SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Sioux Falls could see three new schools sometime within the next decade if the school board accepts a task force’s $190 million bond referendum proposal.
The task force has been meeting over the past several months to craft recommendations for district facility issues and overcrowded classrooms, the Argus Leader reported . The task force’s proposal calls for an estimated $82 million high school, $43 million middle school and $17 million elementary campus by 2024.
The Sioux Falls school district hasn’t passed a bond in more than 20 years. The proposed bond package would cost the average taxpayer less than $24 a year, Business Manager Todd Vik said.
The bonds will be financed over 25 years at 4 percent interest.
The task force recommends immediately building the new high school and opening the facility by 2022. The district could be 1,100 seats short at the high school level by 2025, the group said.
Enrollment has already increased by 20 percent within the last decade, and it’s expected to rise another 10 percent within the next 10 years, task force members said.
The $190 million bond package also accounts for expanding Horace Mann Elementary by six classrooms, security projects, inflation costs and rebuilding Cleveland Elementary’s gym.
A bond election could be held in September if the board approves the proposal in June.
The task force will submit the final report to the school board on June 11. Residents can submit input through an anonymous survey between June 11 and June 24.
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Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com
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