Lawrence Public School Supt. Rick Doll informed Wakarusa Valley staff and parents Tuesday night that Broken Arrow Principal Brian McCaffrey will lead both schools starting in the fall.

“It’s not our preference. We believe every school should have a principal,” Doll said. “But we’ve had budget constraints, and the board directed us to cut two elementary principals. So that’s what we’ve done.”

McCaffrey will split his time between the two schools. Because Broken Arrow is connected to South Junior High, South administrators will take on supervisory roles when he is at Wakarusa Valley. At Wakarusa Valley, the district will designate a lead educator who will be in charge when McCaffrey is not there.

Doll said district administrators and McCaffrey also informed Broken Arrow staff members Tuesday of the change for next year. The district planned to notify parents Wednesday.

Broken Arrow has about 270 students, and Wakarusa Valley serves about 212 students. The schools are about seven miles apart.