2026 Election Law Update & Guidance

Mechanics of the new law

• Beginning with next year’s election cycle, the new state law permits a school board to hold their annual election on one of only two dates, one of which is in June and the other in November.
• In even numbered years – beginning in 2026 – the annual school board election must be held on Primary Election Day, which would be Tuesday, June 2, 2026, or General Election Day, which would be Tuesday, November 3, 2026. In subsequent even numbered years, the annual school board election must be held on Primary Election Day or General Election Day as scheduled.
• In odd numbered years – beginning in 2027 – the annual school board election must be held on Tuesday, June 8, 2027, or Tuesday, November 2, 2027. For odd numbered years, school boards have the choice of the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June or the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November for their election.
• School boards are not required to hold their election on the same date as other local government bodies have chosen. The only date requirement in the new state law is the school board election must be held on either the June or November date.
• The new state law provides the option for school boards to combine the election date of their choice with a municipality and/or county, but they are not compelled to do so if they wish to hold their election independently.
• There is no change to school board term lengths and those are still governed by SDCL 13-8-2: https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/13-8-2.

ASBSD Guidance

• ASBSD strongly suggests your district communicate with your district’s County Auditor(s) prior to setting your school board election date. If your district normally sets your election date at your reorganization meeting in July, we suggest communicating with your district’s County Auditor(s) right away or delaying the setting of your district’s school board election date until you have contacted them. You can find the list of County Auditors here: https://vip.sdsos.gov/CountyAuditors.aspx.
• ASBSD can provide your district with a list of counties your district boundaries cross, if needed. Contact Tyler at tpickner@asbsd.org for that information.
• ASBSD believes designating the June election date in both even and odd-numbered years provides school districts with the continuity of the school year you have experienced in prior years.
• Holding the school board election in June will:
• Maintain the continuity school boards currently have in seating board members at the annual reorganization meeting in July.
• Avoid seating board members in the middle of the school year, which would happen if an election were held in November.
• Provide newly seated board members with multiple meetings to prepare for the start of the school year.
• Afford the school board several months to work together before entering into important processes such as negotiations, budget setting and calendar development.
• Avoids the need to reappoint school board sub-committees, which would have been set initially in previous meetings, but would be disrupted if new members were elected during the school year.
• ASBSD recommends your school board canvas your district’s election – within the parameters of SDCL 13-7-18 (https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/13-7-18) – in the same month as your election is held in order for potential new school board members to assume their seats at your next regularly scheduled school board meeting.
• ASBSD also advises you to speak with your school district attorney to ensure all processes in the new state law are met when preparing for your annual school board election.

Secretary of State’s office information

• It is ASBSD’s understanding that the Secretary of State’s office will continue to develop and provide election resources, including the election calendar, as well as hold election training webinars.

by ASBSD CFO Roxanne Heezen

Forty-eight South Dakota school districts will be receiving a total of $98,752 from p-Card rebates.

Click here to see the p-Card Members and click here for more information on the program.

The rebates are based on an overall annual spend of $8,909,483. This is a card utilization increase of 2.45% from the prior year. Individual district rebates range from $19 to $24,052. Purchases are for day-to-day items that are bought with the ease of the p-Card while earning money back for the district.

The p-Card program operates like a credit card, but without the hoops to jump through when dealing with the credit line and allows administrators to customize purchasing authority and spending levels to fit their district. This program allows for complete control of cards without annual fees or start-up costs.

With the ongoing increase in operation costs for districts, the rebate returns dollars back to the district and supplements their budget. One thing to note is that the percentage the bank pays in rebate is based on rate of pay. The quicker you pay, the larger the rebate that is passed on. Payment is due 27 days after their cut off period (either the 5th or the 20th – whichever you choose at the start of the program). They offer several automated pay options. Districts paying by check could be experiencing delays in posting their payment and reduction in rebate amounts.

If you would like additional information on the p-Card program, contact Roxanne Heezen at rheezen@asbsd.org or check out https://asbsd.org/services/financial-services/.

The premier learning event for school board members and administrators is coming to Sioux Falls in August and the breakout sessions and schedule are ready!

Come network with fellow board members and administrators at the 2025 ASBSD-SASD Convention on Thursday and Friday, August 7-8 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center and enjoy:

• More than 40 breakout sessions (Click here to read the breakout session descriptions).
• Keynote Address from Josh Cowen on the detrimental effects of school vouchers (Click here to learn more about Josh).
• A Convention schedule with a wide variety of events (Click here to view the schedule).
• The opportunity to connect with great services for schools.

Click here to register for the 2025 ASBSD-SASD Convention, with the cost for the two-day conference being $205 per person with fees increasing to $250 after Friday, July 18 and $100 cancellation fee also applies for those cancelling on or after July 19 or not attending the Convention.

Individuals can register only themselves while Business Managers & Superintendents can register multiple people from the district.

Districts registering 3 school board members receive a FREE registration for one administrator.

Attending Board members earn 20 ALL points for their school board and administrators earn 15 CEU’s!

A block of rooms has been reserved at:

• Sheraton Sioux Falls Hotel & Convention Center (1211 N West Ave.)
• Click here to book the room rate.
• Room rate is $139/night and last day to book is July 11
• Ramada – Sioux Falls Airport (1301 W Russell St.)
• Call: 605-937-6486 and use the code: 080625JOI
• Room rate is $104/night and last day to book is July 7
• Best Western Plus Ramkota Hotel (3200 W Maple Street)
• Click here to book the room rate.
• Room rate $110/night and last day to book is July 6

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Director of Communications Tyler Pickner at tpickner@asbsd.org.

Two interactive workshops for board members and board leaders will be held in August.

On Wednesday, August 6, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center, ASBSD Board Trainer Wade Pogany will host the New School Board Member Workshop and the School Board President Workshop. The cost of each workshop is $50.

Click here to register for the New School Board Member Workshop, which will run from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

The New School Board Member workshop will cover the Top 10 responsibilities, expectations and modes of operation of school board members, including the important decisions you’ll make in the education of your district’s students, the environment of the school, being good stewards of tax dollars, as well as an outline of the dos and don’ts of board service and key laws that all board members must follow.

Click here to register for the School Board President Workshop, which will run from 5 to 7 p.m.

The School Board President Workshop will enhance attendees’ knowledge on Roles and Responsibilities of Leadership, Planning and Presiding, Meetings and Public Input, Handling Complaints, Making the Difficult Decisions, Rogue School Board Members, Roles of a Board and more.

If you have questions about the workshops, contact Wade at wpogany.dec@gmail.com or at 605-222-0889.

Board members registering earn 40 ALL points for your board!

If you have questions about registering, please contact Director of Communications Tyler Pickner at 605-773-8382 or tpickner@asbsd.org.