South Dakota
Where major education bills stand as Legislature’s main work ends until Veto Day
This legislative session was a “banner year for education.”
That’s the sentiment of House Majority Leader Will Mortenson (R-Fort Pierre). After all, the 2024 legislative session saw frank conversations about the state’s teacher pay situation, school safety and school lunch, as well as support from lawmakers regarding a tuition freeze and a 4% increase in funding to education.
More: $7.3 billion South Dakota budget funds $27 million increase, new programs and more
All of the following bills can move forward if Gov. Kristi Noem approves the budget as it stands, and doesn’t veto any of the bills that have passed by Veto Day on March 25. Here’s a closer look at what’s at stake:
Teacher pay, education funding and a tuition freeze
State employees and educators will get the 4% increase in education funding both they and Noem wanted to see this year, an increase that will benefit public K-12 and higher education.
Technical colleges and state universities will also see a tuition freeze for the third year straight, an addition to the budget Noem hadn’t originally supported in December, and a move that will keep students’ tuition from rising.
Multiple bills came up dealing with the state’s near-last-in-the-nation average teacher salary. The main one passed is Senate Bill 127, which requires districts to raise their average teacher compensation, which affects salary, by 97% of the increase approved by the Legislature and governor each year starting July 1. Noem signed the bill on Wednesday in Mitchell.
SB 127 also requires each district to pay their teachers a salary at least equal to a new state minimum teacher salary of $45,000. That’s where the figure will start in fiscal year 2025. It will increase by the percentage change in target teacher salary from the previous fiscal year to the current fiscal year each year going forward.
Districts that don’t follow the bill by increasing average teacher compensation and paying teachers at least the state minimum teacher salary could face an accreditation review, or could be penalized $500 in state aid for each full-time teacher employed in the district.
A similar bill, House Bill 1048, was tabled in the Senate. It progressed through most of the legislative session until SB 127 was amended and took over.
More: South Dakota Legislature passes bill aiming to increase teacher salaries, compensation
Another bill, House Bill 1201, is awaiting the governor’s signature and would appropriate $800,000 to the Department of Labor and Regulation for the teacher apprenticeship pathway program.
More than $3 million in funding for a major higher education project, the Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology, is contained in Senate Bill 45, which Noem signed at Dakota State University on Wednesday.
More: Why 4 of South Dakota’s universities want a Center for Quantum Information Science
Noem also signed House Bill 1022, a $6 million appropriation to the Department of Education to provide professional development to teachers on literacy education based on the science of reading, in Mitchell on Wednesday.
Attempt for school safety results in concealed carry in schools
Sen. Brent Hoffman (R-Hartford) brought three different school safety bills this session: Senate Bill 34, Senate Bill 103 and Senate Bill 203.
SB 34 would’ve required all 148 public K-12 school districts and all 706 public K-12 school buildings in the state to have a school sentinel or school resource officer, but it was killed in the Senate Education committee.
SB 103 would’ve required each exterior door of a public school that’s unlocked during regular school hours to be monitored and controlled by a school district employee or school resource officer who’s physically present, and would’ve required video surveillance at main school doors, but a vote to pass the bill with an amendment failed in the Senate.
SB 203 was the only bill to make it out of the Legislature, and lets school principals give written permission to individuals 21 or older with an enhanced permit to carry a concealed pistol at public elementary or secondary schools. It’s on Noem’s desk.
More: South Dakota bill would allow principals to decide who concealed carries guns in schools
School lunch bills failed
There were two different attempts to free up some of the costs families face when paying for school lunch: Rep. Kadyn’ Wittman’s (D-Sioux Falls) House Bill 1042, and Rep. Tyler Tordsen’s (R-Sioux Falls) House Bill 1238.
HB 1042 would’ve covered the cost of breakfast and lunch for students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at an estimated cost of $578,000 per year, but was killed in the House Education committee.
HB 1238 would’ve covered costs for families with incomes less than 209% of the poverty line who aren’t already eligible for free or reduced-price meals through federal programs. Tordsen estimated the annual cost between $1 million and $1.5 million. His bill was killed in the House Committee on Appropriations.
