are worth less than others, and I thought we were all created equal.”

The DOE would be responsible for creating a handbook for participants, publishing forms for withdrawing an alternative instruction notification, conducting random audits of the accounts and taking the request forms for the account.

Meanwhile, a similar bill, House Bill 1020, would create education savings accounts and appropriate about $4 million to cover $3,000 in ESAs for students in the state’s private schools or alternative instruction. Money could only be spent on tuition and fees to qualifying schools, curriculum and associated instructional materials or supplies, “educationally related technological devices and associated hardware and services,” and fees for any standardized college entrance exam approved by the DOE.

Gov. Kristi Noem proposed that bill in her budget address and has support from DOE Secretary Joe Graves. It also differs from HB 1009 in that it sets up a tiered system of eligibility based on household income.

Proponents support school choice, question expense

Besides Jordan, other proponents of HB 1009 who spoke Wednesday included lobbyists from Young Americans for Liberty, South Dakota Parents Involved in Education, Family Voice Action and Americans for Prosperity and six parents from either Colton, Spearfish, Salem or Rapid City who spoke about the success they or their children have had in private school or homeschool.

Jordan began proponent testimony by thanking President Donald Trump for “calling for school choice nationally.” He said COVID-19 opened people’s eyes on the modern education system and showed “one-size-fits-all education policy” doesn’t work for everyone. Jordan added that “leftist, LGBTQIA2S+ communities and the ‘woke agenda’” have made its way into the public school system.

The proponents jointly spoke about the benefits of school choice and empowering parents to make that choice, how homeschooling can get expensive, and how the program could bring a “marketplace of ideas” to education in a new way.

However, lobbyists from Parents Involved in Education and Americans for Prosperity, along with a homeschooling father from Salem, cautioned about the expense of the bill and suggested reducing vouchers to the $3,000 Noem proposed. They questioned whether it would pass through the Capitol chambers and committees at such a large expense.

Opponents prefer financial support go to public education, not private

Opponents of HB 1009 who spoke Wednesday included lobbyists with Disability Rights South Dakota, Associated School Boards of South Dakota, School Administrators of South Dakota, South Dakota Education Association, the Sioux Falls and Rapid City School Districts, Large School Group, Bureau of Finance and Management, South Dakota United School Association and South Dakota Retailers Association.

They largely argued that the bill divests and diverts significant taxpayer dollars from public education into private schools that don’t follow the same accountability and equity rules that public schools follow. They said this year schools will have a much more lean budget, so it would be “irresponsible” to stand up a new program at such a time.

A lobbyist from Bureau of Finance and Management said Noem supports school choice, but believes the bill could cost South Dakota $157 million. and therefore asked the committee to oppose the bill.

Some of the education lobbyists also said the bill is “clunky” and questioned what unforeseen expenses families may use the debit cards to pay for with little accountability or oversight.

Ultimately, the vote to delay a vote on the bill for one week to Jan. 29 until a fiscal note is prepared by the Legislative Research Council passed with nine in favor, five dissenting and one member excused.

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South Dakota

Sheridan Lake rescue prompts winter ice safety warning

Published

11 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Sheridan Lake rescue prompts winter ice safety warning

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – A harrowing scene at Sheridan Lake ended without serious injury Tuesday after a man, a woman and their dog fell through thin ice near the swimming beach, authorities said.

Keep pets on a leash and never attempt a risky rescue if someone falls through the ice, officials said. Call 911 immediately.

The South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks agency advises that ice three inches or less is unsafe. Four inches is generally considered the minimum for walking, ice fishing or skating.

Lt. Casey Kenrick of the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office said the incident is a reminder to take extra precautions this winter.

“Usually at this time the ice is significantly thick on the lakes around the area, well, some aren’t even frozen all the way at this point. The temperatures have been up and down so much that the ice isn’t solid even though it may look like it is, so make sure you know the ice depth that you’re getting onto,” Kenrick said.

Kenrick said those precautions could mean the difference between a close call and a tragedy.

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South Dakota

A day in South Dakota history

Published

23 hours ago

January 8, 2026

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RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – On Jan. 7, 1995, William Janklow began his third of four terms as governor. From statehood until 1972, governors served two-year terms. Voters then approved a constitutional amendment in 1972 allowing governors to serve two consecutive four-year terms.

Janklow served from 1979 to 1987 and again from 1995 to 2003. His 16 years are the longest stint of any governor in South Dakota history

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South Dakota

As South Dakota’s student population shrinks, more choose homeschools

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

As South Dakota’s student population shrinks, more choose homeschools

South Dakota’s K-12 population dropped slightly this year, along with public and private school enrollment, but enrollment in alternative instruction grew once again.

