The leadership at the Oak Harbor Christian School has opted not to sell.

The Oak Harbor School District made a bid to buy the private school’s property on Whidbey Avenue in an effort to find more classroom space.

The Christian school wasn’t for sale, but their board of trustees said they would consider a deal if they could find another home in Oak Harbor.

In the end, they couldn’t, and the $3.1 million appraised value of the property wasn’t enough for them to move.

“For our families, the greatest consideration is the continued presence of a Christian education option in our community,” said Christian School Principal Sherry Fakkema.

The Christian School is registering preschool through sixth grade students for next school year.

Now, officials at the Oak Harbor School District are considering other options, and they’ve got to move fast.

The district has the highest number of full-time elementary students on record with potentially hundreds more on the way as new Navy families arrive in the next few years.

The Navy plans to move P-8A Poseidon squadrons to Whidbey Island.

Some of the options include building a new brick-and-mortar school or modular buildings, which are built somewhere else and assembled onsite.

The goal is to have new classrooms ready by the fall of 2017, said schools Superintendent Lance Gibbon.

“Our biggest issue is getting prepared for the new squadrons,” he said.

Regardless, the district plans to add more double-classroom portables by next fall at Crescent Harbor Elementary, Olympic View Elementary, Oak Harbor Elementary and Hillcrest Elementary.

That’s because Navy kids are already showing up. This year, 236 new students started at the district and 188 of them were connected to the military.

As new squadrons arrive in the next few years, the district expects it could have as many as 750 more students.

Another option is adding even more portables. Portables are the cheapest and most flexible option. The problem with that is schools run out of room in the cafeteria, restrooms and other common spaces.

By the end of February, the school board will need to make a decision about whether the district should move forward with modular or brick-and-mortar construction, Gibbon said.

The district is applying for state grant money to pay for both options, but the district will still need to pick up the tab for the rest.