Republicans Weigh In On Student Minimum Bill
Air Date:03/03/2011
By Kealey Bultena
A bill that makes good on one of Governor Dennis Daugaard’s campaign promises died in a Senate committee this week. Now Republican leaders are weighing in on why a bill allowing school districts to have fewer than 100 students failed.
Representative Charles Hoffman supports repealing the minimum student requirement for South Dakota schools.
"Knowing that the governor was for this, we were pushing this in my district because there are lots and lots of schools or communities and small rural areas getting smaller, and it is a local issue," Hoffman says.
Representative Hal Wick says he also advocates for local control, but repealing the law doesn’t keep decisions in communities.
"When you look at local control and the costs that go up with the smaller number of students, the state’s spending a lot more money. And the more money we spend to keep schools going, I think the more control you’re going to see shift to the states," Wick says.
Wick says lawmakers have to be conscious of state funds, and allowing districts to operate with fewer than 100 students puts a greater burden on South Dakota dollars.
The House did pass the measure, but House Bill 1229 didn’t make it out of committee to the Senate floor.
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