BA School Board Discusses Solution For Overcrowded Elementary School

The Broken Arrow School Board is still deciding what to do about an elementary school that's running out of space.

The school said the solution is to change the district map and move some kids to another elementary next year.

The board members decided that moving 80 students from Rosewood Elementary to Vandever isn't a long-term solution.

The planners for this project said Rosewood Elementary is 30 kids away from being overcapacity.

Broken Arrow continues to grow. But with growth comes challenges for schools, like moving students around for better class sizes.

One father expressed his concern about constant rezoning and asked the board to find a long-term plan that brings stability for kids and their families.

Now, the planners are going back to the drawing board.

"As a dad of five kids, I work hard to make sure my kids feel stable and that they have a foundation. I can drive by my elementary school and say, 'that's the elementary school that dad went to.' Right? Not I went to that elementary school and then two years later, I went to that elementary school. Then a year after that, I had to change again and go to that elementary school," said Carl McKittrick, parent.

"We can look at a larger swath of people if that's what you would prefer we do and make that change all at once, but my recommendation is that we would try to do that at the April board meeting," said Ashley Bowser, Chief Technology Officer, Broken Arrow Public Schools.

The board will revisit this issue in April.

They said they want a plan that solves the crowded elementary school and doesn't have parents worried about uprooting their kid's lives.