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Board hears plan to shift Quantum from grades 4–8 to 5–8 to add middle‑grade seats
Summary
Staff proposed changing Quantum’s grade span to create roughly 32 additional 6th‑grade seats next year by reallocating two 4th‑grade classes; the board asked staff to study the idea and to consult Quantum teachers and families. No vote was taken.
An agency official presented a near‑term option to change Quantum specialty school from a 4–8 model to a 5–8 model so the district can accommodate more students seeking the program. Staff said the proposal would reassign two existing 4th‑grade classes into 5th and 6th grade, creating a third class at those grade levels and opening about 32 additional 6th‑grade seats.
"32 additional students would be able to go to quantum starting in 6th grade than we are currently situated now," the agency official said, describing how adding a third class would expand capacity without immediate net new FTEs. Staff emphasized the change would be phased and that the district would communicate with the 43 applicants who applied for 4th‑grade seats so they could be offered a reserved seat in 5th grade the following year. Staff said the staffing would be reallocated — "So the staffing would stay the same," the agency official said — by moving two teachers from 4th into 5th and 6th.
Rick Oser, assistant superintendent of educational services, framed the idea as an educational decision and urged the board to consult the Quantum team. He said reducing the grade span by one level could "dramatically impact the student experience" and improve program coherence by allowing better differentiation between younger (4th) and older (5th–8th) students.
Board members asked operational questions about phasing, classroom capacity and future costs for adding additional classes in 7th and 8th grade as cohorts advance. One trustee cautioned that the board should not decide tonight: "There's no votes tonight. This is not a decision to be made tonight," the agency official said. The board indicated interest in further work with school staff and families before any formal action.
Next steps: staff will consult Quantum teachers and families, model phased staffing and facility needs if the board wants to pursue the change, and return with options and cost estimates. The board did not vote on the proposal at the study session.
