Sioux Falls School District moves ahead with plans to build elementary school by McGovern

Morgan Matzen, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·4 min read
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The Sioux Falls School District is moving forward with its plans to construct a new elementary school adjacent to George McGovern Middle School, as discussed in Wednesday afternoon’s school board work session.

Plans for this new school were part of the $190 million bond voters passed in 2018, which also established Jefferson High School on the northwest side and Ben Reifel Middle School on the southeast side.

In June, the district had shared two options for new elementary school sites: one by GMMS, and one between 22nd and 26th streets west of Ellis Road, which the district has yet to purchase, and where utilities won’t be available until 2026 or 2027.

More: Sioux Falls School District shares big ideas for Whittier middle school and other projects

Administration recommended continuing with the plan to build the new elementary school by GMMS first and working to acquire the land west of Ellis road for a future elementary school.

The empty lot behind McGovern Middle School has been tagged as the future site of a Sioux Falls school, pictured Monday, November 15, 2021, in Sioux Falls.
The empty lot behind McGovern Middle School has been tagged as the future site of a Sioux Falls school, pictured Monday, November 15, 2021, in Sioux Falls.

Street construction by the city, developer and school around the new site will begin by summer 2023. Eventually, a walking bridge or sidewalk will lead from the nearby neighborhood to the school, helping students traverse a drainage way, facilities manager Jeff Kreiter explained.

The new elementary school by GMMS will be an 84,000 square foot site built for 680 students at an estimated $21,988,000 cost, paid by the bond and based on an initial estimate of a modified plan reuse of either Susan B. Anthony Elementary School or Sonia Sotomayor Elementary School’s design.

Reusing those schools’ plans could save the district as much as $400,000, and $1 million in savings in inflationary construction costs. Plan reuse will begin with design modifications this fall, open to bids in the summer and then the school could open by the fall of 2025.

Pictured is the map of future developments on the northwest side of Sioux Falls with George McGovern Middle School at the top left corner to the northwest, situated just north of sites for a future park and a future elementary school. A walking bridge outlined in red will connect neighborhoods and create pathways for students to get to school by crossing a drainage way. The map as shown to the school board in a meeting on Sept. 7, 2022.

Sioux Falls School District growing

The district’s elementary school enrollment as of Aug. 30, 2022 was 11,321 students, business manager Todd Vik reported.

Board member Nan Baker asked about previous estimates and reports that the southeast side of the city is nearing enrollment capacity in some schools, and superintendent Jane Stavem said some of that information will be included in Monday’s enrollment report at the regular board meeting.

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“The west side’s pretty full,” Vik said in response to Baker’s question. “The northwest (side) is really getting full. East, very far east, is full, but there is some room kind of right in here, in the middle of the city.”

Boundaries will be adjusted, Stavem explained, rather than a full “re-boundary” process taking place, in order to accommodate for where the fastest growth is happening.

The site of a potential future elementary school the Sioux Falls School District is aiming for is situated between 22nd and 26th Streets west of Ellis Road, according to a presentation shown to the school board Sept. 7, 2022.
The site of a potential future elementary school the Sioux Falls School District is aiming for is situated between 22nd and 26th Streets west of Ellis Road, according to a presentation shown to the school board Sept. 7, 2022.

“It’s a very fluid picture right now because when you think about it, it’s the entire city that’s growing in all directions, which makes it complicated but exciting,” Stavem said.

Schools that could be impacted include Hayward, Oscar Howe, Discovery, John F. Kennedy, R. F. Pettigrew, Renberg and the new elementary schools, Kreiter reported.

Community embraces northwest side identity

Board vice president Carly Reiter said she likes that the new elementary school will be adjacent to GMMS because “I think there’s a lot of nice things that happen” between Discovery Elementary School and Memorial Middle School, which are in a similar position adjacent to each other as GMMS and the new elementary will be.

“A new school up in the northwest is going to have its own kind of neighborhood, too,” she said. “I like the idea of adding to more community in that area, which seems like it’s kind of in a barren land right now.”

Parents are already wearing T-shirts that say “Northwest is best” with GMMS and JHS logos, Reiter added.

More: Sioux Falls School District marks first day of 2021-2022 year by opening 2 new schools

“I love that that community has really embraced that relationship,” she added.

Board president Kate Serenbetz echoed Reiter’s comments, noting that Edison Middle School and Sonia Sotomayor also have a good relationship being just a few blocks from each other.

“It’s very advantageous to have that,” she said.

The area near GMMS was once “no man’s land,” but has seen growth since it was built, Serenbetz said.

“If you build it, they will come,” she added.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls School District plans new elementary by McGovern by 2025