JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is considering merging R.L. Brown Elementary School and R.V. Daniels Elementary School
The district hosted the second of two meetings to discuss the consolidation with parents. The schools are four miles from each other, and the district said both elementary schools have similar resources.
Also, each school’s population is below 200 students. R.V. Daniels currently uses 37% of its total enrollment space. R.L. Brown uses 26%.
If the board approves the plan, students from R.V. Daniels will consolidate to R.L. Brown starting next school year.
Karissia Kimbrough is a parent of children who attend R.V. Daniels. She feels that the process is rushed.
“In the middle of February, there’s a SAC meeting to discuss consolidation, and it’s like, wait a minute, school choice ends in two weeks, I had no plans on making any other decisions,” Kimbrough said. “I just assumed my third grader would continue to fourth grade, my kindergartener would start there. And it just felt like our choice was almost stripped away.”
DCPS Chair Darryl Willie said if the vote is approved, the two schools, which both have gifted programs and are unenrolled, will combine power and efforts.
“R.L. Brown is a ‘B’ [school] right now. And the hope is that you take that ‘B’ to an ‘A.’ More students, increased resources, increased full-time RPE, those sorts of pieces and really just an elevation of academic outcomes,” Willie said.
Willie said a decision hasn’t been made on how they’ll use R.V. Daniels if they vote to approve the consolidation. He said that conversation would happen after the vote.
“It’s a place we want to make sure we are very intentional with because there’s history at that school, a lot of history. We want to make sure we preserve that history, whether it’s bringing out some of that history here or preserving something in that space to make sure we acknowledge the history of R.V. Daniels,” Willie said.
Kimbrough would love for the school to stay open but understands why that might not be the best option.
“I understand financially and fiscally and enrollment and the need for the consolidation to happen. I just hope that whatever decision is made, that the parents get a clear plan, that we get communication so that we can make the best decisions moving forward,” she said.
The school board will vote on the consolidation at the next board meeting on Tuesday.
View the presentation from the meeting below: