Legislation recently introduced in the South Dakota House of Representatives would establish an “educational empowerment account,” a type of education savings account (ESA) program, in the Mount Rushmore State.
These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for children at private and parochial schools, as well as textbooks, educational therapies, online courses, computer software, and transportation costs. Funds could also be used to cover the fees required to take national standardized achievement tests, such as the SAT, CLT, ACT, or AP examinations.
Educational empowerment accounts would be universally open to all South Dakota children. Funding for the program would be budgeted and expended through the state’s General Appropriations Act.
Copious empirical research on school choice programs such as ESAs makes clear these programs offer families improved access to high-quality schools that meet their children’s unique needs and circumstances, and that these programs improve academic performance and attainment while delivering a quality education at lower cost than traditional public schools.
Additionally, education choice benefits public school students and taxpayers by increasing competition, decreasing segregation, and improving civic values and practices. Research also shows students at private schools are less likely than their public school peers to experience problems such as alcohol abuse, bullying, drug use, fighting, gang activity, racial tension, theft, vandalism, and weapon-based threats. There is also a strong causal link suggesting private school choice programs improve the mental health of participating students.
Not only are education choice programs like ESAs good policy, they are also broadly popular. EdChoice’s Public Opinion Tracker, last updated on January 6, shows 68 percent of all South Dakota adults and 69 percent of South Dakota parents with school-aged children are in favor of ESA programs.
Further, a universal ESA program is sorely needed in the Mount Rushmore State because the state’s public schools are habitually failing South Dakota’s children. In 2022, only 40 percent of South Dakota’s public school fourth-graders and 32 percent of eighth-graders tested “proficient” to grade level in mathematics on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) examination, colloquially known as the “Nation’s Report Card.” Just 32 percent of fourth-graders and 31 percent of eighth-graders tested “proficient” in reading. Essentially, and embarrassingly, the state’s public schools are failing to educate roughly seven out of 10 South Dakota children to grade-level proficiency in reading and math by the time they are about to enter high school.
The goal of public education in South Dakota today and in the years to come should be to allow all parents to choose which schools their children attend, require every school to compete for every student who walks through its doors, and make sure every child has the opportunity to attend a quality school that best fits their unique needs and circumstances. There has not been a time when providing these opportunities has been more urgent and more needed than right now.
Heartland Impact can send an expert to your state to testify or brief your caucus; host an event in your state; or send you further information on a topic. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance! If you have any questions or comments, contact Cameron Sholty, at csholty@heartlandimpact.org or 312/377-4000.
