Sioux Falls School Board discusses closing Renberg Elementary

The school board weighed pros and cons of closing Renberg, from busing and class sizes to budget savings and small-school community impacts. Leaders outlined a plan to study growth and boundaries before a 2026–27 vote, while parents urge alternatives to keep the school open. 21mins

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Original Meeting

Wednesday, November 19th, 2025
4212.0
Full Meeting on YouTube
Video Notes

Work session of the Sioux Falls School Board regarding K12 business.

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Megan Raposa
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls Simplified provides smarter, easier local news that empowers you to shape the future of our community.
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In This Video
  • Assistant Superintendent Dan Conrad outlined potential advantages and disadvantages of closing Renberg, including impacts on class sizes, transportation time, staffing and specials, community preference for a small school setting, and estimated budget and capital savings.
  • Mr. Conrad summarized feedback from staff and parents about Renberg, highlighting strong support for the school's community, concerns about enrollment boundaries, transportation and class sizes, interest in alternatives to closure, and questions about placement and long-term planning.
  • Superintendent Jamie Nold addressed questions about Hawthorne’s enrollment decline, explained boundary decisions and student transfers tied to Marcella LeBeau Elementary, discussed why moving a specialty school to Renberg or expanding Renberg would increase busing and be less practical than central options, and reaffirmed that future school construction would follow where students live.
  • Superintendent Nold recommended that the board vote in the 2026–27 school year on closing Renberg in 2027–28, allowing a year to study growth projections, potential boundary changes, and building needs in coordination with the city to minimize moves for students.
  • A resident shared personal experiences supporting Renberg’s small-school environment, expressed relief that closure was not imminent, and urged consideration of options to keep the school open amid anticipated neighborhood turnover.
  • A resident shared support for Renberg’s small-school environment, described long bus rides as an acceptable tradeoff for the benefits, and expressed appreciation for the school while acknowledging the board’s difficult decisions.
  • Superintendent Nold clarified that a vote to close Renberg would not occur this year, outlined plans to review boundaries and growth with the city to minimize student moves, and emphasized continued transparent evaluation before revisiting the decision next year.
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