School Attendance Boundary FAQ
March 2020
Purpose
After extensive community input, Sioux Falls taxpayers overwhelmingly approved (85.46%) a $190 Million Bond Referendum in September 2018 to build three new schools and make improvements to 14 existing buildings.
The construction of a middle school and high school to open by the fall of 2021 and an elementary school by 2024 will alleviate crowding on the west side of Sioux Falls, where buildings are currently over capacity.
The District’s largest schools – at all levels – are on the west side.
- Discovery Elementary Enrollment – 911
- R.F. Pettigrew Elementary Enrollment – 857
- Memorial Middle School Enrollment – 1,369
- Roosevelt High School Enrollment – 2,462
The bond task force determined the size of the bond and what facilities would be needed for the future. School boundaries do not follow city limits. While the city continues to grow in various directions, there is limited space available to build new schools. Instead of adding on to already large schools, this group recommended elementary schools have enrollments of 600-800 students; middle schools 800-1,000 students; and high schools approximately 1,800 students. Therefore, new buildings are needed.
Thomas Jefferson High School (Cavaliers) is under construction near Marion Rd and Madison Ave. in the northwest quadrant of the city. Ben Reifel Middle School (Bison) is under construction on the southeast side of Sioux Falls near 41st Street and Highway 11.
Current school attendance boundaries must be redrawn to efficiently and effectively use these new resources (Jefferson and Reifel) that were voted for by taxpayers.
In January, 2020, the District convened a 33-member boundary task force to help shape options that could be taken to the greater community for further input. The most-preferred options for both Middle and High School are being brought forth at five community engagement sessions to gather additional feedback. All meetings begin at 5:30pm in the school auditorium. All sessions are open to the public and will serve to inform, as well as hear feedback, in a mutually respectful manner. The meeting dates are as follows:
- Thursday, March 12 at Memorial Middle School (1401 S. Sertoma Ave.)
- Monday, March 16 at Patrick Henry Middle School (2200 S. 5th Ave.)
- Thursday, March 26 at Whittier Middle School (930 E. 6th St.)
- Tuesday, April 7 at McGovern Middle School (6221 W. Maple St.)
- Thursday, April 9 at Edison Middle School (2101 S. West Ave.)
The public may attend ANY of the meetings. You do NOT have to attend the meeting at the school closest to your address. Boundary topics are NOT specific to the school where the meeting is being held. All topics, regarding all sections of the community, can be addressed at any meeting.
Further, the Sioux Falls School District continues to take feedback through the Let’s Talk! tab on the District’s website: sf.k12.sd.us. Look for the blue tab on the right-hand side of the screen. Select the topic “Attendance Boundaries” under the Community Engagement heading to submit your questions or ideas.
The following questions have been asked multiple times and may prove helpful in answering the questions of others.
FAQ: What guidelines were the Boundary Task Force asked to consider during their work?
How were the options that are being considered created?
District staff used a digital pin mapping process to indicate where every student lives in the District. All identifiable information was stripped from each digital pin so all student identifying data was removed. Digital Pins” retained information like race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. SFSD worked with a software tool called Tableau to create various boundary options that meet the guidelines established by the Board of Education (listed above). Options were presented to the Boundary task Force for feedback and reshaping or creation of additional options.
How will the new schools be staffed?
Veteran teachers who are currently employed by the Sioux Falls School District will have the first option of applying for openings at both Jefferson High School and Ben Reifel Middle School. While we have no idea who will apply, we know that some teachers will welcome the challenge and excitement of starting a new program in a new school. In some cases, teachers may be transferred to the school. In some cases, new staff will be hired. It will be a broad mixture of both veteran and new staff - just like the staff at each of the existing high schools.
How were mascots and school colors chosen for the new schools?
The Superintendent convenes a Student Advisory Group quarterly each school year. Representatives from each high school – New Tech, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Washington – are selected by their principals due to their leadership capabilities. The students provide valuable feedback on a range of topics, including grading practices, social media policies, student mental health, etc. Once the new schools were named, students focused on selecting a mascot and school colors for Thomas Jefferson High School and Ben Reifel Middle School.
