Highlights & Insights
by Heath Larson
ASBSD Executive Director
The following is a Letter to the Editor sent to media outlets yesterday (11/26) from the Education Organizations – including ASBSD – in South Dakota opposing the Voucher movement in our state.
Dear South Dakotans,
We are writing to our friends and neighbors as representatives of education-focused organizations. Our organizations are comprised of South Dakotans who have served South Dakota communities and their children for decades. We express our strong concern and opposition to the introduction of school voucher programs in South Dakota. Voucher programs have many names, such as Education Savings Accounts, Tuition Tax Credits, Vouchers, Grants, Tax Credit Scholarships, or Debit Cards. These programs divert critical funding away from your public schools, which serve as the lifeblood of communities across our great state. Our public schools are the foundation of our community’s future as schools in your community produce your next workforce and serve as the draw for our young people to come home and raise their South Dakota families.
Public schools are the cornerstone and pride of our communities, welcoming all children regardless of background, ability, or socioeconomic status. The divergence of South Dakota taxpayer dollars into private, alternative instruction (home school) or for-profit institutions undermines Article VIII of the South Dakota Constitution. Our communities have been built on our public schools’ ability to provide equitable, high-quality education for all children regardless of their zip code. For generations, South Dakotans have respected individuals' school choices, whether through open enrollment, private schooling, or alternative instruction (homeschooling), while maintaining their communities' foundation through their public schools.
Research indicates that voucher programs consistently fail to improve academic outcomes. Most recently, research from the non-profit Economic Policy Institute reports how “Vouchers undermine efforts to provide an excellent public education for all.” The research notably states, “Public education is worth preserving – it should be seen as one of the most important achievements in our country’s history and crucial for the social and economic welfare of future generations.” It also warns, “Paradoxically, even while they take resources away from public schools, many newly introduced voucher programs could result in more total state spending in coming years.”
As educators and South Dakotans, we ask that we not dismantle a system that is the bedrock of our communities as it provides all children with the opportunity to learn, be fed, be safe, and belong.
Instead of dismantling the system that educates the majority of our children, we urge policymakers to focus on strengthening public education. Monies intended to build “another education system” should be invested in our communities and our K12 system. Let us reaffirm our collective commitment to our communities through our pride in public schools, which are an investment in our children and the foundation of our democracy.
Submitted,
School Administrators of South Dakota (SASD)
Associated School Boards of South Dakota (ASBSD)
South Dakota Education Association (SDEA)
South Dakota United Schools Association (SDUSA)
Large School Group
ASBSD’s legislative platform has been set for the 2025 legislative session.
More than 80 Delegates approved ASBSD’s legislative resolutions and legislative standing positions, which comprise the Association’s legislative platform for next year’s session.
“The work we complete today will influence ASBSD’s advocacy work throughout legislative session,” ASBSD President Garret Bischoff of Huron shared.
Delegates approved a myriad of changes, which included trimming the number of resolutions from 48 in 2024 to 35 for 2025 with many of those resolutions being added to the now 14 standing positions that were adopted.
Click here to view the 2025 Legislative Resolutions and click here to view the 2025 Legislative Standing Positions.
Those in attendance also approved the legislative priorities of ASBSD for the upcoming session and will be the focus of advocacy efforts and include:
- C5. Increasing State Aid
- C7. Protecting School District Valuations
- D1. Property Tax Reduction or Repeal
- Standing Position: Local Governance
- Standing Position: Non-Public Schools or Alternative Education Funding or Establishment of New Non-Public School Systems
The new Standing Position: Non-Public Schools or Alternative Education Funding or Establishment of New Non-Public School Systems will be a large part of the upcoming session as a bill – or multiple bills – proposing a school voucher program is expected to be introduced.
“It is shaping up to be a challenging session with the potential for multiple pieces of legislation posing a threat to funding and local control,” Bischoff told Delegates. “Among those pieces of legislation, is a bill expected to take away public dollars from public education and put our funds towards non-public education. And, it is anticipated to be viewed favorably by the legislature.”
