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Orr Elementary Closure and Rezoning

Orr Elementary building

Background

In the fall of 2023, FSPS established a Long-Range Facility Planning Committee to develop a strategic plan for our school facilities. Their focus was on creating a practical and adaptable roadmap to guide the district's infrastructure development over the next 5 to 15 years.

A major part of this plan includes a focus on rightsizing over the next five years. Rightsizing aims to improve our campuses at minimal cost while maximizing their suitability for current and future needs. For elementary schools, key factors include a building capacity of 625 students, a target utilization rate of 80% or 500 students, and the depreciated value of the buildings.

What is Rightsizing, and What Does it Mean for Students and Staff?

Rightsizing is a strategic approach to optimizing the use of our school facilities by aligning the size and capacity of our buildings with the current and projected student population. This process is not just about closing schools but about ensuring that our schools are efficient, effective, and equipped to provide the best possible learning environment.

Benefits of Rightsizing:

  • Decreased Need for Class-Sizing: By pooling more resources and staff into fewer schools, the district gains greater flexibility to accommodate growth and balance state requirements. This reduces the likelihood of class-sizing by ensuring that schools are neither overcrowded nor underutilized.
  • Grade-Level Collaboration: Multiple teachers teach the same grade level, allowing them to collaborate more effectively and share resources and strategies to improve student outcomes.
  • Dedicated Resources: Each campus will have dedicated art, music, and PE teachers, reducing the need for staff to split time across multiple schools.
  • Full-Time Assistant Principals: Each campus can have a dedicated Assistant Principal instead of sharing, enhancing student support and administrative efficiency.

Timeline

  • April 22, 2024: The school board received a presentation of the district’s Long-Range Plan, which recommended rightsizing elementary schools. This included the closure of Orr Elementary and rezoning those students to neighboring schools within the next five years. The board of education approved the Long-Range Plan at this meeting.

  • August 15, 2024: District Administration staff and Orr Principal Dr. Childress met with Orr families at Open House to discuss the closure.

  • August 15, 2024: August 23, 2024: Orr families, staff, students, and community members were encouraged to fill out a survey identifying their timeline preference for the closure of Orr Elementary. They were given two options: (1) Close the school at the end of the 2024-2025 school year, or (2) Adopt a phased approach to slowly close it over the next few years. Out of 145 responses, 82.1% preferred to close at the end of the 2024-2025 school year, citing reasons such as keeping siblings together and minimizing prolonged uncertainty.

  • August 26, 2024: At the school board meeting, the board was presented with the results of the survey. Following the presentation and discussion, the board voted 6-0 to close Orr at the end of the 2024-2025 school year in accordance with the majority preference.

  • Fall 2024: Zonda Education, the district’s consultant on enrollment projections and attendance zone planning, analyzed data to develop rezoning options for Orr Elementary.

  • September 21, 2025: District administration presented three proposals for new boundary zones. The School Board approved Proposal B with a 4-3 vote. These new zones will take effect in August 2025 and are as follows:

    • Ballman Elementary: Includes students who live north of South S Street and west of South Albert Pike Ave. 
    • Fairview Elementary: Includes areas south of South S Street and the former Orr zone north of Zero Street and west of I-540.
    • Cook Elementary: Includes the southern portion of the former Orr zone, south of Zero Street and east of I-540.

Next Steps

Families with students currently attending Fairview and Ballman Elementary in PK-5th grade may choose for their children to remain at their current schools until they complete elementary school. However, transportation will not be provided for these students. The district will open Attendance Area Exception applications specifically for these families in the spring to facilitate this process.

Parent and Staff Zoning Meetings

ballman bear logo in front of blue circle with words "Ballman" on top and "Elementary" on bottom with paw prints on the left and right
November 12th at 5:30 pm
November 13th at 7:30 am
cook crusader in front of black circle with "Cook Elementary" wrapped around the top
November 6th at 5:30 pm
November 11th at 7:30 am
Falcon head logo in front of blue circle with words Fairview Elementary
November 11th at 5:30 pm
November 12th at 7:30am
Orr Elementary Medallion
November 7th at 7:30 am 
November 7th at 5:30 pm

Orr Quick Facts

  • Enrollment: 239

  • Year Built: 1963

  • Total Square Footage: 47,104 square feet

  • Total Number of Classrooms: 23

  • Number of classrooms that meet state standards: 10

  • Classroom Utilization: 65%

Frequently Asked Questions