South Dakota Lawmakers Kill School Choice

South Dakota lawmakers had the chance to stand up for school choice and true educational freedom—but instead, they failed their constituents, caving to bureaucratic inertia and special interests. Two bills, House Bill 1009 (HB 1009) and House Bill 1020 (HB 1020), sought to introduce Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) in the Mount Rushmore State, but only HB 1009 would have truly put parents in control. The establishment politicians ensured that neither would pass.

HB 1009, introduced by Representative Dylan Jordan, was a strong step forward, offering parents access to an education empowerment account loaded with over $7,400 per student. According to the legislation, these funds could have been used for private school tuition, textbooks, testing fees, educational therapies, transportation, and more; finally giving families a real alternative to government-run schools. The proposed program was transparent, with a wide and reasonable range of eligible educational expenses.

American Action Fund launched a flurry of campaigns and boots-on-the-ground lobbying to mobilize South Dakotan in support of HB 1009, but with an 8-7 vote, the Education Committee shut it down, betraying the very students they were chosen to serve.

In contrast, HB 1020—a trojan horse masquerading as school choice—was a gift to bureaucrats, not parents. It proposed a measly $3,216 per student, less than half of what was needed to make real educational options viable. Worse yet, it was riddled with restrictions that would have ensured parents remained tangled in government red tape. The committee rightly rejected the bill by a 9-6 vote, sparing South Dakota families from yet another empty promise.

HB 1009 was the real opportunity for parents and students, but lawmakers decided they knew better than South Dakota families. The broader scope of HB 1009 allowed for flexibility, unlike HB 1020, which was designed to fail. The politicians pushing HB 1020 weren’t interested in real reform. The Republican establishment pushed a hollow, government-approved version of school choice, one that kept bureaucrats in control while masquerading as real reform.
Members of American Action Fund’s Hazlitt Coalition saw through this elaborate charade. They understand that the fight for educational freedom isn’t about appeasing the system. It’s about breaking it so parents can actually make decisions about their children’s education without the government’s grimy fingers in their wallet.

South Dakota families don’t need another committee discussion or another political excuse. They need action.
The rejection of HB 1009 is more than just a bad legislative decision—it’s an insult to every parent who wants better for their child. South Dakota lawmakers just told their citizens that government-run education is the only option they deserve.

They had a chance to give power back to the people, and instead, they chose control over choice. The politicians who voted against this bill are the reason South Dakota students remain stuck in a failing system. South Dakota parents won’t forget, and this betrayal will not be ignored.