OSD Changes Where Elementary Students Will Attend School

Pre-K students in the Oxford School District will no longer be at Bramlett after this school year and sixth graders will soon have a school all to themselves.

With no discussion, the Oxford School District Board of Trustees approved the realignment of all elementary grades and which schools students will attend starting in the 2022-23 school year during their regular meeting Monday evening.

The revision was titled “JBCCA-Assignment of Pupils” on the agenda.

During the meeting, Superintendent Bradley Roberson said the Board has had many discussions in the last month in regard to the realignment as part of its capital improvement plan.

• Pre-K classes will be held in the old Oxford Elementary building on Highway 30.
• Kindergarten and first grade will be at Bramlett.
• Second and third graders will be at Della Davidson.
• Fourth and fifth graders will be at Central Elementary
• Sixth graders will be at Oxford Intermediate.

This change comes after a capital improvement survey was sent to all stakeholders in the fall.

“Space is a continual concern when you live in a growing community like Oxford. In order for OSD to accommodate enrollment projections, we must plan for a 2.75-3.25% growth rate for the next ten years,” Roberson said. “By shifting our grade spans, we are doing two things: utilizing space we already have for growing classrooms and easing academic transitions for our youngest learners.”

Chief Academic Officer Marni Herrington said it is highly beneficial for kindergarten and first grades to be together as those are the foundational years for reading.

“As students progress, to second and third grades, their preparation for reading assessments can only grow stronger by having those teachers in the same building,” Herrington explained in a video posted this morning by the OSD.

The district’s fiscal responsibility over the past 3-5 years has provided for a surplus in the fund balance that will be used for immediate construction projects. The district has bond debt that will soon be rolling off, further positioning the district for capital improvements without the need for a bond referendum. The district reports no consideration of re-zoning or creation of neighborhood schools.

In 2017, Oxford’s taxpayers passed a $38M bond referendum for a new elementary school, a fine arts center, and major improvements to current facilities. The new Central Elementary School, completed in 2019, was designed suitable for any grades K-6. Projection growth rates prove Central Elementary will be exceeding capacity next year.

With the realignment also comes the announcement of administrative changes for each campus for the fall of 2022. School leadership for the 2022-2023 year is as follows:

• Pre-K Program:
  • Keri Jo Sapp, Principal
• Bramlett Elementary School:
  • Jeff Clay, Principal
  • Misa Presley, Assistant Principal
• Della Davidson Elementary School:
  • Patches Calhoun, Principal
  • Mary Martha Crowe, Assistant Principal
• Central Elementary School:
  • Dr. Nikki Logan, Principal
  • Chasity Arbuckle, Assistant Principal
• Oxford Intermediate School:
  • Johnnie Dudley, Principal
  • Chase Goolsby, Assistant Principal
• Oxford Middle School:
  • Barbara Cage, Principal
  • Lucas Ferguson, Assitant Principal
  • Yolanda Logan, Assitant Principal
• Oxford High School:
  • Noah Hamilton, Principal
  • Chris Bush, Assistant Principal
  • Sydney McGaha, Assitant Principal
  • Danielle Fortenberry, Assistant Principal

News editor Alyssa Schnugg and Oxford School District Communications contributed to this story.