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Superintendent outlines phased K‑8 and choice expansion plan; Warrington Prep granted one‑year charter extension
Summary
District leadership outlined multi‑year plans to phase in K‑8 schools, pilot hybrid K‑8 models and expand career and middle‑school choice, and reported the state granted Warrington Preparatory Academy an extension through the 2025–26 school year.
The superintendent briefed the board on a multi‑year plan to reconfigure several schools, phase in K‑8 models and expand choice options across the district. The presentation laid out sequencing for 2025–26 through 2026–27 and described contingencies tied to academic performance at Warrington Preparatory Academy, which the presenter said received a state extension through the 2025–26 school year.
Key elements described by district leadership included:
- Longleaf: a phased K‑8 conversion starting in 2025–26 with sixth grade added first, followed by seventh in 2026–27 and eighth in 2027–28. District staff cautioned the staggered phasing could affect school grading in the interim and said district academic staff will model impacts.
- Bailey and Cairo: a proposed hybrid K‑8 model in 2025–26 with the two nearby elementary campuses combining services while administrators develop a joint operating plan.
- Warrington Preparatory Academy: staff reported the state granted the charter operator an extension through the 2025–26 school year. District leaders said they will monitor academic results closely and have contingency plans—rezoning, feeder adjustments and potential lottery arrangements—ready to implement over an 18‑month planning horizon if the school does not meet performance expectations.
- Pensacola High campus: a proposed middle‑school initiative to start in 2026–27 with a lottery for academically talented students, initially for seventh and eighth grades, with later expansion to sixth grade.
- Possible K‑8 conversions and attendance‑zone changes at several elementary and middle sites (Global, Weiss, Cook, Sims, Molino Park, Beulah area) tied to capacity, development and academic readiness; district staff said several sites and owned properties (including a parcel off Helms Road/Buhl School Road) are under review for future school use.
Board members asked about target school‑grade thresholds for Warrington Preparatory (staff said a 44 scale score was the current target for a 'C' rating under the revised scale) and staffing implications for adding seventh and eighth grades. The superintendent and staff emphasized planning steps, enrollment services coordination for automatic rising‑grade assignments, and the need to balance capacity, academic readiness and community concerns.
The superintendent said district leaders will present impacted principals and administrative teams at the March workshop so the board can hear site‑level planning and ask questions before changes move forward.
PROVENANCE: Superintendent’s multi‑year school‑configuration and choice expansion presentation at the January workshop.
