DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – The Atlantic Beach community members came together in hopes of saving its local elementary school.
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This comes after Duval County Public Schools announced a proposal to address a $1.4 billion budget gap by consolidating and closing some of its schools, including Atlantic Beach Elementary School.
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The community members posed signs that read ‘Save Atlantic Beach Elementary’. People in the community said the school has been around for decades and it’s integral to Atlantic Beach.
The DCPS’ master facility plan to consolidate and close schools is caused by enrollment being down, with nearly 30,000 students leaving the district in the last 10 years for private and charter schools.
If Atlantic Beach Elementary closes, approximately 500 students would have to go to Neptune Beach Elementary, which would become a K-8 school.
Consultants hired by the school district said an elementary school should have between 800 and 1,200 students to be considered effective.
Parents at the school said they aren’t happy because they feel like it wouldn’t be beneficial for learning.
“We were looking through it and we said this is a facility plan. It is not an education plan. It doesn’t take into consideration a learning environment for students, or educators. We understand there is a very large deficit, but that shouldn’t fall on the shoulders of students and educators,” Sarah Hummer, whose kids go to Atlantic Beach said.
Members of Save Atlantic Beach Elementary are gathering on Monday for the city commission meeting. They said they are also gathering on Wednesday for a town hall meeting about the potential school closure.