Mixed bag on bills monitoring content, events in educational settings
Noem has a chance in the coming days to sign House Bill 1178, which prohibits the Board of Regents or any institution under its control from using state resources for “obscene live conduct.”
HB 1178 mirrors two similar bills from 2023, House Bill 1116 and House Bill 1125, which were an attempt to prevent events such as the student-led drag show on campus at South Dakota State University in November 2022 from ever happening again.
More: Senate committee advances bill banning ‘obscene live conduct’ at South Dakota universities
Two more outright anti-drag bills, House Bill 1113 and Senate Bill 184, were killed in the early stages of being introduced.
HB 1113 would’ve prohibited the use of state resources for the provision of “lewd or lascivious content,” and sought to limit state agencies, institutions or public school districts to spend money or use state-owned facilities to develop, implement, facilitate, host, promote or fund any “lewd or lascivious content.” HB 1113 was killed in the House State Affairs committee.
SB 184 would’ve made someone guilty of disseminating material harmful to minors, a class one misdemeanor, if they were performing in drag. The bill was killed by the Senate Education committee.
Noem has already signed House Bill 1197, which requires schools to publish online or in their local newspaper what policies they have that restrict minors from accessing obscene matter or materials, something that was largely already in place on many district websites or in their policy handbooks.
The South Dakota State baseball team is fighting for its season today against Arizona State in the Lincoln Regional. The game is set for 2 p.m.
The No. 4 Jackrabbits (24-32) lost 4-1 to No. 1 Nebraska in the opening game. No. 3 Arizona State lost a 706 heartbreaker to No. 2 Ole Miss in the opening round in 14 innings. The game took nearly 5.5 hours and ended around 1:20 a.m.
Here’s how to watch South Dakota State’s win-or-go-home game.
Watch South Dakota State baseball vs … on ESPN+
South Dakota State vs. Arizona State baseball stream, radio
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: KJJQ 910 AM
South Dakota State vs. Arizona State time today
- Date: Saturday, May 30
- Time: 2 p.m. CT
- Location: Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska
South Dakota State vs. Arizona State prediction
Paul Cifonelli, Argus Leader: This was always a tough draw for South Dakota State, as I thought this was the toughest regional in the country. At worst it’s the third toughest, with Chapel Hill and College Station in contention.
The Jackrabbits do have an advantage since Arizona State and Ole Miss went at it until after 1 a.m. Both teams stressed their pitching staffs, and every at bat required intense focus. The problem is South Dakota State doesn’t have the same top-end pitching these other teams do.
If Drew McDowell pitches, the Jacks might have a shot here. Otherwise they’ll have to win a slugfest, and I just don’t like those odds.
Prediction: Arizona State 8, South Dakota State 3
MISSION, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – In rural South Dakota, miles often separate expectant mothers from healthcare.
“A lot of women out here are left without any maternity care options,” said Rachel Kocak.
In Mission, moms mark their due dates and calculate miles to the nearest delivery location. Rachel Kocak, expecting her third child, said one option just closed.
“We used to have a birthing unit, I think up until a couple of months ago, and they lost their OB. So, Winner is no longer delivering babies,” Rachel said.
Some mothers remember when they could reach the hospital within a five-minute drive.
“IHS, for tribal members, they don’t deliver babies out here or provide prenatal care,” Rachel explained.
Families hope to reach the hospital before the baby arrives.
“So women either have to drive to Valentine, which is about 30 to 35 minutes from Mission, they can go to Wanblee, which is on the Pine Ridge Reservation, or they have to go to Pierre, Rapid City, or Sioux Falls,” Rachel said.
And if the roads are bad.
“I think there are a lot of babies who are unintentionally born at home. So it’s a tough place, I think, for mothers,” Rachel said.
The March of Dimes breaks down government data, showing a large portion of rural South Dakota as a maternity care desert, requiring travel of 38 or more minutes to reach an appointment or delivery room. The infant mortality rate is higher among native American babies born, compared to other races.
Health Department maps show counties in medium blue have 56 infant deaths per 100,000 births. Dark blue counties have three times as many. Grants aim to increase the number of healthcare workers, and funding supports a doula workforce program.