Jefferson High School
The “Cavaliers” will be represented by the colors Cavalier Green (PMS 357 C), Black and Jefferson Gold (PMS 466 C). Please see attached. Rationale: In 1819, the 76-year-old Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia. He organized the state legislative campaign for its charter and, with the assistance of Edmund Bacon, purchased the location. He was the principal designer of the buildings, planned the university's curriculum, and served as the first rector upon its opening in 1825. The University of Virginia’s mascot and nickname is the Cavaliers.
What will the new Thomas Jefferson High School look like?
Thomas Jefferson High School is currently taking shape. Clicking on the QR codes below will allow to you take a virtual tour of various points of interest in the building.
Ben Reifel Middle School
The “Bison” will be represented by the colors Bison Red (PMS 485 C) and Ben Reifel Yellow (PMS 102 C). Please see attached. Rationale: Ben Reifel was born on the Rosebud Reservation, a member of the Sioux tribe, and a Lakota congressman. He believed in a solid education, promoted South Dakota and proudly displayed his Lakota heritage throughout his career. To honor his background, it seems appropriate to incorporate symbols and colors of the Lakota culture.
What will the layout of the new Ben Reifel Middle School look like?
The layout for Ben Reifel Middle School is actually a “plan reuse” of George McGovern Middle School. There are a few slight differences that were incorporated based on current architectural trends and input from veteran staff who recommended ideas for improving traffic flow in the hallways and common areas.
Will all activities be offered at Jefferson High School and Ben Reifel Middle School?
All programs will be offered - AP, Dual Credit, Marching Band, Varsity sports, etc. Marching band uniforms, football gear, and all activities uniforms are currently being designed. They will be ready for the first day of the school’s opening. Activities schedules and competitions are already being secured.
While tradition takes some years to establish, students will bring their musical, athletic and academic talents with them so Jefferson will not be starting from scratch with students who have never participated in the past.
Why does it appear on some options that there are “pockets” assigned to different schools than their neighbors?
As previously stated, it is the intent of the SFSD to keep neighborhoods together, whenever possible. It is also the intent of the SFSD to keep students who attended elementary school together as they move to middle school and then on to high school. This, however, if VERY difficult. With 23 Elementary Schools feeding 6 middle schools and 6 middle schools feeding 4 high schools, it is a balancing act to achieve the desired school sizes.
Will bus rides be longer to some schools?
Bus routes to new schools have not yet been established. They will be completed after the school board makes a final decision on attendance boundaries in June 2020. Generally, if students are currently in a “walk-area,” they will remain in the walk-area. If they receive bus services due to the distance to school or the need to cross a busy intersection or roadway, they will likely continue to receive that service. On average, the District is not planning to increase ride times for students.
What about safe walking routes to school? Why aren’t we seeing those plans yet?
The safety of our students is paramount to our Board of Education. The Sioux Falls School District works collaboratively with the City of Sioux Falls to design and implement safe paths to school. That will happen once the school board decides which option it will choose for middle school attendance boundaries and high school attendance boundaries. Doing that work ahead of a decision would be time consuming, unnecessary and presumptuous.
How will open enrollment work once the decision has been made?
The District will continue to accept open enrollments when the new attendance boundaries are implemented. While some of the processes regarding open enrollment are dictated by state law; the District has some flexibility in determining the capacity at each school building and how that capacity is spread among the grade levels in the building. The details of who will be “grandfathered in” and the specifics of open enrollment have not yet been determined. Those decisions will be made, however, at the same time the new boundaries are announced in June 2020.
How/when will the final decision be made?
The School Board is committed to hearing from all stakeholders on the issue of school attendance boundaries. The process has purposely been scheduled to occur over several months to give ample time for public input. Last fall, the District gathered data. That data was used to present some early options to a 33-member task force chosen to represent a cross-section of neighborhoods and interests. Additional options were developed based on task force input. The community is invited to offer suggestions through five community engagement sessions. The Board will hold two work sessions to discuss the information collected and make its final vote in June. The new attendance boundaries will go into effect in the Fall of 2021.
Sioux Falls School District
Website: https://www.sf.k12.sd.us
Location: 201 East 38th Street, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Phone: (605) 367-7900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SiouxFallsSchoolDistrict?fref=ts
Twitter: @SFSchools