A summary of the key bills related to K-12 education, which passed through the legislature, is listed below.   ASBSD will also host three webinar sessions recapping legislative session on Tuesday, March 19, Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. An email with additional information will be sent next week to board […]

That three word title fits the final two days of legislative action as bills will be passed or killed and the final budget figures will be put together.   State aid   The current budget proposal includes a three percent increase for school districts. A three percent increase would set the per-student allocation for the

Legislators have been locked in conference committee meetings and two different full floor sessions so far today, which has produced interesting developments.   Here’s a rundown of conference committee decisions:   Senate Bill 15: Conference committee members increased the special education levies to a maximum of $1.552 per thousand dollars of valuation and state aid

Senators gave the final push to Senate Bill 233, which establishes a critical needs teaching scholarship and creates a trust fund program for student’s working towards a teaching degree in a critical needs curriculum area.   On a 35-0 vote, the Senate passed an amended version of SB 233 with $1.5 million attached. The bill

Senate sends on one-time funding   Senators passed a bill that appropriates one-time dollars for education on a 33-0 vote.   House Bill 1137 would appropriate $5.8 million to K-12 education, which would equal approximately $45 per student, $200,000 to CTE programs and $250,000 for the Teach for America program.   House Appropriations committee members

Levy bill hoghoused   Senators hoghoused House Bill 1239 on a 28-5 vote on Tuesday.   The original version of HB 1239 would have authorized school districts to set a tax levy at 30 cents per thousand dollars of taxable valuation for pension and health insurance funding purposes. ASBSD supported the bill.   The hoghoused

ELL funding bill survives   In a matter of hours, Senate Bill 159 received a reprieve.   Appropriators initially deferred the bill, which provides school districts with increased state aid for each Limited English Proficiency student, because there’s a provision in the recently hoghoused Senate Bill 235.   Committee members decided later in the hearing

The final week of legislative session got underway on Monday without a major decision made.   Last week, State Economist Jim Terwilliger and LRC Chief Fiscal Analyst Fred Schoenfeld presented appropriators with an updated picture of state revenue and a decision was expected on which set of projections to adopt. Appropriators, however, postponed the decision

The bipartisan bill aimed at enhancing economic development in South Dakota had its first hearing on Monday in front of the House State Affairs committee.   Senate Bill 235 would create the Building South Dakota fund, which would in turn establish the Workforce Education fund.   Thirty percent of the dollars in the Building S.D.