“We will need everyone to voice opposition to a proposal like this, which is a very real danger to eroding our excellent public school system.”
You can be among those voices by joining ASBSD’s Legislative Action Network. Click here to learn more.
Tune into the current Governor’s budget address on Tuesday, December 3 here beginning at 2 p.m. (Central) and for the start of the 2025 South Dakota Legislative Session on Tuesday, January 14.
We need voices advocating for public education during the 2025 legislative session.
A voucher bill taking public money for non-public education is coming, as is a proposed cap or cut to property taxes, and challenges to your local control along with other potentially damaging bills will be introduced this session.
To combat that, we need many members appointed to the ASBSD Legislative Action Network (LAN), which is designed to activate school leaders to communicate to legislators our legislative positions. Please consider appointing multiple board members and administrators to LAN.
The LAN appointment process is online and can be completed through the following steps:
- Click here to access the LAN Appointment form;
- Complete the form;
- Adding multiple individuals from your district for LAN is similar to how a new paragraph is added in a document.
- Click the submit button;
- Should you need to add another board member after you've submitted, click the "Submit another response" link.
Please note, LAN members and Delegates are not the same position.
LAN members will periodically be contacted by ASBSD during legislative session asking them to contact their legislator(s) and advocate for or against specific legislation.
Each board member designated as a LAN member earns 25 ALL points for their local board.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Director of Communications Tyler Pickner at tpickner@asbsd.org or at 605-881-3791.
By Tyler Pickner
ASBSD Director of Communications
Revenue collection is lagging concerningly behind one-third of the way through Fiscal Year 2025.
Through October, state revenue collections are more than $24 million behind where the legislature expected them to be when the numbers were adopted during legislative session. In October alone, revenue collections came in $14 million under projections.
This shortfall is particularly concerning for those in public education as revenue collection determines the amount of increase our schools will receive in state aid for the next school year.
Sales tax collections are $22 million less than the projected total at this time in the fiscal year.
“The current trajectory we’re on puts at negative growth” in sales tax year over year, which hasn’t happened since Fiscal Year 2010, LRC Deputy Director & Fiscal Chief Jeff Mehlhaff told legislative appropriators at their November meeting.
During the meeting, Sen. Jim Bolin said, “it looks like we’re headed towards a deficit” in revenue collection.
S.D. State Economist Derek Johnson noted the state’s “two largest revenue categories look like they’re going to be down.”
With a revenue collection shortfall already appearing coupled with the expected proposal of a bill – or multiple bills – introducing a school voucher program will put a strain on the legislature increasing state aid for next school year.
We will need everyone to voice opposition to a voucher proposal and share support for the legislature honoring state law and providing an increase in state aid and you can be among those voices by joining ASBSD’s Legislative Action Network.
Click here to learn more about joining LAN.
by Naomi Cromwell
Director of Policy & Legal Services
Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) audits are continuing for purposes of verifying that schools' background check policies comport with CJIS's requirements for Criminal History Record Information (CHRI).
Earlier this year, audit findings resulted in recommended changes to school board policy language, and in response, on June 21, 2024, revisions were made to ASBSD's sample background check policy and policy exhibit (Policy GCDB and GGCDB-E(1)).
If you haven't done so already, I'd urge all school districts to review your background check policies and to update them as needed.
Josh Cowen, an author and professor, recently discussed the harmful impact of school vouchers and you can watch the webinar recording and view the presentations.
Click here to view the webinar recording and use the passcode: q18NNv@H.
Click here to view the Vouchers in Pictures Fall 2024 and click here to view the Voucher Five Facts One-Pager.
Cowen provided a short history of educational privatization, how school vouchers defund public schools and devastate student learning, and how billionaires have turned to culture wars to sell voucher schemes moving forward and also discussed the voucher movement, impacts on all school districts, and shared valuable information that will be beneficial for you to know.
In addition, Josh has authored: The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers which is now available.
If you have questions, please contact Director of Communications Tyler Pickner at tpickner@asbsd.org.
