Sioux Falls School Board Approves $343M Budget

No cuts to jobs or class sizes in new spending plan.

Apr. 14, 2026 at 8:20pm

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A grid of brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen images of a stack of textbooks, representing the community's commitment to funding schools.A bold, pop art-inspired celebration of Sioux Falls' investment in public education.Sioux Falls Today

The Sioux Falls school board has approved a $343 million budget for the upcoming school year, maintaining current staffing levels and class sizes despite financial pressures.

Why it matters

The school district's budget is a key indicator of the community's commitment to public education, with the allocation of resources reflecting priorities around teacher pay, student support, and facility upkeep.

The details

Board president Nan Kelly stated that there were no cuts to jobs or 'small cuts to a lot of people,' and that class sizes would remain unchanged in the new budget. The $343 million spending plan represents a modest increase over the previous year's budget as the district works to address rising costs and ensure continued high-quality education for Sioux Falls students.

  • The Sioux Falls school board approved the $343 million budget on April 12, 2026.

The players

Nan Kelly

The president of the Sioux Falls school board.

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What they’re saying

“There were no cuts to jobs, no 'small cuts to a lot of people,' and class sizes were maintained.”

— Nan Kelly, School Board President

The takeaway

The Sioux Falls school district's ability to approve a $343 million budget without cutting staff or increasing class sizes demonstrates the community's ongoing commitment to supporting high-quality public education, even in the face of financial pressures.