New classroom pods help Broken Arrow schools prepare for future growth

Broken Arrow Public Schools are adding classrooms to accommodate the number of current and future students.

New Expansion Underway in Broken Arrow Public Schools

Broken Arrow Public Schools are adding pods, which are extensions of classrooms, to existing school buildings. On Tuesday, the district cut the ribbon at two separate schools, Rosewood Elementary and Highland Park Elementary. The goal is to increase the number of classrooms while saving money.

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“A lot of people don’t realize that to open up a new school, it means about a million dollars of recurring costs, principals, administration, custodians, building a new cafeteria, and having a new gym space,” explained Superintendent Chuck Perry.

Perry says the district paid for the pod expansions by reallocating school bond money.

Growth Means Need for Classrooms

Broken Arrow has been planning for future growth since both Rosewood and Highland Park were built. The new pods are providing five classrooms at Rosewood. Some of them are already full and assigned to students and teachers.

At Highland Park, they have six classrooms, which may not be assigned until next year when more students are expected.

“We have a lot of construction going on in our area, out this far east, so we anticipate a lot of increase in enrollment in the future,” said Beth Schmidt, Principal at Highland Park Elementary. “So by redistricting and adding class space, we are going to be able to have those classrooms here without overcrowding our classrooms.”

Smaller Class Sizes Comfort Parents

One goal of the additional classrooms is to continue to uphold the promise of smaller class sizes.

“We all know that through research, the smaller the class size, the more successful students are, and so the goal is, by having classroom space, we can fill that new class area with teachers and keep our class sizes small,” said Schmidt.

The plan to keep classes small is comforting to parents. Paul Johnson has two children in Broken Arrow, one of them attending Highland Park. He says it means a lot to know the district is thinking about his child.

“There are so many things for them to do, whether it is the books she (the teacher) has for them to read… activities. It creates an environment of, this is safe, this is home. I am safe here. I am with my people, and I can learn,” explained Johnson.

Broken Arrow has plans to open additional pods in two other school buildings by next school year. It is part of the long-range plan of embracing student growth.