Sioux Falls, SD (KELO-AM) Sioux Falls Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Maher says the tenative $149 million FY17 general fund budget is a "mostly status quo, bare-bones plan void of frivolous spending."
He says, there is still much to celebrate. South Dakota's largest school district is getting about $11 million more in state aid formula funding thanks to the half penny hike in the sales tax approved by the 2016 State Legislature. Dr. Maher says the bulk of that extra money will go to increase teacher pay.
The Sioux Falls School Board was holding a public hearing on the budget plan Thursday (5:30PM Instructional Leaning Center) before voting to tenatively adopt the plan. School officials hopes for a spending blueprint early so they can start the hiring process. Final approval is expected to come in July.
Student behavior is an ongoing problem in the school system. Budget plans include increasing the number of special education teachers to maintain smaller class sizes as a way to give more attention to troubled students.
School Board Member Doug Morrison told the Argus Leader that spending on student behavior issues is as high as it's been in his eight years on the board.