District 19 Senator Kyle Schoenfish 2024 Legislative Article – Week 5

By Mitchell Now February 12, 2024 6:12 am

The 2024 legislative session is over half over with the completion of week 5.

Senate Bill 204 was heard in Education. SB 204 appropriates 15 million dollars for construction of a new school in the Douglas School District. The school district is likely to receive a large increase of students in the next several years and will have increased construction costs. The Federal Government is expected to cover about 40 million of those costs. I asked several questions during committee about funding for the school. They receive about five million in Impact Aid every year and have a balance of 24 million in the Impact Aid Fund, which can be used for construction costs. New homes and businesses will continue to be constructed in the near future which adds to their taxable valuation which is currently over 800 million. An increase in students will result in a significant increase in state aid, like for any school.

All school districts in South Dakota are unique and have their own set of challenges and advantages. The South Dakota Bureau of Finance and Management opposed the bill outlining the resources the district has to cover the costs. At this time I voted against SB 204; it passed, 5-2, to be referred to the Appropriations Committee where it will further evaluated.

Discussions on different funding bills and the overall budget will continue.

I can be contacted at 605-660-6468 or kyle.schoenfish@sdlegislature.gov.

Kyle Schoenfish
District 19 State Senator
Chairman of Senate Education

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