Progress & Industry: Housing drives student, facility growth

Where the kids are is where Brandon Valley’s next elementary school should go.

That’s the recommendation of the 30-member Facilities Review Committee, which was presented to the school board Nov. 26. 

The committee recommended the district’s immediate priority is to build a fifth elementary school on district-owned land at 41st Street and Sparta Avenue in Sioux Falls.

The committee determined the southwest area of the school district was subject to the most substantial growth, and Fred Assam Elementary – the newest of BVSD’s four elementary schools – faces the greatest and most immediate capacity challenge.

Current enrollment at Fred Assam Elementary is 567 students, which is at 93 percent capacity. The trigger number is 510 students for a building was designed to house 600 kids. 

The committee recommends the school should be ready for occupancy by the fall of 2021 to accommodate the anticipated 2021-22 enrollment growth in the southwest quadrant of the district. 

Pending approval by the school board, a bond issue campaign is tentatively planned for winter-spring-summer 2019, leading up to a vote in the fall of 2019. 

Construction planning would follow that fall and through the winter of 2020, with the bid process in February of 2020. The 16-month construction process would be slated to start in the spring of 2020 for occupancy by the fall of 2021.

 

Residential growth dictates facility needs

Continued residential growth in Brandon and Sioux Falls dictates the need for additional school district facilities. 

The city of Brandon continues to add 40 to 50 single family homes each year. The community also has two large residential developments totaling 375 new homes. The eastside development has 200 available lots, and Oakland Homes’ Aspen and Sioux boulevard developments could accommodate 175 homes. Moderate development is expected in the north, west and northeast areas of Brandon.

The city of Sioux Falls adds about 200 single homes each year in the BVSD. Presently, there are 1,973 total single-family lots available in the district and 1,597 multi-family units.

 

Elementary boundaries and capacity

The committee also determined the elementary boundary lines should be tweaked, which will alleviate capacity issues at both FAE and Robert Bennis Elementary. The boundary line change was largely made in the northwest corner of the district, where students who currently attend FAE will move to BE. BV Superintendent Dr. Jarod Larson estimated the boundary line change would move 130 students from FAE to BE.

RBE, which houses 531 students this school year, is at 89 percent capacity, and was also designed for 600 students. The trigger number for this school was set at 510.

Both Brandon Elementary and Valley Springs Elementary have room to grow. BE, which can accommodate 950 students, currently has 579 students in the building for a 61 percent capacity rate. The trigger number stands at 808. VSE has 100 students and has a capacity of 275, which translates to a low 36 percent capacity rate. The trigger number for VSE is 233 students.

The high school and middle school both stand at 78 percent capacity. BVHS boasts 1,124 students and has available space for 1,428. The trigger number is 1,285 students, and district officials expect enrollment to reach 1,359 by the 2022-23 school year.

BVMS currently has 698 students in the building that can accommodate up to 900 students. That trigger number stands at 810.

BV Intermediate School – the newest of all the district buildings – is at 80 percent capacity. This year’s enrollment is 698 students strong, and the building was designed for 875 students. The trigger number for this building is 743.