That’s according to headcount numbers taken Sept. 26, 2025, and released by the South Dakota Department of Education by Dec. 31.

All totaled, there are 163,053 K-12 students across the state, with 83% of those students attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 8% in alternative instruction.

There are 934 fewer K-12 students across the state than last year’s count of 163,987, a 0.5% decrease.

Public school enrollment decreased by 1,736 students statewide. Across 147 public school districts, there were 135,577 K-12 students this fall, down from 137,313 in last year’s fall count, a decrease of slightly more than 1%.

Private school enrollment decreased by 142 students statewide, totaling 15,043 students in nonpublic schools accredited by the SDDOE across the state, down from last year’s count of 15,185, a decrease of 1%.

Nonpublic school enrollment includes 9,462 students in private schools, 5,072 in tribal/BIE schools, 268 in special population schools, 175 in coop/multi-districts, 26 in community-based service providers, 21 in the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and 19 in alternative schools.

Alternative instruction enrollment increased by 944 students statewide, totaling 12,433 students in alternative instruction or homeschooling this fall, up from 11,489 in last year’s count, an increase of 8%.

In the Sioux Falls metro area, there are 52,325 K-12 students, with 85% attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 6% in alternative instruction.

Sioux Falls area public schools

The state’s largest public school district, the Sioux Falls School District, shrunk by 171 students this fall, down from last year’s count of 24,221 K-12 students to this year’s count of 24,050.

Sioux Falls’ neighboring public K-12 school districts saw the following enrollment changes this year:

Harrisburg, the state’s third-largest district, grew by 173 students, from 6,182 last year to 6,355 this year.
Brandon Valley, the state’s fourth-largest district, grew by 82 students, from 5,073 last year to 5,155 this year.
Tea Area grew by five students, from 2,509 last year to 2,514 this year.
West Central shrunk by 32 students, from 1,418 last year to 1,386 this year.
Lennox grew by 14 students, from 1,119 last year to 1,133 this year.
Tri-Valley grew by 41 students, from 952 last year to 993 this year.
Dell Rapids shrunk by 32 students, from 965 last year to 933 this year.
Canton shrunk by 23 students, from 888 last year to 865 this year.
Baltic grew by three students, from 539 last year to 542 this year.
Garretson shrunk by 10 students, from 468 last year to 458 this year.

All totaled, there are 44,384 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area public schools, a growth of 50 students or 0.1% from last fall’s count of 44,334.

Sioux Falls area private schools

Sioux Falls’ three largest private K-12 school systems saw the following enrollment changes this year:

Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools, the largest private school system in the state, shrunk by two students, from 2,224 last year to 2,222 this year.
Sioux Falls Christian School shrunk by nine students, from 1,447 last year to 1,438 this year.
Sioux Falls Lutheran School grew by 41 students, from 336 last year to 377 this year.

Other local nonpublic K-12 school enrollments include:

221 students at St. Mary’s School in Dell Rapids;
130 students at Children’s Home Society of South Dakota;
125 at East Dakota Educational Cooperative;
119 at LifeScape;
49 at McCrossan Boys Ranch;
45 at Good Shepherd Lutheran School,
43 at Westside Christian School,
23 at Bethel Lutheran School;
Four at Southeastern;
Three at Baan Dek Montessori;
One at 605 Prep;
One at DakotAbilities.

All totaled, there are 4,801 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area nonpublic schools, a growth of 24 students or 0.5% from last fall’s count of 4,777.

Sioux Falls area alternative instruction

Though it’s the second-largest public school district in the state, Rapid City Area Schools saw the largest number of students opt out of public school and into alternative instruction and homeschooling once again this year, with 1,839 students, followed by the largest district, Sioux Falls, with 1,793 students.

Sioux Falls-area schools had the following alternative instruction enrollment shifts this year:

1,793 in Sioux Falls, an increase of 131 from last year’s count of 1,662;
379 in Harrisburg, an increase of 78 from last year’s count of 301;
350 in Brandon Valley, an increase of 67 from last year’s count of 283;
111 in Tea, a decrease of four from last year’s count of 115;
105 in Lennox, an increase of two from last year’s count of 103;
97 in West Central, an increase of six from last year’s count of 91;
87 in Dell Rapids, an increase of 11 from last year’s count of 76;
79 in Canton, a decrease of two from last year’s count of 81;
73 in Tri-Valley, an increase of seven from last year’s count of 66;
42 in Garretson, an increase of 10 from last year’s count of 32;
24 in Baltic, a decrease of one from last year’s count of 25.

All totaled, there are 3,140 students in alternative instruction in the Sioux Falls metro area, an increase of 305 students or 10.7% from last year’s count of 2,835.

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