The South Dakota Catholic Conference supports Senate Bill 71, a bill raising the cap on South Dakota’s tax-credit K12 scholarship program to $3.5M. The program is currently capped at $2M. As the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council taught, “Parents who have the primary and inalienable right and duty to educate their children must enjoy true liberty in their choice of schools. Consequently, the public power, which has the obligation to protect and defend the rights of citizens, must see to it, in its concern for distributive justice, that public subsidies are paid out in such a way that parents are truly free to choose according to their conscience the schools they want for their children.” (Gravissimum Educationis, no. 6.) South Dakota’s tax-credit scholarship program has given many parents, especially those of modest means, true choice in seeking to give their children an education best-suited to their needs and religious convictions. SB 71 will further empower parents to give their children the education that they believe is best for them.
Categories: 2022 Session