What's in Sioux Falls schools' $300 million budget

Megan Raposa -

Simplified: Sioux Falls school board members on Monday gave final approval to a more than $300 million budget for the coming fiscal year. Here's a look at what's included and what the budget means for taxpayers.

Why it matters

  • The school district includes about 25,000 Sioux Falls kids, all of whom are directly impacted by this budget (from the salary of their classroom teacher to their textbooks).
  • This budget also includes a decrease in the tax levy, meaning property owners in Sioux Falls will pay about $0.12 per $1,000 taxable valuation less in school taxes in 2023 than they paid in 2022.
  • A 6 percent funding increase from the state also helped Sioux Falls bump its starting teacher salary to $46,000. And teachers across the board will see about a 7 percent salary increase, according to data presented Monday.

What's in the budget?

By far the largest budget item is salaries. About 85 percent of the total budget funds salaries and benefits for district employees.

The budget also includes $54 million in pandemic-related federal funds.

  • Here's a breakdown of how the district has been spending COVID-relief funds thus far and its plan for a couple years from now when those funds run out.

The district's general fund – the largest part of the budget – is expected to see about $4 million more in expenses than revenues, which means this budget also spends into the district's fund balance (kind of like a big savings account).

The budget also increases funding for special education as well as school security.

  • The special education budget increased nearly 9 percent over last year, with more funding for tracking individualized education plans, school psychologists and targeted behavioral supports.
  • The budget also sets aside $158,000 to hire a security coordinator, a new administrative position that Business Manager Todd Vik said will work day-to-day with schools and the Sioux Falls Police Department.

You can get a full look at the budget here.

What does the budget mean for taxpayers?

The levy in both Minnehaha and Lincoln Counties will decrease by about 12 cents per $1,000 taxable valuation.

  • Put simply, if you've got a house valued at $200,000, you'll pay about $24 less in school taxes next year than you did this year.

What happens next?

The budget goes into effect, and in another few months, the planning for next year's budget will start.