PANAMA CITY BEACH — Something had to give.
Student population has skyrocketed at Breakfast Point Academy since the elementary turned K-8th grade school opened in 2008. The school district has stepped in to put an end to the growing problem.
“It will be a gradual process of attrition that will bring the enrollment numbers back within what are safe capacity numbers for the school,” said Lee Stafford, director of student services at Bay District Schools.
The district has closed school choice for out-of-zone fifth graders who want to go to sixth grade at Breakfast Point. School choice is closed at any school where capacity levels are at 90 percent or higher.
Breakfast Point is at 120 percent — 162 students too many — of its full capacity at the elementary level, according data provided by the district. Ideally, the elementary school would’ve been capped at 721 students, 90 percent of its capacity. There are currently 963 elementary students enrolled, up from 944 at the beginning of the year.
“The issue is that as we continue to grow and the neighborhood here continues to grow,” said recently appointed principal Keri Weatherly, “we need to look toward the future as far as kids moving into our zone and continue to be able to accommodate them.”
Additional associate teachers and 10 modular classrooms were added over the summer to help accommodate the growth.
Students have “choiced in” from all over the district. The school’s unique K-8 model appeals to parents.
“I think there’s comfort for the parents in knowing in a K-8 model that their children are in the same setting with people they are familiar with,” Stafford said.
In the upcoming year, new capacity limits have been set for district schools. Breakfast Point’s new recommended capacity is 756 in elementary and 482 in middle school grades.
When asked if she believed killing School Choice will have an impact, Weatherly said: “Through attrition and over time, yes.”
The district assessed the impact of attrition over five, 10 and 15 years and found attrition was the least disruptive option, officials said.
“If we rezone, then we’re disrupting enrollment for multiple families at multiple schools, when the only school that really has the overcapacity issue is Breakfast Point,” Stafford said.
Opening West Bay Elementary, a closed but renovated facility, was brought up at meetings. However, with current zones, only 15 children are zoned for the area. A school needs about 400 students in order to be considered a viable institution.
“We want parents to be able to choice in to the school that they want for their child,” Stafford added. “The overcapacity issue at Breakfast Point doesn’t really allow us to do that — it’s a safety issue for the children. We would love to accommodate it, but we just can’t.”
Children that choiced in at Breakfast Point are grandfathered in up until fifth grade.
Parents have already been notified of the changed policy, school officials said.
“Right now, with the students that we have, we’re able to make sure that they are afforded the same opportunity they would at any other school,” Weatherly concluded. “We’re still meeting the learning needs for all of our children.”
Beach elementary and middle school enrollments