SIOUX FALLS — The Sioux Falls School Board approved changes to the boundaries for a handful of elementary schools on Monday, Feb. 27, to accommodate housing growth on the city’s east and west sides.
A group of parents at Renberg Elementary had raised concerns about the changes, which would send a portion of the students at that school to Hawthorne Elementary in central Sioux Falls. About 70 families are affected by that adjustment.
About 15 of those families told the district they opposed the change because it requires busing their children to Hawthorne for a year, and then to a new west-side elementary school that will open in the fall of 2025.
Jamie Nold, assistant superintendent for administrative services, told the board that those families will be allowed to open enroll their students to remain at Renberg.
On the city’s east side, about 150 students currently attending Rosa Parks will move to Harvey Dunn, which has space available.
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Faster-than-expected growth is driving is the need to make the adjustments, Nold said.
“There has been significant population growth anywhere along the east and west side but specifically in the Rosa Parks area and the Renberg area that just didn’t any longer have the ability to absorb that growth,” he told the board.
Board member Carly Reiter said she was pleased the district was able to find a solution for the Renberg families.
“I appreciated the families that came and talked to us, they were respectful, they had good ideas,” Reiter said. “We appreciate the feedback we get from people because we don’t always have the same ideas.”
Stephanie Johnson, one of the Renberg parents who opposed the initial boundary changes, thanked the board for the compromise.
“We appreciate you listening to our small group,” she said.
Two other minor boundary adjustments are also under consideration on the east side, affecting students attending Harvey Dunn and Susan B. Anthony elementaries. Those decisions were delayed because the recent storm prevented district officials from meeting with the parents involved, Nold said.
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