South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden suggested no increase in state education funding when he gave his Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal earlier this month (Dec. 2, 2025), saying schools have received 6.2% more from the state over the past eight years than what was required. However, that justification isn’t landing well with most school officials. Prior to this month’s Pierre School Board meeting (Dec. 8, 2025), administrators and school officials met with District 24 legislators Representatives Mike Weisgram and Will Mortenson, both of Fort Pierre, and Senator Jim Mehlhaff of Pierre to talk about how education funding and other issues may play out during the 2026 legislative session. Pierre School District Business Manager Travis Dovre explained that the District had income of about $35.1 million for the 2024-25 academic year. Of that, just shy of $23 million– or 64% of the total– came into the General Fund. He said 88% of that $23 million came from the state education funding formula, which is based on student enrollment. So, when student numbers go down….. https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2025/12/122625-school-funding1.mp3 Dovre says 85% of the spending from the district’s general fund goes toward employee salaries and benefits. https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2025/12/122625-school-funding2.mp3 At $10,057 each, Dovre says Pierre continues to be one of the lowest spending school districts in the state when it comes to average spent per student. https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2025/12/122625-school-funding3.mp3 Along with no increase for education funding, Rhoden’s FY27 budget proposal included no funding increase for healthcare providers and no pay increase for state government employees. South Dakota lawmakers will formulate the actual budget during the legislative session that begins Jan. 13, 2026. ...read more read less