Positions are updated as POSITIONS ON 2021 PENDING LEGISLATION bills are able to be BY THE reviewed by the District. LEGEND SIOUX FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT Color Key Updated Sioux Falls Legislators Positions not yet approved by District 6 – Herman Otten, Ernie Otten, Aaron Aylward School Board District 9 – Wayne Steinhauer, Rhonda Milstead, Bethany Soye Passed both District 10 – Margaret Sutton, Doug Barthel, Steven Haugaard houses District 11 – Jim Stalzer, Chris Karr, Mark Willadsen Dead District 12 – Blake Curd, Arch Beal, Greg Jamison District 13 – Jack Kolbeck, Sue Peterson, Richard Thomason Key Bills District 14 – Larry Zikmund, Erin Healy, Taylor Rehfeldt District 15 – Reynold Nesiba, Linda Duba, Jamie Smith House Bill 1007 Introduced by: The Committee on Local Government at the request of the Bureau of Administration Melissa Braak 367-7901 An Act to revise certain provisions regarding checks or bid bonds for public improvements. This bill contains clean-up language. Position: The District takes no position on this bill. House Bill 1025 Introduced by: The Committee on Education at the request of the Department of Education Todd Vik 367-7909 An Act to delete or revise certain outdated language relating to education. This bill contains clean-up language. Position: The District takes no position on this bill. House Bill 1046 Introduced by: Representatives Anderson, Bartels, Barthel, Blare, Chaffee, Chase, Derby, Deutsch, Drury, Finck, Gosch, Greenfield (Lana), Gross, Hoffman, Jensen (Kevin), Koth, Ladner, Miskimins, Mortenson, Odenbach, Olson, Otten (Ernie), Perry, Peterson (Kent), Reed, Rehfeldt, Reimer, Tidemann, Vasgaard, Weisgram, and Willadsen and Senators Diedrich, Crabtree, Curd, Duvall, Greenfield (Brock), Hunhoff, Johnson (David), Kolbeck, Maher, Novstrup, Otten (Herman), Rohl, Smith (VJ), Stalzer, Steinhauer, Tobin, Wiik, and Zikmund Brett Arenz 367-4670 An Act to limit liability for certain exposures to COVID-19. This bill limits liability for certain exposures to COVID-19. No claim for damages can be brought unless a person (including a business or political subdivision) intended to transmit COVID-19. Position: The District supports this bill. Sioux Falls School District 49-5 Page 1 Printed 2.8.2021 2:23:16 PM Positions are updated as POSITIONS ON 2021 PENDING LEGISLATION bills are able to be BY THE reviewed by the District. SIOUX FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT House Bill 1050 Introduced by: Representatives Reed, Anderson, Barthel, Blare, Chase, Hoffman, Keintz, Perry, Tidemann, and York and Senators Otten (Herman), Duhamel, and Zikmund Todd Vik 367-7909 An Act to modify certain publishing requirements in official newspapers. As amended, this bill modifies certain publishing requirements in official newspapers. For larger newspapers (circulation over 9,000), this bill increases the current allowed fee per column inch from $5.93 to $6.00 ($493 or 0.9%), sets in statue an annual increase of the lesser of 2% or inflation, increases the font size from 6pt to 9py 7pt while increasing the column width for zero impact ($24,350 or 48.7% -- not exactly 50% as part of the District cost is a flat $10.00 fee for the newspaper filing the required affidavit for proof the minutes were printed), requires public entities to pay for a message indicating the minutes can also be found online at a central repository (estimated increase with the additional pt size for this new required language is $475 (0.95%) $884 or 1.8%), and allows newspapers to print their required number of issues to be eligible to be a legal newspaper online instead of in print. Position: The District opposes this bill even with the amendment. The Sioux Falls School District currently spends almost $50,000 per year on legal notices. This bill will increase that amount by approximately 2% and guarantee an annual increase in the rates. Since the internet became ubiquitous years ago and many local governments have been posting minutes on their internet sites, those governments have been petitioning the Legislature to drop the requirement that they continue to pay to print them in local newspapers who have had declining readership for years. The primary arguments against those bills were twofold: 1) not everybody has access to the internet, and 2) if the minutes are only stored on the local government’s website the local government can nefariously change them without the public having access to the original copy. Ironically, this bill flies in the face of both those arguments as follows: 1) It allows legal newspapers to establish their required number of “printings” by posting them online. If local governments need to print their already online minutes (in many cases) in a newspaper because there are allegedly many people who only get their information from a printed newspaper, why does this bill allow legal newspapers to be printed only online? 