Happy Wednesday! Megan here.
Weather check: Little rainy
This week, it's a newsy one again (and get used to hearing that as we get into the fall). You'll get the latest on library funding, volunteer opportunities, public meeting drama, after-school care and the future of philanthropy in Sioux Falls. Oh, and don't miss our weekly round-up of local events.
And now, news:
EDUCATION
Why Siouxland Libraries won't have to close early next year
Simplified: The Sioux Falls City Council, alongside the Minnehaha County Commission, voted to restore the proposed cuts to Siouxland Libraries, ensuring that library hours won't change as a result of a citywide budget "recalibration," as Mayor Paul TenHaken's office calls it.
Why it matters
- In July, ahead of his annual budget address, TenHaken said the city would be proposing about $6 million in cuts in direct response to the state legislature's cap on local property tax growth.
- That included plans to cut part-time library staff wages and reduce the hours libraries are open by two hours per day.
- But the City Council largely disagreed with the pitch to cut library hours, and Councilor Miranda Basye's amendment to restore the $270,000 in funding to the 2026 budget was approved 6-1, with Councilor Ryan Spellerberg as the lone dissenting vote.
- Because the libraries are a joint city-county venture, Minnehaha County Commissioners also weighed in with unanimous approval.
"As we look at where we’re allocating dollars, it is my firm belief that libraries are an integral part of our community," Basye said. "And I don't feel like it's appropriate to reduce the public access to them."
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SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS
How nonprofits and donors can shape the future of philanthropy
This is a paid piece from Maximizing Excellence, LLC.
Simplified: A new report from nonprofit consulting firm Maximizing Excellence looks at how donor behaviors have changed over the last five years and what new opportunities are emerging for nonprofits to continue to be successful into the future.
Why it matters
- Maximizing Excellence initially released the State of Sioux Falls Philanthropy report in 2020 as a first-of-its-kind look at the state of philanthropy in Sioux Falls. The goal was to help nonprofits get better at asking for money in the ways donors want to be asked.
- With this 2025 reprise to the report, Maximizing Excellence conducted in-depth interviews with 30 established and emerging philanthropic leaders to get an updated sense of trends, and learn what shifts Sioux Falls can make to ensure the culture of giving remains strong.
- There's room for improvement, though. More than 70 percent of donors said they feel both a greater sense of urgency to have their perspectives heard and less optimism in nonprofits' ability to meet rising expectations.
- Founder and CEO Cindy Peterson said she hopes this report encourages nonprofits to start getting more innovative and creative in how they broaden their donor base.
"The easiest thing nonprofits can do is tell their story, tell it uniquely, and tell it from the heart while giving real examples of impact," Peterson said.
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TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- Learning at the Levitt.* Levitt at the Falls will break ground Thursday on a significant expansion, including a new community room funded by a $500,000 investment from Dakota State University Foundation. The new space, called the Dakota State University Community Room, will be housed in the Sweetman Atrium and will be used for indoor performances, community events, DSU alumni, donor recognition, and similar events, summer camps with DSU and additional educational programming. Learn more about the DSU Foundation here.
- The people want late meetings. And late meetings they shall have – at least through the end of the calendar year. Lincoln County Commissioners heard from about a dozen people Tuesday night about how valuable it was to have one meeting each month take place outside of a normal work day. The commission started hosting one meeting at 6:30 p.m. each month a few months back, and the public's desire to keep it going was loud and clear.
- Before public comment Tuesday, commissioners discussed doing away with the evening meetings, particularly because of inclement weather in the winter months and a sense that, as Commissioner Jim Schmidt put it, "there aren't a lot of new faces coming in."
- The public pushed back hard on those objections, including testimony from two state lawmakers who urged the commission to keep the evening meetings.
- "It's one of the best moves, I think, you guys ever did, but I'm just not buying the weather thing," said Rep. Kevin Jensen, noting that he and 104 others across the state trek to and from Pierre during some of the worst weather months of the year for the legislative session.
- There was also a teeny bit of drama before the final vote in which Commissioner Joel Arends said if it wasn't for the public inputters, his fellow commissioners' "natural instinct is to want to close government off," at which point Commission Chair Tiffani Landeen called him out of order and ended the discussion.
- After-school programs are helping. Kids who've participated in the Sioux Falls School District's Community Learning Centers (CLC) are seeing academic achievement at a higher rate than their peers, according to data presented to the school board Monday evening. The vast majority of kids enrolled in these after-school programs saw test scores improve year-over-year.
- Additionally, kids who went to CLC programs also saw higher attendance rates, fewer tardies and lower rates of behavioral issues year-over-year. You can see all of the data in this school board report.
*Denotes a paid partnership
SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS
How you can help empower girls through movement
This is a paid piece from EmBe.
Simplified: There's still time to volunteer for a program focused on empowering young girls to boldly pursue their dreams. Here's what to know about EmBe's fall Girls on the Run program.
Why it matters
- Girls on the Run is about much more than running. The program focuses not only on physical movement but also on building life skills through interactive lessons for girls in third through sixth grade.
- Each season, the Girls on the Run team meets twice a week after school. Teams have between eight and 15 girls as well as two to six coaches who lead the comprehensive curriculum provided by the program.
- Right now, about two dozen area schools have openings for either coaches or runners to sign up. The fall season will kick off at the beginning of September, but there's still time to get registered. Additionally, scholarships are available to ensure the program is accessible to all.
"You don't have to be a runner to be an impactful coach for Girls on the Run," Program Coordinator Elizabeth Cordell said. "You just have to be willing to help these girls keep going when it gets hard and build their self-confidence."
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EVENTS
Stuff to do: Aug. 27-Sept. 2
- Chill at the hill. Catch some good food, live music and (fingers crossed) a continuation of this beautiful weather at Great Bear Wednesday afternoon for their next Chill at the Hill event. You'll find live music from Zon Tran and food from Marc O's. Learn more here.
- Go apple picking. You know it's fall when the apple orchards and pumpkin patches start opening up. The County Apple Orchard opens today, and the first weekend Fall Festival event is Saturday. Check out the season lineup of events here.
- Hang out on the farm. The Good Earth Farm is hosting a concert featuring The Clover Fold Saturday evening. The event is a partnership with the Sioux Falls Area Running Club, but you don't have to be a runner to get a ticket. Learn more here.
- Check out LifeLight. The LifeLight Festival is coming to Nelson Park this weekend. The free, all-ages festival brings together a combination of Christian music, inspirational speakers and other family-friendly entertainment. Details here.
- Catch the last Levitt show. The Levitt summer season is coming to an end this weekend with a final show from The Empire Strikes Brass, a band the Levitt describes as "a bold, high-energy sound rooted in New Orleans funk, infused with rock and jam influences." Music starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, and you can learn more here.
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
How opioid settlement funds could strengthen addiction treatment
The State of South Dakota is expected to get about $79 million in opioid settlements over the next 18 years, and Attorney General Marty Jackley this week said he’d like to see that money supporting addiction treatment in the state’s two largest cities.
Megan Raposa
As SDPB faces steep cuts, here’s how you can help
South Dakota Public Broadcasting is facing a more than $2 million shortfall in its budget as a direct result of the federal defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Megan Raposa
How well is Sioux Falls supporting nonprofits?
Most donors believe philanthropy overall in the city is weaker now than it was five years ago – which leaves less room for optimism moving forward.
Megan Raposa
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Thank you
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