NORTH SIOUX CITY | An estimated increase of as many as 250 students in the next seven years has Dakota Valley Schools looking for more classrooms.
Superintendent Al Leber said the district has created a committee of school employees, board members and community members to look at how projected enrollment growth compares with available space.
The committee will then study whether the district should expand on existing buildings or build a new school.
“We’re running out of room,” Leber said. “We are projecting to add 30-plus kids a year on average. Fifty-plus if housing is built on all the available lots.”
Any construction will face challenges, though.
The current campus, which houses the elementary, middle and high school, is land-locked by the surrounding neighborhood, leaving almost no room to expand. The district also does not want to spread buildings out on multiple campuses.
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Enrollment growth is not a new challenge for Dakota Valley.
School records show 621 students attended in 1994-1995. That number has steadily grown to 1,196 students currently enrolled.
That growth also sparked a series of construction projects.
A $2.6 million science center was added to the middle school in 2010, $3.3 million was spent on new elementary and high school classrooms in 2009 and $938,000 went into a new fitness center in 2008.
The fitness center and science lab were paid for through private donations.
If the district does decide to expand or build a new building, funding for the work will have to be approved by voters. That would likely occur within a year after the recommendation is given to the board.
School board and committee member Cam Smith said the group has met twice since convening Jan. 9.
The committee is currently gathering housing, birth rate, enrollment and economic development data in order to project population growth. Building principals have also been asked to put together a list of facilities they would like added.
The committee intends to have a recommendation drafted for the school board by September.
“Right now, this is just fact-finding,” Smith said. “There are no definitive numbers or recommendations.”
Leber said it’s hard to tell how much pending economic development in Sioux City and Sergeant Bluff will impact North Sioux City. Sioux City is currently working on building a land-based casino and Sergeant Bluff is preparing for construction of a $1.7 billion fertilizer facility.
There are currently no major projects planned in North Sioux City, but a lack of state income tax does make South Dakota a strong competitor for new businesses.
“It’s always tough to gauge economic development,” Leber said about growth in South Dakota. “A lot of those talks take place behind closed doors before it ever becomes public.”
