PIERRE, S.D. – A South Dakota House committee has rejected a proposal to start four schools focused on Native American language and culture despite the bill receiving unanimous support from the Senate.
House lawmakers voted 9-5 to effectively kill the bill after representatives from the Oglala Lakota County school district opposed it. They said they had not been consulted.
Other education groups also opposed the bill and argued that it would hamper their ability to raise funds for facilities.
Educators who are pushing for the proposal held out hope that the bill could be revived through a rarely used legislative maneuver.
