Gov. Larry Rhoden said South Dakota is participating in a federal program funding private education for students. While similar to waiver programs previously rejected by state lawmakers, these offer a distinction.
The program, a part of the President Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, provides tax waivers for people interested in donating to a fund supporting private school education. Where a waiver program would directly take from the tax pool to fund private school scholarships, this program is an opt-in for tax credits.
Rhoden said it reflects his, and many others, distrust of the federal government’s education priorities.
“Certainly, for me, I’d just as soon give those dollars to a private school than to Uncle Sam," Rhoden said. "I think they probably know how to spend it a little wiser than the federal government does.”
It is unclear how this program may impact potential legislative efforts to install a private school waiver program in South Dakota.
“It doesn’t affect it, and I think it’s part of the same conversation in one way, but it would be totally separate legislation," Rhoden said. "It remains to be seen whether any legislator brings it forward. We saw the results of it last year.”
Previously, a program sponsored by then-Governor Kristi Noem was killed aiming to establish a system called “education savings accounts.” Opponents said that was effectively a private school waiver program in everything but name.
Joe Graves, Secretary of the state Department of Education, supports the endeavor. He said his support comes from failings in the department he oversees.
“We have areas in this state I refer to as educational deserts," Graves said. "Places where parents and students do not have access to a good quality school that’s producing much in terms of results. We need to promote that and we need to prove that kind of innovation.”
The primary targets for these scholarships would be parochial or alternative schools.
