By Josh Chase
Correspondent 

A proposal to launch a gifted academy next school year at WestWood Elementary for the top 2 percent of the district’s third-, fourth- and fifth graders was passed Monday night by the Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board.

By unanimous decision, the board gave the go-ahead to Gifted Academy Task Force Chairwoman and WestWood Principal Pam Winfield.

“I’m glad to see that these opportunities are going to be provided,” said Board Member Mike Murray. “I think this is a great thing.”

Bob Brattland, grandparent of an area student and an instructor at the University of St. Thomas School of Engineering, said he was surprised, but pleased, with the board’s decision.

“I’m very glad that the School Board took this initiative,” said Brattland, who added that early childhood education does “carry over into their graduate work.”

Parents of potential fourth- and fifth-grade academy students already have been contacted, said Winfield. So far, 15 of next year’s fifth-graders and 28 fourth-graders have said they would attend.

If fifth-grade interest doesn’t increase, she said, students from outside the district could be invited to attend, or the testing standards could be dropped. The district currently plans to open a gifted class for each grade level, but it won’t unless class sizes are comparable to regular classrooms.

Still, Winfield doesn’t anticipate a problem filling the seats. The chairwoman said she’s received a lot of positive feedback from parents, some of whom she said were waiting for board approval before they chose whether to send their students to the academy.

“Really, the comments from the parents are really positive. They’re excited for their children,” she said. “We are on the cusp of something really exciting.”

Future third-grade students will undergo testing in April, Winfield added.

The academy will be funded through a redistribution of both Synergy and student services funds. Supplying academy classrooms will cost no more than what it would cost if those students were in other regular classes, Winfield said.

Josh Chase can be reached at (952) 345-6375 or jchase@swpub.com.