Kocak would like to see doulas and midwives available.
“Great opportunity for anyone who wants to become a home-birth midwife out here. The birth rate is still, I’m not sure what it is, but it’s high. There’s still a growing young population, and just not enough people to help deliver the babies,” Rachel said.
If care were closer, the outcomes could be brighter.
“You know, having the support network can make a huge change in the lives of these young, you know, these babies and young mothers who are building new families,” Rachel said.
The South Dakota Department of Health released a statement to Dakota News Now, which can be read in full below.
The South Dakota Maternal and Infant Health Task Force was created in 2025 to bring partners together to help improve the health and wellbeing of mothers and infants across the state. Their 5-year strategic plan was recently released, which has three priority areas: postpartum care to improve maternal health; safe sleep education and prevention strategies to protect infant health; and systems of care work that improves access, coordination, and quality of care statewide. One of the strategic plan activities that is supported by Rural Health Transformation is the creation of Regional Maternal and Infant Health Hubs, which will create a hub-and-spoke network connecting hospitals, clinics, tribal health services, and community organizations. These hubs will improve care coordination, strengthen referral pathways, and expand access to services for families in rural and tribal communities.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
While the race to secure the nomination for governor has dominated the headlines ahead of the June 2 primary, Republican voters will also choose a candidate for one of South Dakota’s two U.S. Senate seats.
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, who is seeking a third, six-year term, holds a comfortable lead over his GOP primary challenger, Justin McNeal, a Navy veteran and business owner from Rapid City, according to the latest poll from News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy.
Here is a recap of the two candidates along with their thoughts heading into the June 2 election. The winner of the Republican primary will meet Democrat Julian Beaudion and Independent Brian Bengs in the Nov. 3 general election.
Hometown: Fort PierreAge: 71Occupation: Insurance broker; businessman; former governor (2003-2011); U.S. senator since 2015In their own words:
Rounds provided the following statement to News Watch:
“Working in the U.S. Senate, I’ve stayed focused on results that matter for our kids and grandkids. That means keeping the government off your back and out of your business and wallet. That means keeping our communities safe and creating a business climate that encourages job growth to keep our kids in South Dakota. And that means safety through a commitment to our men and women in uniform.
This past summer, we worked with President Trump to pass the Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts legislation. Without Congressional action, the average South Dakota family would have seen a $2,500 tax hike this year. Our legislation not only prevented the largest tax increase in American history, but it also provided additional tax relief for hard-working South Dakota families. That includes no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security for nearly 9 out of 10 seniors.
We’ve accomplished some great things, but our work is not done. I am running for reelection to continue bringing results back home to South Dakota.”
Hometown: Rapid City (born in Illinois and raised in Texas)Age: 42Occupation: Business owner (Dakota BioChar); Navy veteran (2001-2007)In their own words:
“I’m feeling the people in South Dakota are ready for a change. The challenge we are running into is that not enough people know who we are, but as soon as they know who we are, it’s an easy decision for them,” McNeal told News Watch in a phone interview. “I don’t have millions and millions of dollars. I’ve been largely self-funding this race up to this point.”
McNeal, who is a licensed pilot, said he has flown his small plane to events throughout the state in an attempt to get his name out.
“I talk to people about the issues that matter and I tell them the biggest thing you can do to help me is tell 10 people about me and to go vote June 2. We need about 50,000 votes to win the primary,” he said.
McNeal is not critical of Rounds and conceded “he is very popular” but said Rounds has not done enough to tackle the country’s growing fiscal deficit.
“I don’t think Mike is doing a bad job. I’m just concerned with the federal debt and the people that got us into that mess are not going to be the ones to get us out of it,” McNeal said.
“This is going to cripple the country. It just seems like politicians are focused on what they can bring to their home district or home state. And the problem with that is every member of Congress is doing the same thing, so everyone is taking and taking without making sure we can pay for it.”
South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org. Contact politics and statehouse reporter Alexander Rifaat: 605-736-4396/alexander.rifaat@sdnewswatch.org.
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