South Dakota § 13-13-11 - Purpose and policy of general school aid.

§ 13-13-11. Purpose and policy of general school aid.

It is the purpose of §§ 13-13-10.1 to 13-13-41, inclusive, to establish a procedure for the distribution of state funds to local school districts. The following subdivisions are hereby declared to be the policy of this state:

(1)    Education is a state and local function;

(2)    No one source of taxation should bear an excessive burden of the costs of education;

(3)    In order to provide reasonable equality in school tax rates among the various school districts in the state and to provide reasonable equality of educational opportunity for all the children in the state, the state shall assist in giving a basic educational opportunity to each student by contributing state aid to education funds toward the support of the student's educational program;

(4)    State aid to education funds should be distributed to school districts in accordance with the formula as provided in §§ 13-13-10.1 to 13-13-41, inclusive;

(5)    A minimum of twenty-five percent of the total general fund expenditures of the school districts of the state for the preceding school fiscal year should be distributed annually to school districts as state aid to education funding; and

(6)    No school district should be eligible to receive state aid that does not provide an educational program that meets the requirements and standards as provided in §§ 13-13-10.1 to 13-13-41, inclusive.

Source: SL 1959, ch 67; SDC Supp 1960, § 15.2246 (1); SL 1961, ch 76; SL 1963, ch 77; SL 1969, ch 44, § 2; SL 1989, ch 30, § 37; SL 2015, ch 89, § 5; SL 2021, ch 73, § 7.