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Public comments: resident urges board to oppose TIFs; visitor distributes federal executive orders on gender issues
Summary
Two community members addressed the board during open forum: one asked trustees to oppose tax-increment financing (TIF) because of its effect on school funding; another, Florence Thompson, described four recent federal executive orders on gender and education and said she had emailed materials to trustees.
Two speakers used the board’s open-forum time to press the district on revenue and policy matters.
Mister Malali, a property owner and district resident, urged trustees to oppose most tax-increment financing (TIF) proposals. He told the board that when developers receive a TIF, the “increment” — the increased property value from development — is diverted to pay infrastructure bonds, and taxing entities such as school districts do not receive the additional revenue during the TIF period. “What has to happen depending on the TIF is either there is going to have to increase the tax levy to make up for this loss of revenue,” he said, and asked the board to “express your opposition to most of these TIFs on the grounds that they do increase property taxes.”
Florence Thompson, introduced herself as president of South Dakota Parents Involved in Education and a retired school psychologist, and told trustees she had emailed them links to four recently issued federal executive orders addressing gender and education policy. Thompson characterized the orders as affecting school policy — including competitive sports, access to care for transgender youth and curriculum standards — and said she agreed with the measures. For example, she described one order as “keeping men out of women’s sports” and said the executive orders “will affect school policy.” The board did not endorse or take action on the documents during the meeting; Thompson’s materials were distributed to trustees by email.
Board member Stefansson (board email contact) reminded listeners that residents can email the entire board at rapidcityboardofeducation@k12.sd.us if they want trustees to receive the same materials. The trustees did not take action on TIF policy or federal executive orders during the meeting; staff said they typically receive TIF notifications from county or city governments.
Speakers and trustees framed the comments as public input; no formal board action resulted from those remarks at the meeting.
