Fort Worth superintendent proposes new K-5 school to ease crowding at Tanglewood

To ease overcrowding at Tanglewood Elementary, Fort Worth schools Superintendent Kent Scribner announced Thursday that he will propose construction of a new K-5 campus and further improvements to the existing campus.

The projects are part of a districtwide facilities master plan that Scribner will present to the school board as soon as next week. Trustees are set to meet Tuesday, but the agenda was not available Thursday.

Scribner said in a news release that the new state-of-the-art campus would be built within the Tanglewood attendance zone and reflect the “same culture, climate and commitment that make Tanglewood Elementary an exemplary campus.”

While the location is undetermined, it would likely sit west of Hulen Street.

The facilities plan will also include efforts to address overcrowding at the World Languages Institute and renovations for the Young Men’s Leadership Academy.

The Tanglewood announcement comes after the community has weighed in on the overcrowding issue at the school at 3060 Overton Park Drive West. The school, which sits near TCU, has an attendance zone bounded by South University Drive, Bellaire Drive South, Loop 820 and Bryant Irvin Road.

Tanglewood’s overcrowding is a result of neighborhood growth. The school, built in 1960, has a capacity of 594 but served 870 this school year with help from seven portable buildings. Parents have complained about long lunch lines and limited student opportunity for library visits.

Parents have stressed they want a solution that doesn’t ruin the neighborhood school feel of the community and doesn’t change the attendance zone.

Kelly Soter-Gunn, a mother of two students who attended Tanglewood before moving to McLean Middle School, was among parents who attended a recent town hall meeting on the issue.

In an email Thursday, she called Scribner’s proposal “the best option of those presented.

“The elementary certainly needs relief and I’m grateful that the district is not expanding the secondary school attendance zone,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the district planning a smooth transition and an equitable zone division.”

The Tanglewood community has been involved in discussions with the school district for several months. Scribner’s announcement Thursday comes on the heels of a round of surveys and email communication with the district. Tanglewood parents have also monitored the issue via social media.

“I am very grateful for all of you who have brought thoughtful and informed remarks,” Scribner said in the news release.

This report contains material from the Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published June 22, 2017 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Fort Worth superintendent proposes new K-5 school to ease crowding at Tanglewood."