South Dakota
Noem proposes school choice program to ‘prioritize education.’ Critics say it’ll undermine it. • South Dakota Searchlight
PIERRE — A $4 million proposal by South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem to help students enroll in private school and other forms of alternative instruction would undermine public education by diverting state money to unaccountable entities, opponents say.
Supporters of the plan say it would allow the state to start educational reform that’s gained momentum nationwide while lowering education costs, forcing public education to innovate and offering South Dakota students tailored education to best meet their learning needs.
Noem pitched the creation of education savings accounts, or ESAs, to lawmakers at her annual budget address Tuesday in Pierre as a way to continue to “prioritize education” without cutting public education funds.
“Good education starts in the home,” Noem said. “And parents should have the tools to choose what educational path is best for their kids.”
Noem budget includes cuts, but also new school-choice program and more prison money
The program would cover about $3,000 per student annually to pay for a portion of private school tuition or curriculum for alternative education, Noem said. She hopes to expand the program eventually, but she might not be around to act on that plan. President-elect Donald Trump has picked her as his nominee to lead the federal Department of Homeland Security, which means she could resign as governor as soon as late January, elevating Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden to serve the rest of her term.
The program would be for “families who meet eligibility requirements,” according to information in Noem’s budget, and Noem’s spokesman said the requirements will include being low-income. Sixteen other states already allow families to use taxpayer funds for ESAs.
The proposal comes as South Dakota sees one of the highest rises in alternative instruction in the nation. Across the state, alternatively enrolled students account for about 6.5% of the school-age population, based on public, non-public and alternative enrollment data from the state Department of Education. Alternative instruction includes homeschooling and private schools that are unaccredited or accredited by an entity other than the state, such as online, hybrid and microschools.
Lawmakers and education lobbyists in Pierre are eager to learn the details about Noem’s proposed legislation – especially how the state will ensure oversight and accountability, how students are chosen for the program and how it’ll fit into the state’s ongoing expenses.
“We have homework to do,” said incoming Senate President Pro Tempore Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, a former member of the legislative budgeting committee who supports the school choice movement. “We have to go look at this and figure out how to implement this responsibly.”
Sandra Waltman, director of public affairs for the South Dakota Education Association, said any entity that accepts public funding should be held to the same standards as public education, such as testing requirements and anti-discrimination policies. Alternative instruction students are currently not required to take standardized tests or present a portfolio to demonstrate educational progress. Private schools aren’t obligated to serve all students, so they can deny admission and educational services, Waltman added.
“When you’re taking those precious funds and diverting them from public schools, you’re undermining what public schools can do for students,” Waltman said. “There’s no assurance the money they’re investing in education is actually making a difference.”
Noem didn’t propose cutting public education to fund the program, but proposed a state funding increase to public education of 1.25%. The inflation rate this year is 3.2%, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
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Lower-than-expected sales tax collections primarily drive the leaner $7.29 billion budget Noem proposed Tuesday, which also includes cuts to some state departments and programs.
That signals to Rob Monson, executive director of School Administrators of South Dakota, that lawmakers will challenge the feasibility of ESAs.
“Some legislators will look at public education serving over 80% of students in the state and think, ‘If we have extra money, maybe we should obligate that to a program we’re already obligated to fund instead of funding a new program with ongoing dollars,’” Monson said.
Efforts to create ESA programs failed twice in the Legislature in recent years, largely due to questions about financial feasibility, said Brookings Republican Rep. Mellissa Heermann, a member of the House Education Committee.
South Dakota must be intentional with the “small pot” of tax revenue it has to work with, Heermann said. She added that there are already school programs in place to help address students’ mental health, behavioral and learning needs.
“I don’t know that vouchers would be as impactful as other programs,” Heermann said. “The timing doesn’t feel right to me to embark on something like this when we’re already trying to reduce costs as much as possible.”
Incoming House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach, R-Spearfish, said the proposal focuses on educating students, rather than supporting a public education system that’s weighed down by overhead costs and top-heavy administrative costs. An ESA program could force local districts to decentralize, adapt and focus more on students’ education, he said.
“No entity evolves until it’s forced,” Odenbach said.
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BROOKINGS — If Fort Worth ever crossed Aaron Johnston’s mind, it probably wasn’t to play the Washington Huskies.
But that’s the draw his Jackrabbits earned in the 2026 NCAA tournament.
SDSU earned an 11-seed and will face 6th-seeded Washington on Friday at TCU’s Schollmaier Arena.
The Huskies went 21-10 as members of the Big Ten this season. They are in their fifth season under coach Tina Langley, who took Washington to the First Four last year.
Should the Jacks get past the Huskies they’d face the winner of 3rd-seeded TCU and 14-seed UC-San Diego.
The Jackrabbits are 27-6 and headed to their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament and 14th under Johnston. They were the 2-seed in the Summit League tournament and knocked off No. 1 seed and regular season Summit League champion North Dakota State in the title game to punch their ticket to the Big Dance.
