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The Sioux Falls School Board has posted a public letter on their website in response to the Governor’s Budget address expressing their concern with the zero percent increase in educational funding proposed for the next legislative session, and their belief that the State of South Dakota should be investing in Public Education:

Governor Larry Rhoden offered an encouraging message during his Budget Address on December 2, 2025 when he said cutting education “isn’t the way.” As members of the Sioux Falls School Board, we appreciate his recognition that workforce, safety, and freedom all depend on strong schools. In that same spirit, we want to outline a clear vision for K–12 public education in South Dakota and place our district’s needs within the context of the decisions facing the Legislature this session.

Public education is not a line item in the budget. It is the infrastructure that keeps South Dakota strong, safe, and free. More than ninety percent of South Dakota’s children attend public schools, and those students become the workers, tradespeople, healthcare providers, business owners, and civic leaders who make our state succeed. A high school graduate is more than three times less likely to be incarcerated than someone without a diploma. Education is not just an expense, it is our most effective investment in public safety strategy and the foundation of workforce development.

For those reasons, we appreciate the Governor’s statement that slashing healthcare, education, and public safety is not the path to property tax relief. We support exploring better options. But solutions require clarity about the actual conditions facing public schools. District budgets do not rise and fall neatly with revenue curves. Even in years of flat enrollment, our costs increase with inflation, special education mandates, transportation needs, competitive salaries, insurance, curriculum materials, and school security demands. These obligations do not shrink simply because more children were born ten years ago.

It is important to speak plainly about the narrative surrounding homeschooling growth. The Governor highlighted a 216% increase in homeschooling. That percentage sounds dramatic, but it is mathematically inflated because it begins from a very small base. The truth is simple and steady: public education continues to serve the overwhelming majority of South Dakota’s children and families. More than nine out of ten South Dakotans still attend public schools, and we continue to educate the full spectrum of students, English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, students fleeing trauma, and students whose needs are growing more complex each year.

The real issue is not how much homeschooling has grown; the real issue is where public dollars are going, and whether all schools that receive public dollars are subject to public accountability. Public schools are bound by law to educate every child, without exception. We must report academic outcomes, comply with civil rights laws, follow open meetings and open records requirements, undergo routine audits, administer state assessments, meet accreditation standards, and show the public exactly how every tax dollar is spent. Our classrooms are transparent. Our governance is public. Our results are measurable.

Private schools and homeschool programs receiving public support are not required to meet these standards. They may refuse admittance, limit enrollment, or opt out of serving students with disabilities or English learners. They do not report achievement data, do not follow the same financial transparency rules, and are not accountable to elected boards. When public dollars support institutions that are not required to serve all children and are not required to open their books to taxpayers, we create an uneven system and risk diminishing the stability of the public schools that educate nearly every child in the state.

Public dollars require public accountability. South Dakotans deserve the assurance that every taxpayer-supported educational entity is meeting basic standards of quality, transparency, and fairness. Only public schools currently meet that standard. We also want to clarify an important point regarding school funding statutes. SDCL 13-13-10.1 requires that public schools receive an annual increase of inflation or three percent, whichever is less. The law does not allow the state to average increases across multiple years, nor does it tie public school inflationary adjustments to the funding circumstances of unrelated departments. When the Consumer Price Index is three percent, the law requires three percent. This consistency is essential for districts to meet rising costs and maintain competitive teacher salaries in a highly constrained labor market. When the Legislature provides 1.25% or the 0% the Governor presented, they are not following the law they made. Don’t they need to follow their own laws?

We acknowledge and appreciate the Governor’s investments in technical education, particularly at Southeast Technical College. These one-time and ongoing commitments will strengthen our workforce pipeline. But those investments depend on a strong K–12 foundation. Technical colleges cannot thrive without public schools preparing the students who will later fill those programs. A comprehensive vision for South Dakota’s future workforce must begin with K–12 public education.

