In Sioux Falls, big elementary schools get bigger
Josh Verges guest post
Of the hundreds of public elementary schools in South Dakota, numbers 2 and 3 in K-5 enrollment are Discovery and R.F. Pettigrew on the west side of Sioux Falls.
According to the Department of Education, Discovery had 699 students in the fall of 2012 and Pettigrew had 694, plus 84 in early childhood programming.
Only Sturgis Elementary had more, with 718 plus 12 preschoolers.
More recent numbers from the Sioux Falls School District put Pettigrew at 764 and Discovery at 716.
So, how does another 180 students sound?
A plan put forth by Superintendent Pam Homan on Wednesday would add a fifth section of classrooms at both Discovery and Pettigrew, rather than building a new elementary school next to McGovern Middle School.
Large schools are no doubt more cost-effective, but parents in general -- there are exceptions -- prefer to send their kids to a small elementary. We saw that when Homan decided to consolidate Mark Twain and Longfellow elementary schools.
If the latest plan advances, before long enrollment at Discovery and Pettigrew should approach 900 students – larger than all but eight or nine public high schools in the state.
Which raises another question: Will the Pettigrew Panthers petition up to Class 11AA football?
First and third graders eat lunch at Discovery Elementary on Oct. 11, 2011. Jay Pickthorn / Argus Leader