Voters approve $17M school bond

A small majority of voters in the Brandon Valley School District said “Yes for Kids,” approving the $17 million bond Sept. 10 that will fund construction of a new K-4 elementary school and land purchase for a future intermediate school.

Of the district’s 14,787 eligible voters, a mere 1,214 or 8.2 percent, cast their ballot. The bond was overwhelmingly approved 1,085-129.

“We are extremely grateful for the overwhelming community support of our school bond issue,” Superintendent Dr. Jarod Larson said. “The Brandon Valley community has been – and continues to be –committed to excellence in education. It is very exciting to see our patrons rally around kids and embrace our proactive and visionary plan for future growth.”

The largest voter turnout occurred at the Brandon precinct, where 716 “yes” votes and 87 “no” votes were cast. The Splitrock precinct – stationed at Fred Assam Elementary – drew 327 voters to the polls. Out of that total, 310 approved the bond and 17 cast a “no” vote.

The lightest turnout occurred in Valley Springs, where election judges – and neighbors – Laverne Scholten, Agnes Maassen and Linda Hengeveld largely “caught up” throughout the 12-hour voting process.

Of the 84 voters who came to the Valley Springs Elementary precinct, 59 supported the bond and 25 opposed.

The trio of election workers said the 84 voters trickled in throughout the day.

“We’ve had what we consider a crowd,” Hengeveld shared. “At one time, we had four people in here.”

Ever-increasing enrollment in the school district has necessitated construction of what will be the district’s fifth elementary school. Sparta Elementary, which will be constructed on land the district acquired 10 years ago, is located at East 41st Street and South Sparta Avenue. The property is located within the city limits of Sioux Falls.

The approved Sparta Elementary will not only mitigate the district’s elementary enrollment needs and the fastest-growing population of students in the district, but the new school essentially comes at no extra cost to taxpayers. As explained in the bond campaign, this bond coincides with the district’s last debt payment on Robert Bennis Elementary. Currently, BVSD property owners are paying about 40 cents per $1,000 of valuation; the new bond is anticipated to come in at 38 cents.

With the passage of the bond, now the construction planning, design and bid process will get underway.

Following more than a year of construction, which will get started in spring 2020, Sparta Elementary is planned to open in the fall of 2021.

The approximate 82,000-square-foot structure is designed to resemble Robert Bennis and Fred Assam elementaries. The bond committee and school administrators have stressed that it’s important Sparta Elementary reflects the district look.

The land acquisition is located south of where Sparta Elementary will be constructed and is intended for a future intermediate school.

This fall when BV students returned to classes, the district count totaled 4,435 students. Enrollment has grown by more than 1,000 students the last 10 years, and recent years it has increased by about 175 students per year.