This column by the South Dakota Public School Coalition was originally published at South Dakota Searchlight.
During her recent budget address, Gov. Kristi Noem outlined a plan to utilize $4 million of taxpayer money to pay for a new program she is calling “education savings accounts.” Let’s be clear. This is a school voucher program that diverts public dollars to private schools or alternative education programs with little transparency or accountability to taxpayers.
Some will say this is about “school choice,” but the reality is that these programs force future legislatures and local communities to make hard choices in the future. Numerous states have started these voucher schemes with devastating impacts on state budgets.
One example is Arizona. It started a similar program in 2022 with a price tag of $65 million. In just a few short years, that program is estimated to cost $429 million for the 2025 fiscal year alone and is responsible for two-thirds of the state’s $1.4 billion budget deficit for the combined 2024 and 2025 fiscal years.
Iowa, which hastily passed a voucher program in the opening weeks of its 2023 legislative session, is now facing a $200 million budget deficit. More private schools are opening, mostly in urban areas such as Des Moines, while small rural schools are closing. These are not isolated incidents but rather a pattern South Dakota should learn from.
This program is about choice, but not good choices for South Dakota rural communities and local school districts. Legislators can choose to fund this voucher program at the cost of cutting other programs such as the ones outlined in the governor’s proposed budget.
They can reduce state funding for the dual credit program for high school students, which provides a step up to students attending our universities. They can cut funding for the State Library, which provides vital resources to rural schools. They can even choose to cut South Dakota Public Broadcasting, which again offers valuable education and information to citizens of all ages. The Legislature can choose to start a voucher program, but only by cutting other services. Is that in South Dakota’s best interest?
What does making this choice mean in the long run for South Dakota’s schools and communities? We have already outlined what has happened in other states, and the same thing will happen here.
There will be less money for public schools, where over 80% of the state’s students attend — forcing local school boards to make the unpopular choice of cutting staff and having larger class sizes. There will be no room in local budgets for fine arts programs, which are essential for a district’s ability to offer an education that reaches all students, especially those at risk. Gone will be the career and technical education programs vital in training the workforce necessary to have a strong and vibrant rural economy. Schools in our rural communities will be hit the hardest, with no choice but to make devastating cuts or close their doors.
The South Dakota Public Schools Coalition emphasizes the importance of evaluating the long-term consequences of introducing a voucher program. Public schools are vital to our communities and require adequate resources to provide equitable, high-quality education to all students, as mandated by the South Dakota Constitution. Lawmakers have a duty to uphold this commitment.
- School Administrators of South Dakota (SASD), Rob Monson, executive director
- Associated School Boards of South Dakota (ASBSD), Heath Larson, executive director
- South Dakota Education Association (SDEA), Ryan Rolfs, executive director
- South Dakota United School Association (SDUSA), Mitch Richter, executive director
- Large School Group, Dianna Miller, executive director