SDSU will bring a 10-game winning streak into the tournament.
The Jacks have six wins in the tournament among their 13 appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2019. They were a 10-seed last year and defeated 7th-seed Oklahoma State in the first round before losing to eventual national champion Connecticut in the second round.
The Summit League’s men’s champion, North Dakota State, earned a 14-seed and will play Michigan State in the first round.
In another interesting development with Summit League ties, three former USD Coyotes women’s coaches are in the tournament, and two of them are playing each other. While Amy Williams and Nebraska earned an at-large bid, Minnesota will host Green Bay in the first round. The Gophers are coached by former USD coach Dawn Plitzuweit and Green Bay’s coach is Kayla Karius, who followed Plitzuweit to Vermillion.
Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.
(SOUTH DAKOTA SEARCHLIGHT) – A wildfire that’s grown to more than 11 square miles near the city of Custer in South Dakota’s Black Hills had not caused any injuries as of Saturday night but had damaged about 10 properties, the Custer County Sheriff’s Office said.
The damage ranges from sheds and garages “all the way up to some homes being lost,” said Sgt. Derrick Reifenrath in a video update on Facebook about the Qury Fire.
He said local road closures remained in effect and asked for patience as firefighting continued and hazards from heavy smoke and potentially falling trees remained.
But he said authorities would be allowing some people to visit their property if they pick up a tag at the Custer County Search and Rescue office. The tag will allow them to legally go around barricades, Reifenrath said.
He issued a warning to operators of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-side vehicles who were illegally driving on areas of the forest that firefighters cleared with bulldozers.
“You will be stopped, your name will be given to the Forest Service, and I assure you that they will prosecute you on that,” Reifenrath said.
What he called “dozer cuts” are parts of a vegetation-free line that firefighters are trying to achieve around the fire to halt its progress. Other segments could consist of lines cut by hand with shovels, as well as roads and natural barriers such as streams and rock outcroppings.
By Sunday morning, authorities said the firefighting force had grown to about 280 personnel. They estimated 2% of the fire was contained, while snow and higher humidity that moved into the area Saturday were expected to aid firefighting efforts, to a point. Too much snow could hinder firefighters’ movements, said the U.S. Forest Service’s Adam Ziegler during a Custer community meeting livestreamed to Facebook on Saturday.
Temporary flight restrictions remain in place. “Please do not fly any unauthorized aircraft over the fire,” said a news release from authorities. “If you fly, we can’t.”
News releases about the fire from state and federal officials have said the cause is under investigation. The Qury Fire started Thursday in a forested, mountainous area about 2 miles southeast of Custer in the southern Black Hills, where the winter has been unusually warm and dry. The fire’s size by Sunday morning was estimated at 7,200 acres.
On Friday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized the use of federal funding to fight the fire. At the time, FEMA reported that the fire was threatening more than 100 homes in the vicinity of Custer, as well as bridges, utilities, and radio and cellphone towers. Mandatory evacuations were in place for more than 100 people and a shelter had been opened in Custer.
The funding authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75% of the state’s eligible firefighting costs under a grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires. The grant does not provide assistance to individual home or business owners, FEMA said, and does not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.
How to find up-to-date Qury Fire information
For the most up-to-date information on Qury Fire evacuations and road closures, authorities are directing people to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office and its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/custercountysd.
Authorities are also updating a Facebook page created for the fire at https://www.facebook.com/QuryFire2026/, and information is available on the InciWeb interagency fire website at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/sdbkf-qury-Fire.
Fire information is available by phone at (605) 673-8155 and by email at 2026.qury@firenet.gov.
Seth is editor-in-chief of South Dakota Searchlight. He was previously a supervising senior producer for South Dakota Public Broadcasting and a newspaper journalist in Rapid City and Mitchell.
South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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BROOKINGS, S.D. — Here’s a look at the scores from Saturday’s action at the final day of 2026 South Dakota High School Activities Association state girls basketball.
Saturday’s state tournament scores
Class AA
Seventh place
Tea Area 69, Sioux Falls Jefferson 55
Fifth place
Mitchell 59, Rapid City Stevens 53
Third place
Sioux Falls Washington 65, Aberdeen Central 42
Championship
Sioux Falls O’Gorman 59, Brandon Valley 53
Class A
Seventh place
Lakota Tech 67, Wagner 64
Fifth place
Sioux Valley 63, West Central 61
Third place
Sioux Falls Christian 51, Hamlin 50
Championship
Lennox 65, Mahpiya Luta 51
Class B
Seventh place
Centerville 53, Colman-Egan 46
Fifth place
Bennett County 58, Lyman 47
Third place
Corsica-Stickney 65, Parkston 58 (OT)
Championship
Ethan 48, Harding County 39
Marcus Traxler is the assistant editor and sports editor for the Mitchell Republic. A past winner of the state’s Outstanding Young Journalist award and the 2023 South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year, he’s worked for the newspaper since 2014 and covers a wide variety of topics. A Minnesota native, Traxler can be reached at mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com.
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