There has been discussion about the state’s rainy day fund. South Dakota now holds reserves of 12.5%, significantly above the historic benchmark of 10%. Legislative budget leaders have noted that returning to 10% could free up approximately $70 million without compromising fiscal stability. This is the kind of responsible conversation worth having as we look for pathways to property tax relief that do not undermine long-term educational well-being or violate statutory obligations to schools.

What remains missing from the statewide conversation is a clear vision for K–12 public education. Public schools are more than classrooms; they are economic engines, safety nets, and community anchors. They develop the human capital upon which our entire state economy depends. At a moment when South Dakota is debating significant policy changes affecting school funding, school choice, and property taxes, it is critical that public education be seen and protected as essential statewide infrastructure.

As members of the Sioux Falls Education Board, we respectfully ask the Governor and Legislature to work with us in the following ways:

    • Uphold the statutory inflationary increase required by law.

    • Ensure any school receiving public dollars meets basic standards of academic reporting and fiscal transparency.

    • Protect local control so districts can respond to community needs.

    • Avoid policies that penalize districts for responsible budgeting when revenue forecasting remains volatile.

    • Treat public K-12 education with the same strategic importance as post-secondary education and public safety.

    • Engage public school leaders as partners in budget and tax policy discussions.

We offer this response in a spirit of partnership. Our goals are the same: a strong, safe, prosperous South Dakota built on the promise of opportunity for every child. Public schools are fulfilling that mission every day. We ask the Governor to continue protecting and strengthening the schools that educate the vast majority of South Dakota’s children and that anchor the future of our state.

The Sioux Falls School District is the largest district in the state representing over 25,000 students, with a staff count of about 3275 employees.

I notice Toby Doeden is on Twitter tonight claiming that Gubernatorial candidate Jon Hansen’s people are in talks with his for Hansen to fall in line and follow:

Toby’s not very subtle public message to Hansen notes  “All well intended members of the grassroots movement, including Jon, know that joining forces is the right thing to do.”

Toby presuming he knows what “the grassroots movement” thinks is kind of a bold statement, considering that Toby voted in his first Republican primary – ever – in 2024, just this last year. (Unless flying to GOP dinners in his jet has infused him with a unique sense of commonality.)

But, let’s also consider that Hansen has spent the last several years doing what Leslie Unruh tells him to do.  So, handing his leash over to Toby wouldn’t really be much of a change in routine.

Stay tuned. Maybe our Christmas miracle will be they both drop out.

Senator Mike Rounds Weekly Round[s] Up
December 7-14, 2025

Welcome back to another Weekly Round[s] Up. Starting off with some exciting news: my legislation, the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act, passed the Senate unanimously on Thursday afternoon. This bill will place the 40 acres of land at the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre into restricted fee status, meaning it’s held in trust by the Oglala Sioux and the Cheyenne River Sioux tribes to be preserved for the next generation. It now heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law. We also announced my nominees for the 2025 Angels for Adoption award, Emily and Riley Krause from Brandt. The Krauses have opened their home to several foster children and are the adoptive parents of Livia.

On top of these highlights, I kept busy with many meetings, briefings and votes. It was a productive week in D.C. and I was fortunate to end it by visiting with folks in Sioux Falls. More on the rest of my week in my Weekly Round[s] Up:

South Dakota groups I visited with: Stephen Williamson, Associate Vice President at Southeast Technical College Foundation; Marcus Warnke, South Dakota State Forester; South Dakotans with New York Life; and Lorraine Polak, South Dakota State Director of USDA Rural Development. Lorraine was previously on my team as a Housing Policy Specialist. It was nice visiting with her this past week and exciting to hear about the good work she is continuing to do for South Dakota.

Met with South Dakotans from: Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Watertown.

Other meetings: Members of Parliament of Latvia, Ainars Latkovskis and Janis Dombrava; Directors of the Department of Energy National Laboratories; the Honorable Thomas Silberhorn, German Member of Parliament; Builders for Tomorrow Fund; Dr. Torsten Kroeger, Chief Science Officer and Jennifer Wall, General Counsel at Intrinsic Innovation; Charlie Scharf, CEO and President, Wells Fargo; and two members of the Finnish Parliament.

