Thune, Smith Introduce Bill to Assist School Districts as They Apply for Impact Aid Program Funding

Statement

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today introduced the Supplemental Impact Aid Flexibility Act, legislation that would allow school districts participating in the Impact Aid Program to use previously reported student headcounts on their Impact Aid applications for the 2022-2023 school year. School districts will soon begin to complete their Impact Aid application for the 2022-2023 school year, and this bill would ensure that they do not need to recalculate federally connected students due to prolonged uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Impact Aid Program reimburses school districts located on federal property or for their students who live on federal land and, therefore, collect less in local property taxes to fund their schools.

"In order to support the South Dakota school districts that participate in the Impact Aid Program, it's imperative that we again provide them with the ability to use previously reported student headcounts on their Impact Aid applications that they will complete this fall," said Thune. "Not only would this free up time and resources that can be directed to their students, it would also protect school districts from future Impact Aid funding reductions due to temporary enrollment declines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic."

"The pandemic continues to hit many Minnesota school districts hard, and for those districts that receive Impact Aid, it's important that they maintain reliable, stable funding," said Smith. "This bipartisan legislation will ensure that while the pandemic continues to affect school operations, our Impact Aid districts won't have to recalculate their student headcounts."

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