2) It establishes a centralized online clearinghouse where local government minutes are stored. Why does a centralized online clearinghouse need to be by maintained by the newspaper association? A third-party government site such as Open SD could host the site. This bill should be hoghoused to eliminate the requirement for local governments to “print” their minutes in a local newspaper and instead require that they be posted on Open SD or some other 3rd party governmental site. The notice stating the minutes are available at each local government’s website and on Open SD can still be printed in the legal newspaper. Sioux Falls School District 49-5 Page 2 Printed 2.8.2021 2:23:16 PM Positions are updated as POSITIONS ON 2021 PENDING LEGISLATION bills are able to be BY THE reviewed by the District. SIOUX FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT House Bill 1056 Introduced by: Representatives Deutsch, Gross, Hoffman, Keintz, Otten (Ernie), Perry, and St. John and Senators Stalzer, Bolin, Castleberry, Greenfiedl (Brock), Novstrup, Wiik, and Zikmund Dr. James Nold 367-5384 An Act to authorize the designation of Purple Star schools. This bill would place into law the rules for schools to be designated a Purple Star school. The Purple Star school program is designed to help schools respond to the educational and social- emotional challenges military-connected children face during their transition to a new school. The school would be required to have a military staff liaison designated along with duties this person would need to complete to assist the students referenced. Position: The District takes no position on this bill. The Sioux Falls School District assists all students and families in the process of acclimating to a new school by having established transition practices in place to address the unique needs of student mobility. House Bill 1066 Introduced by: Representatives Deutsch and Mills and Senator Wiik Todd Vik 367-7909 An Act to authorize the transfer of wind energy tax revenue from a school district general fund. This bill prohibits the transfer of any wind energy tax revenue to the capital outlay fund, bond redemption fund or the capital projects fund of a district. Position: The District takes no position on this bill. House Bill 1082 Introduced by: The Committee on Education Demi Moon 367-7871 An Act to revise certain state aid to education definitions for the 2021-2022 school year. This bill is attempting to assist districts that are not able to WIDA test their English Learners this year due to remote learning. By taking the higher value, districts will be able to keep their assistance even if they do not have any (or enough) English Learners test this year. For one year, districts will be paid their extra state aid for identified EL students scoring below 4.0 on the WIDA based on the higher of the two counts between Spring 2020 and Spring 2021. Position: The District supports this bill. In Sioux Falls, we hope to be able to test almost all of our EL students, even those in the Virtual Academy, but there are districts that have been remote all year and are concerned about not getting those students to come in and test. Sioux Falls School District 49-5 Page 3 Printed 2.8.2021 2:23:16 PM Positions are updated as POSITIONS ON 2021 PENDING LEGISLATION bills are able to be BY THE reviewed by the District. SIOUX FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT House Bill 1083 Introduced by: The Committee on Education Dr. Kirk Zeeck 367-7923 An Act to grant authority to the secretary of education to waive accountability requirements in certain situations. This bill is attempting to grant authority to the South Dakota Secretary of Education to waive accountability requirements in certain situations, such as a nationally declared emergency, through December 31, 2024. Position: The District supports this bill. House Bill 1097 Introduced by: Representatives Pischke and Jensen (Phil) Molly Satter 367-7933 An Act to provide for philosophical exceptions to required vaccinations. This bill is attempting to allow philosophical exemptions to school immunization requirements. Position: The District opposes this bill. Decreased immunization protection results in outbreaks of disease, which impacts the health of students and staff and school attendance. Schools look to trusted health care agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the state and local health departments, for guidance on health-related matters. The research and guidance put forth by these agencies supports and encourages students to be vaccinated in an effort to prevent spreading communicable diseases and keep students healthy and in school. House Bill 1108 Introduced by: Representative Bordeaux Dr. James Nold 367-5384 An Act to permit the playing of an honor song or Lakota Flag Song at certain graduation ceremonies. This bill would require schools to allow the playing of honor songs or Lakota Flag song at a graduation if requested by a graduating student. Position: The District opposes this bill.