Board of Trustees vote yes to Owyhee Elementary transition

For months the Boise School District has been meeting with parents and gathering surveys regarding the future of Owyhee Elementary. On Monday, August 12th, the District Board of Trustees voted yes to the transition of Owyhee Elementary. In the 2025-2026 school year, the school will go from K through 6, to an early childhood learning center.

• On Monday, August 12th, the District Board of Trustees voted yes to transition Owyhee Elementary to an early childhood learning facility.
• In the 2025-2026 school year, the school will go from K through 6, to an early childhood learning center.
  

( Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)

“I am disappointed that Owyhee Elementary is being closed because it feels like we're collateral damage,” says Angela Wimer.

The Boise School District Board of Trustees voted yes, in the approval of transitioning Owyhee Elementary. This means in the 2025 to 2026 school year the now K through 6 school will become an early learning childhood center for ages three to five.

"I'm just incredibly disappointed in this decision,” says Megan Arrington.

Megan Arrington has three kids at Owyhee, all starting their first day of school on Wednesday, but now with the approval Arrington and her family are considering changing school districts.

She says, “We love that area, we love that school, and in fact we've said that we never dreamed of moving until we get our youngest through Owyhee and now that was forced upon us earlier to look at that as an option now, yeah what can we do to leave this school district.”

Angela Wimer, an Owyhee parent enrolled her child to Whitney after finding out about Owyhee's proposed transition.

"For me, the next step as a new parent at Whitney Elementary is going to be asking the hard questions of how do we raise these schools up,” says Wimer.

Many parents are left like Angela and Megan either figuring out what's next or enrolling in neighboring schools, but what's next for Owyhee?

Now that the transition is approved different committees will be formed to get input on boundaries, transportation, safety, and overall student need and impact.

Becca Anderson, Borah Area Director and Governance Committee Chair for the Boise School District says, "The other thing besides the boundary change process which does have several steps of public input, we also would be planning a transition committee and we would have people from PTO's at all the welcoming schools too, and then the Owyhee folks, and we're gonna plan fun things to celebrate Owyhee but fun ways for them to get to know their peers.”

School starts in a few days, this transition will not affect the current school year. This change will be taking place in the 2025 to 2026 school year.