Members of Senate Education voted 5-2 Tuesday to turn away legislation aimed at reducing per-student aid for students who attend school outside his or her resident district.

Senate Bill 85 proposes a change to the way open-enrolled students are funded. If a student open-enrolls to a district that receives the small school adjustment, the per-student allocation for that child would be based on the resident district’s fall enrollment.

Sen. Deb Peters, R-Hartford, tried to convince lawmakers that SB 85 would restore fairness to the formula and save taxpayers $1.1 million. She called on lawmakers to support the bill and to put a stop to schools receiving “bonus” money and to ensure students are “switching schools for the right reasons.”

Avon Superintendent Tom Culver and Elkton Superintendent Tony Simons lined up in opposition to the legislation. The two administrators stressed to lawmakers that parents and students are making a choice to attend a smaller school. They also detailed the financial hardship the measure would cause in their districts.

While several committee members credited Sen. Peters for making a strong case for the bill, lawmakers opted to kill the bill. Sen. Todd Schlekeway, R-Sioux Falls, told lawmakers that he hopes action on another bill regulating busing would work to accomplish the goals of Senate Bill 85.

The discussion on the bill frustrated Sen. Mark Johnston, R-Sioux Falls. He called for educators and lawmakers to work together to update the state’s struggling school finance system, which he said dates back to the 1950s. Budget battles have legislators “vapor-locked,” he said, which prevents real discussions about education funding reform from happening.