Gov. Kristi Noem presents her annual budget address to lawmakers in the South Dakota State Capitol on Dec. 3, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
South Dakota high school students will pay 50% more to take dual credit courses if legislators adopt a budget proposal by Republican Gov. Kristi Noem.
Currently, students pay one-third of the cost per credit hour, $50.84, while the state pays the rest. Noem’s proposal would split the cost in half, with the student and state each paying about $76 per credit hour. The state would spend around $1 million less on the program annually.
Noem is proposing the policy change in her budget for the next fiscal year. It’s one of numerous budget cuts she’s requesting as sales tax revenues decline .
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Yet, in the education portion of her budget, she’s also proposing $4 million in new spending to create education savings accounts that would provide public funds for families to pay for private school tuition or for the costs of alternative instruction such as homeschooling.