Stillwater Area Public Schools Consider Boundary Changes to Accommodate Growth
To prepare for the opening of the new Lake Elmo and Bayport elementary schools next fall, Stillwater Area Public Schools officials say they plan to change attendance boundaries “to balance enrollment across the district’s southern schools and make room for future growth.” The district is considering three scenarios, which would affect 135 students in one scenario and 39 students in each of the other two scenarios, according to Carissa Keister, the district’s chief of staff and director of communications.
The goal is to have a minimum enrollment of 400 students in each elementary school, which would allow for full-time specialists and three sections of each grade level, making it more efficient programmatically, Keister said. Much of the district’s growth will be in Lake Elmo, so district officials are building the new 150,000-square-foot elementary school at 10928 10th St. N. “intentionally large” to accommodate future growth.
Planning for Future Growth
District officials are deliberately maintaining some capacity to ensure they have space for the growth they anticipate within the next five to 10 years, Keister said. “Our goal is to ensure readiness for the future.” An open house on the plan will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at Oak-Land Middle School, where families can come learn about the options and share feedback. District leaders and members of the boundary committee will be in attendance.
Parents and family members can also provide feedback online prior to Dec. 2. The school board plans to hold a study session on the proposed changes at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Oak Park Learning Center, and a final decision is expected Dec. 16. In addition to the boundary changes, district officials have put the current Lake Elmo Elementary School up for sale, with an asking price of $5 million.
Facility Updates and Sales
District officials plan to move into the current Andersen Elementary School building in downtown Bayport next year when the new 98,000-square-foot school – which will be called Bayport Elementary – opens. The Central Services Building will be put up for sale, and the Oak Park Learning Center will continue to be used for the district’s Alternative Learning Center, Transition program, professional development, and other meetings. In the future, it could be used for some daytime community-education programming, Keister said.
For more information on the proposed boundary changes and to stay up-to-date on the latest developments, visit the Stillwater Area Public Schools website or attend one of the upcoming meetings. Read the full article Here
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