Bill > HB1239

This bill mandates that the Department of Education will pay the salaries and benefits for teachers employed by school districts, with funding coming from the general appropriation bill, and establishes that school district boards can only hire teachers up to a certain ratio determined by the district's student enrollment. The South Dakota Board of Education Standards will create rules for a salary schedule that starts with a "target teacher salary" (which is adjusted annually by an "index factor" based on the consumer price index, but capped at three percent) and increases based on a teacher's certification demand, education level, and experience, while the benefits package must be at least twenty-nine percent of the teacher's salary. The bill also amends definitions within the education funding statutes, including "target teacher ratio factor" which determines the maximum number of teachers a district can employ based on its student enrollment, and "target teacher salary" and "target teacher benefits" which are used to calculate "target teacher compensation." Additionally, several sections related to alternative local need calculations, career and technical education funding, and adjustments to levies are repealed, simplifying the state aid to education calculation process.

Education

https://sdlegislature.gov/#/Session/Bill/26541