Briefings: I attended multiple briefings this week including two closed Senate Select Committee on Intelligence briefings, one on the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, and another on U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Hearing: This week I attended a hearing with the Senate Committee on Armed Services where we received testimony on the Administration’s deployment of the National Guard across the United States. You can watch me question Mr. Charles L. Young III, Mr. Mark R. Ditlevson and General Gregory M. Guillot here.

Passed Legislation: On Thursday evening, my bill to preserve the Wounded Knee Massacre grounds unanimously passed the Senate and is now on track to be signed into law by President Trump. My bill, the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act would place 40 acres of land at the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre into restricted fee status, making certain that the land is held by both the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes for generations to come. Read more on it here.

Announced my Nomination for Angels in Adoption Award: This past week, I announced that I nominated Riley and Emily Krause of Brandt for the 2025 Angels in Adoption award, presented by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCAI). Emily and Riley Krause fostered eight children before adopting Livia and are currently working toward their second adoption. Read more about the nomination here.

Senate Prayer Breakfast: On Wednesday, Senator Cassidy spoke at our weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast.

Votes taken: 12 – This past week I voted on nominees Robert Chamberlin, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi, William Crain, to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, James Maxwell II, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi (Yeas). I also voted on authorizing the en bloc consideration of nominees (Yea) and on the motion to proceed on the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.  I voted against Senator King’s Health and Human Services Administrative Procedure Act CRA and Senator Schumer’s Biden-Covid Era Subsidy Extension (Nays). To close the week, I voted for the Health Care Freedom for Patients Act of 2025 (Yea).

Democrats do not have a feasible plan to lower health care costs. They would rather continue to use the same broken policies that have made health care unaffordable. Extending COVID-era Obamacare subsidies for 3 years without Hyde amendment protections, which prohibit federal funding for abortions, is a nonstarter for Republicans. Senate Democrats have known this all along. I look forward to continued discussions with my colleagues on how to address the high cost of health care.

My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Brookings, Deadwood, Lead, Spearfish and Sturgis.

Steps taken: 65,748 steps or 30.05 miles.

Video of the Week
Click the image below to learn more about the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act that recently passed the Senate and is heading to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

U.S. House Passes Johnson’s Bill to Strengthen Supply Chains and Counter China

 Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House unanimously passed the Federal Maritime Commission Reauthorization Act of 2025, led by U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and John Garamendi (D-CA). Johnson introduced this legislation in June to reauthorize the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), the independent federal agency responsible for regulating the U.S. international ocean transportation system. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the bill in September.

The Federal Maritime Commission Reauthorization Act strengthens the FMC’s authority to crack down on China’s shipping malpractice and includes Johnson’s provisions to reform ocean shipping, ensuring American imports and exports compete on a level playing field in the global market.

Click here or the image above for Johnson’s remarks

“Ocean shipping is the backbone of international trade, allowing American products to be sold in other countries while giving American businesses and consumers access to goods we don’t make. Even in America’s heartland, ocean shipping is an integral part of our economy,” said Johnson. “My bill will ensure the FMC can continue doing its job to protect American businesses, producers, and consumers from China’s abuse of America’s ocean shipping laws. Passing the House today is a big step in the right direction and I hope the Senate passes it soon.”

“America’s economy relies on a resilient maritime supply chain. That’s why I’m proud that Congress has passed the bipartisan Federal Maritime Commission Reauthorization Act,” said Garamendi. “This legislation builds on my Ocean Shipping Reform Act to deliver critical investments through 2027, strengthen the Commission’s independence, and ensure U.S. businesses will compete on a fair and level playing field. I’m grateful to Reps. Johnson, Ezell, and Carbajal for their partnership on this critical work.”

The Federal Maritime Commission Reauthorization Act of 2025 is:

Tough on China

• Establishes a formal process to report complaints against shipping exchanges, like the Shanghai Shipping Exchange, to the FMC for investigation.
• Directs the FMC to report on anticompetitive business practices or nonreciprocal trade practices.
• Codifies the definition of “controlled carrier” under the Shipping Act to encompass state-controlled enterprises in non-market economies like the People’s Republic of China.

