Boise School District Board of Trustees to Discuss Boundary Process for Transition of Owyhee Elementary to Early Childhood Learning Center

(Boise, ID – 5/9/2024) – Following the conclusion of two parent engagement meetings regarding the transition of Owyhee Elementary from a traditional K-6 elementary school to an Early Childhood Center, the Boise School District administration wants to take this opportunity to clarify the process and timeline. District officials have been clear that the Early Childhood Learning Center would not open until the 2025 - 2026 school year.

Ultimately, the decision to approve the transition will be made by the Boise School District Board of Trustees through the District’s boundary approval process. The first step in the decision-making process will take place Monday, May 13th at 6:00 pm at the Board’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Trustees will be briefed on the administrative recommendation, the process to redraw boundaries for nearby elementary schools, as well as feedback received from parents and staff. Parents and patrons will also have the opportunity to testify. 

Once the Board has been briefed on the boundary change process, a committee consisting of parents, administrators, school staff and other stakeholders will be formed. The committee will review a number of factors, including current and projected student enrollment, capacity and student services availability, transportation options, as well as student, parent and neighborhood concerns. 

The boundary change process is expected to last several months, during which time the Board will receive periodic updates. Parents and patrons will have the opportunity to provide input and feedback to district administrators and the board throughout the process. Given the complex and sensitive nature of the project, the final decision is not expected until later this fall. 

The Board of Trustees will be meeting on May 13th, 2024.  The meeting will begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. at the District Service Center, 8169 W. Victory Road, Boise, ID 83709. The meeting will also be live-streamed on the Boise School District’s YouTube Channel. 

Testimony may be presented at the May 13th Board meeting or in writing. For those wishing to provide in-person testimony, patrons must sign up with the Clerk of the Board prior to the start of the meeting. Written testimony may also be submitted to the Clerk in person or by sending an email to [email protected].  All written testimony will be provided to the Trustees prior to the meeting. Please reference Agenda Item: Owyhee Elementary Boundary Change Timeline  when signing up or in written testimony.  Each person will have three minutes to testify. All testimony is expected to be respectful. 

Boise School District Facts

Owyhee Elementary serves 153 students in grades K - 6, with 80 students residing inside the current school boundaries. 

Nearby Boise School District elementary schools include:

• Whitney: 536 enrollment, 1 mile from Owyhee. Whitney can comfortably accommodate 620 students. Student and family services include free after-school care provided by Boise City Parks & Recreation,, dental clinic, and Just for Kids daycare. Whitney is also one of six community schools in the district.
• Hawthorne: 277 enrollment, 1.4 miles from Owyhee. Hawthorne can comfortably accommodate 342 students. Student and family services include after-school activities provided by Boys & Girls Club.
• Hillcrest: 279 enrollment, 1.6 miles from Owyhee. Hillcrest can comfortably accommodate 422 students. Student and family services include free after-school care provided by Boise City Parks & Recreation.

Since 2006, the Boise School District has invested  hundreds of millions of dollars in Boise Bench area schools, including construction of Grace Jordan Elementary, Morley Nelson Elementary, and Whitney Elementary. New cafeterias at Hawthorne, Hillcrest and Jefferson elementary schools were built within the last five years. 

Early Childhood Learning 

Based on current need,  an Early Childhood Learning Center at Owyhee would serve 250 students aged 3 -5 in its first year, with enrollment projected to reach 300 in year two.

Owyhee’s planned conversion is the next step in the District’s plan to more fully support the specific needs of early learners. Earlier this year, the District announced that our existing Madison Early Childhood Center, including Head Start, will move to our Fort Boise facility for the beginning of the 2024 - 2025 school year. The District has already begun transforming Fort Boise from a temporary elementary school to a purpose-driven early childhood learning center. 

Currently, the Boise School District offers some form of early childhood education at more than 11 sites, many without facilities physically built for three to five-year olds. Early Childhood Centers offer students, families and staff a number of benefits over the current highly-dispersed system. Through the innovative Community Classroom approach, we can provide our youngest learners with the social, emotional, problem-solving, creative and critical-thinking skills they’ll need to be successful. Parents of early learners are able to build a stronger and more robust community while staff can more easily collaborate with other early childhood professionals. Also, a more robust and flexible offering of specialists such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists and audiologists will be available.