Huron board hears early list of education bills; superintendent says he opposes vouchers without equivalent accountability

Board members reviewed a list of education bills filed before the start of the South Dakota legislative session and heard a public stance from Superintendent Dr. Steinhoff opposing school vouchers unless recipients meet equivalent accountability requirements.

Board member briefing on bills

A board member summarized several bills filed before the session began, flagging two measures on school choice and spending: one called “educational empowerment credits” (referred to in the meeting as House Bill 10,009) and another titled “Education Savings Accounts” (referred to as House Bill 10,020). The empowerment-credits bill would create a state-managed account that parents could use for tuition, sports fees, textbooks, therapies, transportation and technological devices; the Department of Education would run a web form and conduct random audits for compliance, the board member said. The education-savings-account proposal as described in the briefing would deposit funds equal to 40% of the per-student equivalent into an account and requires the Department of Education to promulgate rules for applications and audits; unspent funds would revert to the state at fiscal year-end, the presenter said.

Other measures noted included a bill to cut property taxes on owner-occupied properties (House Bill 10,019), a change to counselor reimbursement that would remove a current reimbursement for national board certification (House Bill 10,039), a proposal to increase the student share of dual-credit costs from one-third to one-half (House Bill 10,040), and a bill that would require school events to accept cash for admission (House Bill 10,017). The presenter also referenced the general appropriations bill (Senate Bill 55) and a bill that would require posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms (Senate Bill 51). The briefing was presented as a heads-up to the board; details and final text remain subject to change through the legislative process.

Superintendent’s public stance on vouchers

Superintendent Dr. Steinhoff read a prepared statement titled “Public stance on school vouchers in South Dakota.” In it he stated that he opposes school vouchers “unless the same accountability and reporting are required from those receiving the voucher.” He described the accountability public-school leaders currently must provide to the Department of Education and said private schools or other recipients of state education funds should face comparable reporting and oversight if they receive voucher funds.

Why it matters: voucher and savings-account proposals could reallocate state education dollars and affect district budgets, enrollment and accountability frameworks. The superintendent’s public stance signals the district’s position on preserving public-school accountability if voucher programs move forward.

Ending: Board members were urged to read the bills; the superintendent and board indicated they expect the legislative docket to expand as the session proceeds.