Good Government

• Updates and improves the purposes of the Shipping Act to better reflect current federal policy governing international ocean shipping.
• Prohibits the FMC from requiring ocean carriers to report information already reported to other federal agencies.

Sustains the FMC Mission

• Reauthorizes the FMC through fiscal year 2027.
• Expands FMC Advisory Committees, ensuring non-government stakeholders have the opportunity to provide their insight and expertise to the Commission.
• Reinforces the FMC’s independent nature by requiring a majority vote of the Commission to disclose FMC investigation efforts to outside parties.

The Federal Maritime Commission Reauthorization Act of 2025 is cosponsored by Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee leadership, Chairman Mike Ezell (R-MS), and Ranking Member Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA).

Click here for bill text.

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Drury Strongly Considering Run for State House, Promises “Success for South Dakota” 

RAPID CITY, SD – Former State Representative and Rapid City Alderwoman Becky Drury announced today that she is strongly considering a run for the South Dakota House of Representatives in District 34, issuing the following statement: 

“I’m strongly considering this run because I want success for South Dakota,” Drury said. “That means we must start from the ground up to ensure that families are safe and financially secure, our schools prepare our kids to thrive, and having a strong main street economy our communities can build a future with.” 

“We are at a crossroads. Building the next generation of success for South Dakota will take effort and work. I am confident I have the passion and drive to get the job done, and I am ready to fight on the campaign trail to prove it.” 

“Good news is coming soon.”

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In a column posted today on the South Dakota Republican Party’s website, Sioux Falls State Representative John Hughes is promoting massive increases on taxes for businesses as well as increasing taxes on individuals.

This might be a trial balloon which shows the hand of the more hard right members of the legislature on the proposals they want to bring to raise taxes on the construction industry, business owners, and.. well everyone to offset the tinkering they want to do with South Dakota’s property tax system:

The Governor says very little in these 19 recommendations impresses him. He proposes to lower property taxes by authorizing counties to enact an optional sales tax. But increasing sales tax is a Band-Aid, when surgery is needed to fix our broken taxing system.

The good news is that real reform is possible IF our Governor and Legislature have the political will to enact it and can stand strong against the blowback from the special interests and their lobbyists affected by this reform.

For example, the following rather simple four-pronged approach would, if passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, result in $275 million raised in tax revenue that could be applied to property tax relief for our homeowner citizens:

1) Eliminate the sales tax exemption for advertising and radio and television broadcasting. RESULT – $46 million could be applied to property tax relief

2) Raise the Contractors’ Excise Tax from 2% to 3%. RESULT – $112 million could be applied to property tax relief.

3) Eliminate the sales tax exemption for vaping. RESULT – $7.3 million could be applied to property tax relief.

4) Restore the state sales tax rate back to 4.5% now, instead of waiting until 2027. RESULT – $111 million could be applied to property tax relief.

You can read how Rep. Hughes justifies his advocacy to increase taxes on businesses, construction, and the everyday taxpayer here.

What do you think – should homebuilders and others in the construction industry have taxes raised on them by 50%?  Should the legislature oppose President Trump’s efforts against advertising taxes?  Should sales tax go up?

Given the state of the economy, I’m not sure South Dakotans are going to get very excited about proposals to kill development and increase taxes on themselves.

Not at all.

Johnson Announces “Strong Schools” Plan to Improve Education

Sioux Falls, S.D. – Today, gubernatorial candidate and Congressman Dusty Johnson announced “Strong Schools,” a set of policies designed to strengthen South Dakota’s schools, improve student achievement, and recognize skilled trades as a pathway to success.

“While others are tearing our schools down, I will work to lift students up,” said Johnson. “My focus is on our future, and education remains our number one tool for upward mobility and achieving the American Dream.” 

