Reconfigured Bon Air Elementary layout finalized for next school year

Burrell School District has a plan to accommodate fourth graders at Bon Air Elementary School next school year.

A task force of about 20 staff members and parents reviewed Superintendent Shannon Wagner’s proposed building layout to have the elementary school on Leechburg Road house kindergarten through fourth grades next school year and approved it with only minor changes.

Fourth grade is being sent to Bon Air next school year because of Stewart Elementary School closing. Fifth graders will attend Charles A. Huston Middle School next year.

Other than shifting a few classrooms on the second floor of Bon Air, not much changed between Wagner’s proposal from last week and what the task force finalized.

“I don’t know that it’s anything earth-shattering,” Wagner said, “but I feel good about it. We’re going with what they feel is best.”

The second floor will have six classrooms each of third and fourth grades, music and art rooms, learning support and sensory classrooms, and an autistic support room.

Some of the classrooms on the second floor were rearranged to better accommodate the instructional programs in fourth grade, Wagner said.

“Everything is still on the second floor but just shifted around a little bit,” Wagner said.

Bon Air’s first floor would have six classrooms each for first and second grades, and an intensive support classroom. All six kindergarten classes, as well as a speech classroom, could be on the basement floor of Bon Air.

Wagner said the district will move forward with the task force’s recommendations for Bon Air’s reconfiguration.

“They made tweaks that made sense, and we agree with them,” she said.

With just fourth grade attending Bon Air, the district would only need to add extra cafeteria and kitchen space to the building. No additions need to be made at Huston to accommodate fifth graders.

If the school board decides to move fifth grade to Bon Air the following school year, six additional classrooms would need to be built.

An architect will update the school board on specifications for projects at a February board meeting. The task force will present its findings to the school board in March.

Huston’s task force got a look at Wagner’s proposed building layout this week and is slated to offer its recommendations in January.

Both schools’ task forces will look at proposed scheduling at their buildings at future meetings. Wagner said the task force meetings have been smooth.

“The task forces consist of employees, board members and parents, and we’re purposely working through this and making decisions together,” Wagner said. “I think (the meetings) have gone well. We’ve tried to use human-centered strategies to allow everyone to have a voice.”