The Broken Arrow Configuration Study is a group of teachers, students, and BA citizens who meet once a month to discuss the possible split of Broken Arrow High School (BAHS). The study is being conducted from July 1, 2015 to May 30, 2017.
Currently, Broken Arrow High School contains 3800 students - and it's growing by the year. Each sophomore class is getting bigger and bigger and the school has had to adjust. This has led to a funding shortfall, which in turn has led to budget cuts within the school. The Broken Arrow Configuration Study has been formed to come up with solutions to suggest to the Board of Education in order to solve these issues. The Board of Education then votes on the solutions.
At each committee meeting, the members discuss what they believe to be the best way to go about handling the school's budget throughout the next few decades. The main point of the committee is to gather statistics and data from the school to come up with a plan about what to do with the oncoming school years. The district needs to figure out the configurations for the infrastructure, financial aid, population density, social, economic, and political solutions for the current budget for the next few decades.
The Communications Chair & Chief Communications Officer, Shelli Holland-Handy, finds data and speaks for the steering committee. The Activities and Engagement Chair & Associate Superintendent of Student Services, Chuck Perry, finds ways to have more than one organization assist the school for networking and financial purposes. Perry gives that information to the Configuration and Academics Chair & Associate Superintendent of Student Services, Dr. Janet Dunlop. Dunlop researches the potential configurations for the school and how each configuration would affect the academic achievements of BAHS. Dunlop gives these configurations to other working groups and the steering committee.
To be a member of the steering committee is decided by a vote-in by the Board of Education. After becoming a member of the steering committee, whoever is voted in will work with 19 other members who are given data by Holland-Handy and gather data on their own as well.
Sophomore teacher, Ms. Swisher, a member of the steering committee, is helping to look for data or student engagement and academics for each model and what might be best for BA students in the future.
"The potential configurations that the configuration is looking for this year are: Academy models (9th and 10th grade centers; STEM; Fine Arts, etc.) Multiple high schools (2-3 high schools 9-12 grade or 10-12 grade with freshman academy remaining) or having one mega high school," Swisher said.
The steering committee relays their ideas to the Advisory Committee Chair & Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jarod Mendenhall. Mendenhall assists the steering committee through the navigation of data and by giving insight on the similar experiences of other schools who have implemented this model.
Mendenhall reports to the Finance and Human Resources (HR) Chair & Chief Financial Officer, Dwayne Thompson, who evaluates the potential HR and financial impact of the Steering Committee's decision. Thompson reports to the Infrastructure and Facilities Chair & Chief Operating Officer, Michelle Bergwall, who evaluates how the steering committee's decision would impact the physical makeup of the school and how much the reconfiguration of infrastructure would cost the school.
Bergwall reports the decisions/ideas back to the steering committee. The steering committee then receives the recommendation for the Board of Education vote and sends in their final decision to then be voted on by the Board of Education.
The next meeting is in November. There have been three community forums where community members could share their thoughts and feelings about the different models. There is also a survey that community members can complete beginning on October 13 through November 1st.
This committee will have a huge input on the future of Broken Arrow High Schools.
