Matthews Elementary starts this school year over-capacity, and our other three elementary schools are approaching capacity. Matthews is expected to experience modest growth over the next 10 years, based on a recent study. It may come as a surprise to some to hear that the overall district enrollment in grades kindergarten through fifth has remained relatively flat over the past 13 years, so the district has been faced with an important question: Is this the time to build a fifth elementary school? District leaders feel that since growth is flat, this is not the time to build a new school, and are instead proposing a different solution.
First, if growth has been flat, then how could our elementary schools be at or nearing capacity? The growth of high needs special education programming has resulted in more of each school’s classroom space being devoted to these special needs programs. In 2017, seven classrooms across the district were being used for essential skills, life skills, or behavior skills special education programming. This fall, that number is 17 classrooms. This means that even during a period of relatively flat student enrollment growth overall, our school capacities are shrinking as special programs require more classroom space, for programs we are very proud to provide.
To address the concerns about school capacities, the district initiated studies by a demographer and by an architecture firm over the past 12 months. The findings of these studies have led district officials to conclude that the best solution to address the need for additional elementary classrooms is to add classrooms to one or more existing schools and delay the construction of a fifth elementary until overall district enrollment again shows significant growth.
Superintendent Dr. Brad Welle reports that the addition of classrooms to one elementary school on the south half of the district, plus an addition to Matthews Elementary on the north half of the district, would make the most sense at this time. Based on an initial assessment of Sni-A-Bar and Stony Point elementary schools by our architect, additions of 2-4 classrooms each are possible at one or both of these schools in the southern half of the district. Coupled with the addition of 4-7 classrooms to Matthews Elementary, this would provide the district with the necessary classrooms for the next few years, delaying the need to build a new elementary school. Prairie Branch is less of a candidate for an addition as it is already the largest of the elementary schools, and growth at the school has slowed in recent years.
District leadership is taking a closer look at Matthews Elementary at this time, and is looking at ways the school could be improved with additional classrooms and student restrooms, improved parking and traffic flow, and other improvements that could be made for the school to ultimately function similarly to the larger Prairie Branch Elementary.
The goal is to bring the building capacity of Matthews in line with a true 4-section school, like our other elementary schools. Additions to Matthews in the north half of the district, plus a few classrooms added to the south side of the district, would prevent the need for adjustments to district-wide elementary school boundaries for the foreseeable future. Expanding our existing elementary schools would also delay the cost of building and operating an additional school for the foreseeable future. Building a fifth elementary school would remain on the table for a future time when enrollment growth picks up again.
The school district would place a bond issue on the ballot for the community to fund any needed elementary school additions. A recommendation to the Board for a bond measure is expected by December 2025, for a bond measure that could be presented to voters as early as April 2026.