PIERRE, S.D. (Press Release) – Governor Kristi Noem today announced that public and private schools in South Dakota will receive an additional $75 million, or $500 per student, in new funding from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF).

“I appreciate the great work our schools are doing to ensure kids are back in the classroom this fall,” said Governor Noem. “We expect this additional funding will help schools continue to tackle challenges related to COVID-19. It’s crucial that our students are in the classroom this year, and we are grateful to the Trump administration for giving us the flexibility to help make that happen.”

The new funding is pursuant to yesterday’s updated guidance from the United States Department of Treasury. The CRF was created as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The new guidance also means that tribal governments can choose to make a similar payment to tribal and BIE schools.

The CARES Act provided $1.25 billion in funding to the state of South Dakota, and the new funding will come out of that allotment. South Dakota’s K-12 schools also received $41 million from the U.S. Department of Education’s Elementary & Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Funds. An additional $5.7 million will be awarded from the Governor’s Emergency Relief Funds at a future date.