'Why only schools?': Public schools ready defense as tax hawks circle state Capitol

Sioux Falls School Board warned of property tax package headed to South Dakota Legislature

Public school leaders in Sioux Falls are anything but thrilled about a property tax reform package headed to the South Dakota Legislature they fear would bring dramatic funding reductions.

Sioux Falls School District Business Manager Todd Vik this week warned the Board of Education that six of 19 recommendations from a legislative task force that spent the summer debating how to bring tax relief to South Dakota property owners target tax revenues marked for K-12 public schools.

“Why only schools?” Vik remarked to school board members Monday during a discussion on the district’s top priorities for the coming legislative session, which kicks off Jan. 13. “All local entities can … raise property tax, can opt out. And we all follow the same rules on that.”

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