Education

SB 157 amends South Dakota's school funding formula to require using an *average fall enrollment* (instead of enrollment on a single date) when calculating a school district's "local need" for state funding. This directly affects all public school districts in South Dakota by changing how their student enrollment count is determined for funding calculations. The bill replaces the current method - using enrollment on the last Friday of September - with an average, which could stabilize funding by smoothing out seasonal enrollment fluctuations. The change applies specifically to the calculation of "local need" under § 13-13-10.1(32) in the education funding code.

SB 79 appropriates $6 million from South Dakota's general fund to build an advanced manufacturing lab and classrooms at Southeast Technical College. The college must first secure $18 million in outside funding (gifts, grants, etc.) before the state funds are released, with no bonds allowed for the project. The bill declares an emergency to expedite the construction, requiring the state auditor to pay for approved expenses. This directly affects Southeast Technical College students, faculty, and local manufacturing industry partners by expanding hands-on training facilities. The funding is conditional on the college meeting its financial match requirement.

HB 1158 revises South Dakota's requirements for students receiving alternative instruction (such as homeschooling). It requires these students to take state-mandated academic assessments if they are "partially enrolled" in a public school district (at least 50% of school hours), removing a previous exemption. The bill also adds specific deadlines: parents must file notification of alternative instruction within 30 days of starting it or changing districts, and annually by September 1st until the child graduates or fully enrolls in school. This directly affects homeschooling families and parents choosing alternative education within a public school district's boundaries.

HB 1206 clarifies that parents, guardians, or caregivers who have filed a notification of "alternative instruction" with South Dakota's Department of Education or school district cannot use state public funds (as defined in §4-4-2) to pay for a child's education. The bill directly affects families utilizing alternative education arrangements who have submitted the required notification. It prohibits these individuals from accessing state education funds for their child's schooling if the notification is on file. This policy change specifically restricts the use of public funds for alternative instruction methods already documented with education authorities.

HB 1143 allows students with diabetes to possess and self-administer nasal glucagon (a medication for severe low blood sugar) on school property or at school events. It directly affects students diagnosed with diabetes who require this specific treatment. The bill requires a licensed healthcare provider’s diagnosis, written parent authorization, and a physician’s statement detailing the medication’s purpose, dosage, and administration guidelines to be kept on file at the school. Schools must maintain these documents in the student’s health record or with the school nurse. This change expands existing provisions for asthma and anaphylaxis medications to include nasal glucagon for diabetes management.