NEWS

Diversity accompanies boom in Sioux Falls enrollment

Austin Ashlock

The number of students in the Sioux Falls public school system will grow by more than 20 percent during the next 10 years, and that population will be increasingly diverse, according to a study conducted by the University of South Dakota.

The proportion of white students in the population will drop from 69.1 percent last year to 57.8 percent in 2023, according to the report, called "Enrollment Projections and Demographic Study." The analysis was conducted on behalf of the Sioux Falls School District and presented to the school board on Monday.

If the report's findings play out as presented, it would mirror the trend of the past several years.

The demographic changes bring with them opportunity, said Pam Homan, the district's superintendent.

"When we look at diversity, we celebrate it... No one child learns the same way," Homan said. "And we will always continue to support the needs, and provide pathways and programing towards the growth of our students."

Among the study's findings:

■ Districtwide enrollment should increase by more than 5,000 students. Enrollment last year was 23,246 and is projected to be 28,255 in 2023, a yearly increase of 1.97 percent.

■ African-Americans are expected to have the largest increase in the proportion of the student population, jumping from 10.2 percent last year to 14.2 percent in 2023. That number is up from 5.9 percent recorded in 2005.

■ 1.4 percent of students will be Hispanic in 2023; 6.3 percent will be Native American; 5.2 percent will be Asian; 4.9 percent will be students of multiple race; and the remaining 0.13 percent will be Native Hawaiian.

■ In 2005, slightly more than 80 percent of the school district was made up of white students.

Sioux Falls School Board President Kent Alberty said the district is devoted to addressing cultural differences that will be presented by increased diversity — starting at the front of the classroom.

"We need to be sure that we have teachers in place that understand very well how to teach what is culturally acceptable here compared to where those students came to us from," Alberty said. "So, it's going to require us to be very diligent and deliberate in hiring practices to make sure we have the best teachers in place."

Yikeset Sintaghu is the Sunday School Chairman at St. Kidanemhiret Ethiopian Orthodox Church. He talks with his students on a regular basis about how they can flourish in public school.

"Here, school is more detailed," Sintaghu said. "You learn things deeper here."

When he asked the students at Sunday School recently how they like school here, the answers varied. Many of the kids really like math class, he said, because it's something they focus on more in Ethiopia.

"For the some of the kids, it takes a while to adjust, especially with the language thing. If they don't speak English very well, they might have a problem to understand the whole class," Sintaghu said. "It took some of the kids from Sunday school a year (to fully understand class) And some pick up everything very quickly."

Rod Hair, former director of the Government Research Bureau, and USD economics professor Kathryn Birkeland presented the study to the Sioux Falls School Board.

"The bottom line of all this is to help (the board) find out how they can make things better for students," Birkeland said. "This information gives (the board) a bigger, broader understanding of how to do that."

With the construction of George McGovern Middle School complete this summer in northwestern Sioux Falls, Alberty said the district already is making steps toward addressing increased enrollment.

"We have enough property out there that, when the time comes four to six years down the road, we can put an elementary school right beside it," Alberty said. "And sometime down the road, maybe in the next 10 years, there will be a board that needs to decide whether or not we need to add another traditional high school to handle those 5,000 extra students."

One of the study's most concerning findings is the increasing number of students with free and reduced lunch, Alberty said. According to the study, 45.8 percent of students were on free- and reduced-lunch plans last year. That number is expected to go over 60 percent by 2023.

The study also predicted an increased need in transportation for students with limited English and special education, which to Alberty and the board means higher costs.

To accommodate for these and other costs resulting in the demographic changes, Alberty said the school district will have to look for outside help from the Legislature, federal grants and partnerships to lighten the burden and help adapt, as it always has.

"We have to take this one day at a time," he said. "We can't look at the statistics and get immediately overwhelmed, these changes aren't coming overnight. It's going to be a ten year transition and we will work the best, as our community transitions, to meet the needs and do the best that we can."

By the numbers

A demographic look at projected growth in Sioux Falls Public Schools:

69.1: Percent of white students in 2013

57.8: Percent of white students projected by 2023

10.2: Percent of black students in 2013

14.2: Percent of black students in 2023