PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A House Education Committee has killed a bill that would boost state financial aid to school districts by requiring state funding to rise yearly by the same amount that overall state revenues increase.
Rep. Larry Lucas, a Mission Democrat, suggests a 6% cap. He says good years with gains in revenue from the state sales tax could help schools burdened by education dollar cuts.
The current state aid formula for education funding has been in place since the legislature passed it in 1995.
Jim Terwilliger of the South Dakota Bureau of Finance says the bill lacks good business judgment because of upcoming costs from health care reform and because the state might not be able to pay this "additional burden."
Lawmakers voted to end the bill 9 to 5.
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