Board approves boundary adjustment moving a small area between Badger Mountain and Lewis and Clark elementaries

The Richland School District Board of Directors voted to approve a boundary adjustment moving a small attendance area between Badger Mountain Elementary and Lewis and Clark Elementary.

Ken, the district staff member who presented the proposal, said the district solicited community feedback and received 18 responses, 14 of which expressed support for the change. He told the board the adjustment would not displace current students in practice: staff identified one current third-grade student directly affected and offered that family the option to remain at Badger Mountain; the district will honor that choice.

Board discussion centered on facility capacity. The presenter said Lewis and Clark has room for roughly 100 additional students while Badger Mountain had previously been approximately 72 students over practical capacity; the speaker characterized those figures as ballpark estimates. Board members asked staff to confirm exact capacity figures in follow-up materials.

A motion to approve the recommendation passed by roll-call voice; seven affirmative votes were recorded. No board member registered a recorded negative vote during the roll call.

The board directed staff to proceed with implementing the boundary change and to continue outreach to the families affected by the adjustment. Staff said any timeline for student reassignment and transportation updates would be shared with families and returned to the board if further action was required.

What’s next: Staff will finalize implementation logistics and provide the board with capacity and timeline details as they become available.