By The state should maintain its subsidy for dual-credit students, a group of South Dakota legislators decided Tuesday, March 4 at the Capitol in Pierre.
The Senate Education Committee voted 4-3 to defeat a proposed reduction of the subsidy. That means the reduction is likely dead, barring the use of any procedural maneuver to revive it during the last two weeks of the annual legislative session.
Sen. Jamie Smith, D-Sioux Falls, was among the committee members who voted to retain the existing level of support.
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“This is a very affordable investment in our kids,” he said.
No Aberdeen area legislators are on the committee.
The dual-enrollment program lets high school juniors and seniors earn both high school and college credits through in-person or online courses. The state offers the courses at a reduced rate of $150 per credit hour, with the state paying two-thirds and students paying one-third.
To help balance this year’s state budget, former Gov. Kristi Noem — before she departed to become secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — proposed a half-and-half split. Students’ costs would have increased from about $50 to $75 per credit hour, saving the state about $1.2 million annually.
Graves
State Education Secretary Joe Graves, representing the administration of new Gov. Larry Rhoden, spoke in favor of the subsidy reduction Tuesday. The assistance has already incentivized dual-credit enrollment, Graves said, with almost 6,000 South Dakota students taking the courses last year. Now that students and families are aware of the program and see its value, a modest reduction in the subsidy would not significantly discourage enrollment, Graves said.
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Yet he acknowledged that the program helps students prepare for college and graduate in four years or less.
Backers of the program testified that for those and other benefits, the state should maintain its current level of financial support.
Northern State University and the Center for Statewide E-Learning on campus are highly involved in providing dual-credit classes.
Meanwhile, state budget talks continue. Although the dual-credit decision avoids a budget cut, lawmakers have already made other cost-saving decisions, including a rejection of Noem’s proposal to spend $4 million to create an education savings account program. That proposal would have provided public funds to help students attend private school or pay for homeschooling or other alternative instruction costs.