RCAS says building new schools will attract skilled workers, improve city business

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City Area Schools has a plan to address the overcrowding and crumbling conditions its schools are facing — a plan that comes with a $250 million price tag.

This is the first time in 45 years the district has asked for a public bond, and has been holding multiple information sessions with the public about the plan.

The district is defending the plan, saying that the schools are the first step in bringing beneficial changes to the city. If the schools stay in the current state of disrepair, RCAS says that it will make recruiting workers to the area harder.

Rapid City’s manufacturing, technology and health care industries are experiencing growth, and that is expected to increase more in the coming years. With possibly thousands coming to the Rapid City area for the B-21 program at Ellsworth Air force Base, RCAS says that the district’s shortcomings will only become more obviously felt.

RCAS Superintendent Dr. Lori Simon says “As our community continues to grow, it’s only going to become more challenging to recruit specialists and physicians and all the other medical personnel that our community needs to have a robust health system. That effects all of us on a daily basis.”