Key legislators
Who's moving education in South Dakota
Showing 21–26 of 26
bills
All education bills
HB 1325 prohibits South Dakota's public universities (controlled by the Board of Regents) from requiring students to live in on-campus housing or buy meal plans after their first year of enrollment. This directly affects undergraduate students at institutions like the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University. The bill removes mandatory requirements for housing and meal plans beyond a student's initial academic year. It does not change first-year housing or meal plan policies but gives returning students the choice to live off-campus or arrange their own meals. The law takes effect upon enactment.
HB 1290 amends South Dakota's education funding law by updating how school districts calculate their fall enrollment for state aid. It specifies that nonresident students in state care (e.g., foster care) must be included in enrollment counts, while students in residential treatment facilities must be excluded. The bill also revises the formula for determining the "teacher ratio factor," setting fixed ratios (12 for districts under 200 students, 15 for districts over 600 students) or a calculation-based ratio for medium-sized districts. These changes directly affect all public school districts in South Dakota receiving state aid for general education.
HB 1282 allows South Dakota school districts to admit children younger than five to kindergarten under specific conditions. It requires districts to adopt policies admitting children who will turn five between September 1 and December 1 of the school year and who demonstrate readiness for kindergarten through cognitive and social assessments. Parents may transfer their child to another district if their home district does not adopt such a policy. The bill directly affects young children, their families, and school districts by creating a structured pathway for early kindergarten enrollment.
HB 1239 requires South Dakota's Department of Education to pay the full salary and benefits for all teachers employed by public school districts, replacing the previous system where districts covered these costs. The bill establishes a state-mandated salary schedule that must include increases based on a teacher's certification demand, highest degree, and years of experience, with benefits set at a minimum of 29% of salary. It also limits school districts from exceeding a target teacher ratio factor (calculated by enrollment size) without state approval. This directly affects all South Dakota public school districts and their teaching staff by shifting funding responsibility to the state.
SB 84 increases the income threshold for students to qualify for South Dakota's Partners in Education scholarship program. It raises the initial income requirement from 152% to a higher percentage of the national free/reduced-price lunch income standard (currently 152% for initial eligibility), directly affecting low-income students seeking tuition assistance at participating nonpublic schools. The bill maintains that students who qualify initially remain eligible for three years or until high school graduation without income checks, but must later meet a 250% income threshold to renew. This change expands access to the scholarship program by allowing more households to qualify under the new higher income cap.
HB 1131 amends how South Dakota school districts calculate their fall enrollment for state education funding. The bill specifically requires districts to exclude students residing in residential treatment facilities (when the facility operates the education program) from their enrollment count used in the funding formula. This change directly affects school districts serving students in such facilities, potentially altering their state funding amounts based on revised enrollment calculations. The amendment clarifies an existing definition within the state's education funding structure without changing other elements like teacher salary formulas or English learner adjustments.
