Task force ranks 38 Sioux Falls School District improvements — starting with Whittier

The need to replace Whittier Middle School with a new building is the clear priority project for the Sioux Falls School District, following months of review by a community task force.

The 30-person group was chosen from 140 applicants to reflect a cross-section of the community and prioritize current and future facility needs. The process likely will lead up to a bond referendum next spring.

A list of 38 projects reflects the average rankings of each task force member, following tours of Whittier, Edison and Ben Reifel middle schools to provide a perspective of the disparity among the buildings.

Whittier was built in 1923 as an elementary school and expanded to become a middle school.

“We need to do something about Whittier, and they said that,” Assistant Superintendent Dan Conrad said in a report this week to the Sioux Falls School Board.

Additional priority projects include a future elementary to serve the west side of Sioux Falls. Task force members heard from the city Planning and Development Services Department about growth projections. Here’s a look at the projections for the northwest part of the city served by Marcella LeBeau Elementary and George McGovern Middle School.

“We’re in a position there to handle that growth, we think, pretty well,” Conrad said.

There will be additional growth in areas annexed from Lennox, as well as potentially an infill property near Roosevelt High School at 41st Street and Sertoma Avenue.

“There’s potential for that to be developed,” Conrad said.

Additional priority projects include improvements in the areas of fine arts and performing arts at Edison and Patrick Henry middle schools, drop-off lanes at several elementary schools and district-wide security upgrades.

Here’s a look at the full prioritized list:

“This is not intended to say there’s a cut line somewhere,” Conrad said, calling it “a ranking of what’s most important.”

Task force members were asked to consider alignment with the district’s mission, vision and priorities, as well as fair and uniform access for students.

The school district hired Jerry Gallagher of the Donovan Group, a communications and community engagement firm focusing on education, to facilitate the task force meetings.

A community survey will be offered in September, as well as community listening sessions throughout the fall.

The task force will come back together in December to learn about the information gathered from the community as well as budget estimates.

The plan is to present the final task force findings early next year and determine if a bond vote is needed in April 2027.

The work of the task force has been valuable to the process, Conrad said.

“Thirty people came together, built relationships … and they’re passionate and they got to see our schools and they got to bring forward their perspectives, which was very helpful and beneficial as we produced this list.”