'School choice' advocates dealt another blow at South Dakota Capitol

Education tax credit program would have discounted property taxes for homeowners with alternative education expenses

State Sen. John Carley, R-Piedmont, speaks in the South Dakota Senate on Feb. 3, 2025. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

PIERRE — The latest attempt to use South Dakota tax revenue for private or alternative education met the same fate as other “school choice” measures already shot down by state lawmakers this winter.

The South Dakota Legislature on Thursday killed yet another measure aimed at subsidizing education expenses for K-12 students not enrolled in public schools. This time, the Republican-controlled Senate voted 24-11 to reject Senate Bill 190, which sought to establish an education tax credit program allowing homeowners burdened with nontraditional education costs to shave as much as $6,000 off their annual property tax bill.

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