By Leah Shaffer

After looking at planning guides and timelines Eden Prairie School Board members kept bringing it back to one basic question: What is best for the kids?

Two options lie before the board when it comes to incorporating a larger Spanish immersion school. In one model the school system would convert its elementary schools to K-6 while Oak Point Intermediate would become the immersion school, to share space with another school. In the other model, immersion students would eventually be moved to Oak Point for third grade and onward. Tied to all of this would be a boundary change for Eden Prairie schools.

By the end of Tuesday's board meeting, the consensus was the first step in evaluating these options is to look at the decision from a more overall philosophical perspective.

“Maybe it's just a matter of talking about it,” said Superintendent Melissa Krull

So, talk they will, at an upcoming school board study session, where board members could evaluate the overall pros and cons of changing the district from having an intermediate school to just having schools with grades K-6.

At the school board meeting, members approved a Spanish enrollment class of 144 (meaning there is no lottery to get into the program this year.)

That means some sort of growth plan “has to happen” by the '08-'09 school year, noted Larry Leebens, the executive director of educational services.

Parents who spoke during the public comment portion also shared concerns about expanding the Spanish immersion school.

Cindy Becker, noted that if the district changes its policy of a K-6 school, “You need to have an overwhelming reason to do that.”

By the end, Board Member Phil Rose emphasized, that they would be engaging the public before any decision is made.

“Nothing's been decided.”