Johnson’s “Strong Schools” plan has three elements:

• Restore K-12 as South Dakota’s Top Budget Priority: Governor Rhoden recommended, for the first time in state history, that K-12 education would not be the largest item in the state budget. Through conservative, priority-based budgeting, Johnson will restore education as South Dakota’s top budget priority.
• Collaborative Effort to Improve Reading and Math Scores: Johnson will work with educators and families on plans for improving achievement in literacy and mathematics, particularly at the grade school and middle school levels. The effort will refocus achievement efforts on foundational skills and will be in collaboration with those closest to South Dakota’s students – parents and teachers.
• Create a Skilled Trade Pathway to Graduation: This plan will create a clear graduation pathway that permits students to take skilled trade courses as equivalents to upper-level math and science, acknowledging that many skilled courses require applied science and mathematics. Johnson recognizes the importance and merit of technical education and this skilled trade pathway will give students practical education on another pathway to success.

“Now is not the time to defund our schools—it is time to defend our students,” Johnson continued. “The future of South Dakota depends on a strong education system, and I’m committed to restoring our students as South Dakota’s top priority.”

To learn more about “Strong Schools,” please click here.

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Kassin Announces Re-Election Campaign for District 17 State House

Vermillion, SD – State Representative Chris Kassin announced today that he is running for re-election to the South Dakota House of Representatives to continue serving the people of District 17.

“I ran for office because I care deeply about the future of our state and the community my kids are growing up in, and that remains true today,” Kassin said. “Serving in the Legislature has reinforced for me how important experience and steady judgment are when making decisions that affect families, schools, and taxpayers.”

Kassin was first elected in 2022 and currently serves on the Joint Committee on Appropriations. During his service, he has worked on budget decisions affecting taxpayers, schools, and local communities and sponsored legislation focused on fiscal responsibility, education, public safety, and transparency in government.

Among the measures Kassin sponsored that became law are a student teacher stipend grant program to support future educators, legislation strengthening transparency around ballot questions and unclaimed property, and budget measures designed to protect taxpayer dollars. He also supported bills to improve school safety, protect newborns, provide property tax relief, and address infrastructure needs impacting communities across District 17.

Kassin lives in Vermillion with his wife, Katie, and their two children. He is a graduate of the University of South Dakota and brings a background in public service and community involvement to his work in the Legislature. He has emphasized limited government, responsible budgeting, and practical solutions rooted in local priorities.

“I am grateful for the trust District 17 voters placed in me, and I am asking for their support again,” Kassin said. “There is more work to do, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue turning good ideas into real results as we work to build a better future together.”

For more information about Chris Kassin and his campaign, visit www.chriskassin.com.

Both myself and one of my daughters received a fundraising letter from Governor Rhoden the other day. And I have no idea what list they would have scraped us off of.

Pretty straightforward generic ask.

The only weirdness in my mind is me asking internally, “why would they send to my campaign material business as a donor?” A pretty diverse group buys material from me, but the list of where I’ve sent checks is almost non-existent.  Similar with my daughter who received an identical letter.  She’s not a big donor, either.

One of life’s mysteries.

Another month, another Federal Elections Commission report for the SDGOP that leaves people scratching their heads asking “what has Jim Eschenbaum done to our party?”

SD GOP December 2025 FEC Report by Pat Powers

Jim Eschenbaum, the former 32-year democrat and now Republican party chairman who quipped at the onset of his rule that he wanted to weed the people out of the party he considered fake Republicans, and said “We don’t need any more money thrown to the state GOP than what we need to operate” appears to be finding out what happens when all his dreams come true.

Because the federal election campaign finance report for December shows yet another month of no donors stepping in to support the state’s majority political party.

Zero itemized. Zero unitemized.  But more importantly Zero donors.  Z.E.R.O. One cannot have a sustainable political party if no one is participating.

The report does point out that they raided the state account for $9121.96, which was transferred over to the federal account on November 12th.  This leaves the party with $34,877.20 in the federal account.

Maybe they’ll have some donations in that account? Because they could not do worse here. The end of year filing for the state account that will come in February will be interesting to read because it will complete the picture of the party’s finances.

But when it comes to the federal account in the last months of the year, the finances don’t look so good. Not good at all.