With two new schools set to open for the 2021 fall semester, the Sioux Falls School District (SFSD) has to make some big decisions as to how the addition of the Ben Reifel Middle School and Jefferson High School districts will affect the current SFSD districts.

“We understand that it’s a very emotional task,” said DeeAnn Konrad, Supervisor of Community Relations for SFSD. “It’s not just a line that’s drawn on a map.”

The prospect of new middle and high school boundaries can make many feel worried as to whether or not their students’ school will change. In an attempt to create less stress on the situation, SFSD has tried to include community members in the process.

The School Boundary Task Force consisted of 33 community members that met for three two-hour sessions to discuss the boundary process. During their first meeting, they were introduced to and discussed three middle school boundary options. Their second meeting consisted of analyzing four revised middle school proposals and they were introduced to high school options. Their third and final meeting involved looking at high school options A and B, as well as middle school options A and B. They also discussed open enrollment and students that would be “grandfathered in” to attending their current school despite a change in boundary.

After these meetings, SFSD staff took feedback from the Task Force discussions and came to the conclusion that the high school options were too similar. They then landed upon a new option: High school option C to replace option B.

Under options A and C, some students currently in the LHS district would be redistricted to JHS and WHS. Under option A some students would also be in the RHS district. Under both plans, some students in the RHS and WHS districts would now be in the LHS area.

The emergence of new schools will also mean a change in the location of some specialized programs. Under both options, New Technology High will move on to the JHS campus. In middle school option B, the Honors program currently at Edison Middle School moves to Patrick Henry Middle School. Under both plans, Middle School Spanish Immersion stays at EMS.

“It’s an impossibility for us not to upset somebody’s world a little bit, but it is a possibility that we can put together a process that makes a lot of sense,” said Superintendent Brian Maher.

SFSD will continue taking public input during the redistricting process by holding a ‘Boundary Community Engagement Meeting’ at each middle school throughout the months of March and April before they move on to the second phase of the process. Dates of these meetings and an interactive map of the options can be found on the district website.