BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO) —Governor Kristi Noem wants to set aside $4-million for education savings accounts.
Several lawmakers followed her lead and sponsored House Bill 1020 to do just that.
Now school districts – including Sioux Falls and Brookings – are discussing the proposal at their school board meetings.
Brookings Superintendent Summer Schultz said the program could undermine community support systems, particularly for students facing mental health and behavioral challenges.
“I think there are individuals who look at this from a very narrow mind and potentially see how it benefits a certain individual or a certain set,” Schultz said. “While public schools, we look at communities as a whole. We look at the families in our communities, and we also look at the student needs and then we plan accordingly for that.”
In a news release, the South Dakota Department of Education said educational savings accounts would “extend a lifeline to students who lack access to schools that meet their needs.”
However, Schultz worries that not all families will have access to equal education options outside the public school system.
“I do worry about that, and I do worry about that misconception that as superintendents and school boards, if we were to speak out against this particular initiative, that it’s because we are not in good relations with private schools or our home school communities, and that just couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Schultz said.
Sioux Falls Superintendent Jamie Nold also spoke with KELOLAND News about his opposition when it comes to HB 1020.
“I’m not in favor of vouchers especially when it’s going to take dollars away from, but public education is truly where we need to invest that money,” Nold said.
