BOISE, Idaho — Dozens of upset parents voiced their concerns about Boise School District's plan to turn Owyhee Elementary in south Boise into an Early Childhood Learning Center during a heated information meeting Tuesday.
The district made the announcement last month. If approved by the board, the transition would take place in the 2025-2026 school year.
"For a lot of us, this school is the reason that we moved to this neighborhood," parent Angela Wimer said. "I think they're being very short-sighted."
However, district spokesperson Dan Hollar said they need another building for preschool only to meet growing demand. Not only that, but he also said they would outfit the building specifically for 3- to 5-year-olds, which helps their learning experience.
Right now, Hollar said, almost all of the district's dozen pre-K locations are within elementary schools.
He said district administration strategically chose Owyhee. The other preschool-only building is on the northside. Owyhee is also close to the freeway and other elementary schools and enrollment keeps dropping.
About 150 students attend the small neighborhood school; 80 of them are from outside the boundary, Hollar said. Depending on what the new boundaries would look like, those students would attend several schools nearby, all of which are 1.6 miles away or closer.
"We have room [at Owyhee}," he said, "and we have dedicated staff, we have quality programs and community schools there."
There has been a lot of confusion regarding messaging from the district, which the district admin apologized for during the meeting. The news release announcing the plan used language that led a lot of people to think the change was a done deal, parent Libby Johns said.
In reality, the Board of Trustees will listen to a presentation about drawing new boundaries next week. They will vote in about six months after the district assembles a committee of community members and gathers more public comment.
"We feel that they have not been transparent in their handling of the situation," Johns said. "Nobody is arguing that the Boise community doesn't need pre-K. There are other solutions than displacing our kids from Owyhee."
Wimer said she worries about all the families, including hers, that would miss the type of individualized learning that comes with going to a small school. Some of the nearby schools they would be bused to have upward of 600 students.
"Not only are families here going to have to reformulate a plan ... come up with new transportation, but our neighboring schools are also going to be affected by more students," Wimer said.
Tuesday's meeting was the second informational meeting.
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