Parent opposition has convinced Boise administration to reconsider how it manages the closure of Owyhee Elementary School.
Owyhee's fate was originally scheduled to be decided in December, but the district decided to vote in August rather than wait seven months for parents.
At this month's engagement meeting, parents and school supporters refuse firmly The proposal is to transform Owyhee into an early childhood learning center in 2025. The plan was proposed by a group of Boise administrators, trustees and superintendents called the Core Cabinet.
“We apologize for how we handled this very difficult situation. “I hope you give us the opportunity to do better as we move forward together,” he wrote. School board President Dave Wagers said in an email to parents Tuesday:
Parents oppose the possible closure of Owyhee, but are particularly disappointed with the way management has communicated. Meanwhile, while administrators said no decision had been made to close Owyhee, they sent several emails and notices indicating the school would be “closed.”
“Following two meetings After reviewing written and oral testimony with Owyhee parents, it became clear that the way we communicated the proposal and process to convert Owyhee Elementary School into an early childhood learning center was inconsistent with our commitment to openness and transparency. This is not what we strive to be, and for that we apologize,” Wagers wrote.
The district provides early childhood education in more than 11 individual locations and one “community classroom model” location. Owyhee's transition to a 300-plus classroom model for children ages 3 to 5 is part of the district's plan to meet the needs of its growing population.
Now Boise is resetting its Owyhee process after identifying three areas of improvement that need to be addressed.
- A specific vote on whether to convert Owyhee is expected to take place at the school board's Aug. 12 meeting.
- Families within the boundaries of Owyhee, Hawthorne, Hillcrest and Whitney provide testimony to the Board of Directors; district questionnaire.
- The District has created an expedited timeline for clarity and certainty.
“The August board meeting is the first step in providing clarity to families. If the board votes to convert Owyhee to an early learning center, the boundary change process will begin at that point,” Wagers wrote.
The boundary change process is expected to last several months.
According to the region, the Owyhee were identified based on the following criteria:
- The location is ideal for serving Bench and South Boise.
- The school's unique design (modular-based classrooms) fits naturally with its community classroom philosophy.
- It can accommodate up to 350 preschool children.
According to the district, the Owyhee region's demographics have made it difficult to maintain healthy student enrollment levels over the past 20 years. The school currently serves 153 students in grades K-6.