Boise School District administrators are touting their contentious plan to convert Owyhee Elementary into a preschool center ahead of a school board vote next week.
After some patrons strongly opposed the idea earlier this year, the district on Monday issued a news release expounding the benefits of closing Owyhee and converting it to an early learning hub.
“An early learning center is a launching pad for preparing students ages 3-5 with the skills necessary to be successful in kindergarten, including social skills, academic skills, and the essential skills of how to be a successful learner,” the news release said. “All of this to ensure students are prepared to integrate successfully when they enter elementary school.”
District administrators are scheduled to recommend the plan at the Boise school board’s Aug. 12 meeting, when trustees will vote to approve or deny it.
If trustees approve, the district would consolidate Boise’s preschool services from 12 scattered locations to two centers, including Owhyhee, which administrators called a “prime location.”
Owyhee is a 150-student, K-6 elementary school in the Sunrise Rim neighborhood, located just north of Interstate 84 near Vista Avenue. The building has a “unique design” with “flexible learning spaces” that promote “inclusive learning opportunities for all students,” the release said.
Owhyee would remain an elementary school for the 2024-25 year and transition to a preschool center in 2025-26. District boundaries would be shifted so nearby elementary schools could absorb Owyhee students and staff.
Among the benefits of selecting Owyhee for an early childhood center is its proximity to other elementary schools, the release said. It’s less than two miles from Hawthorne, Hillcrest and Whitney elementaries, which have capacities to increase their enrollments.
Where would the consolidated preschool centers be located?
Boise administrators say converting Owyhee Elementary into a preschool center would consolidate the district’s early learning services from a dozen locations to two.
The Lincoln Early Learning Center — formerly called the Madison Early Learning Center — recently moved to the district’s Fort Boise building, which will be remodeled to accommodate preschool services. The Lincoln center will continue to serve the northern end of the district, as it has for roughly two decades.
The building is at 300 W. Fort St.
The converted Owyhee preschool center would similarly serve the southern end of the district, including the Bench and South Boise. The facility could accommodate up to 350 preschool students.
The school is at 3434 W. Pasadena Dr.
The news release also emphasized the benefits of bringing preschool centers under fewer roofs, to create “inclusive early childhood settings.” Research shows that children with disabilities “experience significant gains in cognitive and communication skills” compared to peers in segregated learning settings.
Other benefits of redeveloping Owyhee and consolidating preschool services include:
- Upgrades for playgrounds and restrooms that would make make them age-appropriate
- Preschool centers would have more than one early learning classroom/teacher per location to allow for collaboration and instructional planning
- The facilities would have a “carefully curated” media center and a lending library designed for students aged 3-5
- Transportation would be offered to all preschool students
But the district is likely to face pushback from Owyhee supporters. In May, patrons protested the district’s hasty move to close the school, prompting leaders to backtrack and apologize.
The district solicited feedback through two in-person meetings in May followed by an online survey. Seventy-two people responded to the survey (out of 1,482 recipients). They raised concerns about busing, class sizes in neighboring schools, traffic and safety and the emotional impact on Owyhee students, among other things.
If trustees approve the plan, the district will host parent orientations to aid in the transition to new schools, the news release said. And administrators at neighboring schools will work with Owyhee staff to “plan numerous transition activities to help students feel welcomed in their new schools.”
Boise spokesman Ryan Hill said the district also plans to form a committee of parents, administrators and staff who will study and propose new boundaries for Owyhee’s neighboring schools.
Members of the public can comment on the Owyhee transition plan by attending next week’s board meeting and signing up to testify, or by filling out this public comment form before noon Monday.
An agenda for the meeting will be posted here.
