Broken Arrow Public Schools Considers Redistricting To Maintain Smaller Class Sizes

Students in Broken Arrow may switch schools if boundary line changes are approved in November. The proposal to update them was made at October's board of education meeting.

The school district said the main goal is to keep class sizes small to help the students. To do that, rearranging students in middle schools could happen every two to three years. Broken Arrow Schools said it's the responsible decision.

In a district of nearly 20,000 students, it can be hard to make sure students get the help they need from teachers. Broken Arrow Public Schools is looking to solve that issue with new boundary lines next school year.

"When our class sizes start to be full, 30 and over, and we have many classrooms that are sitting at those numbers right now, that tells us that we need to make decisions that are best for instruction for our students," said Bridget Powel. 

Powel is the executive director of enrollment services for Broken Arrow Public Schools. She said along with a growing class size, the opening of the new Sequoyah 8th grade academy and a shifting population in Broken Arrow are all reasons for redistricting. 

"We have neighborhoods that are aging out so to speak, and so those students are graduating and going into the workforce or going to college, but then we have all of these new neighborhoods and new developments that are popping up which is creating new families and new students," Powel said. 

The district said changes would affect about 900 middle school students. Powel said thinking about the future is necessary for the success of the students. 

"As we plan these redistricting projects, we're really not just looking at today, tomorrow and next year, we're looking at five and ten years ahead at where else are we going to have to make changes in the future to make sure that our class sizes are fit for our students and our instruction," said Powel. 

A community forum will be held Thursday, Oct. 24th, from 6 to 7:30 pm at Central on Main for parents and guardians to learn more and express opinions about the changes.

The Broken Arrow School Board will vote on the boundary changes on Nov. 11th, 2024. 

A link with the proposed boundary recommendations for each Broken Arrow middle school can be found here.