NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – The first of seven Duval County Public Schools community meetings was Tuesday night to discuss possible school closures and consolidations being proposed for the district.
Parents and residents packed the Fletcher High School auditorium to share their concerns about the Master Facility Plan, which includes a proposal to close almost 30 schools to make up for a $1.4 billion gap in the district’s budget.
Over 100 people signed up to speak during public comment at the meeting.
“We are not pleased with the Master Facilities proposal as it is today. So we hope they listen. We hope they sit. We hope they hear our feedback. We hope they understand that we want change to the proposal as it is. And we want to make sure it makes fiscal sense, but also sense for the students and for their learning,” Colleen November said.
Interactive Map: Duval County School Board’s proposal to close & realign schools
The school district says nothing is finalized and decisions are not close to being made. But DCPS wanted to hear from people who live in the county.
So far, many DCPS parents have been passionately calling for the district to consider other options.
Former Atlantic Beach Mayor Don Wolfson said the elementary school is integral to the community.
"They can walk to school, they can bike to school, or the parents can take them to school. If that does close, then they would have to travel two miles, which cross a five-lane highway, that’s not safe, it doesn’t work,” Wolfson said.
Wolfson wasn’t the only former mayor to speak out against the possible closure. Former Atlantic Beach Mayor Mitch Reeves also advocated for Atlantic Beach Elementary School to remain open.
He said the district needs to take the school and others like it that are successful and study them.
“Closing schools is a short-term decision,” Reeves said. “It is serious for (the school board) to listen to (the community), and then make a decision because the decisions are not easy to make.”
Emily McCarthy, a parent with Save ABE, said she hopes the school board takes the community’s feedback to heart.
“I haven’t seen a lot of evidence that the community input, which is a very small part late in the game of the process, that they are actually going to have any change, but I hope they do,” McCarthy said. " I challenge our school board to do what we want, what the people in this community want.”
At a school board meeting two weeks ago, more than 80 people spoke at the podium and gave their perspectives on the master facility plan.
“I believe it when you all say that you are listening to the community, listening to the public and you are in the early stages of this decision,” parent Nathan Richardson said. “I believe that and the community is here and will hold you to that in those discussions that come.”
Several parents were worried that their neighborhood schools are recommended to shut down, even though many of them are highly rated, like Fishweir Elementary School.
“Fishweir Elementary is a highly sought-after magnet with an A rating. It operates under budget. We should not be closed. We should be a model for other schools,” Amy Wilkerson said.
And parent Tiffany Clark expressed concern about the increased commute if schools are closed or consolidated.
“Please do not force any of our students to attend schools that will adversely increase their commute to and from school. The distance and displacement will affect and impact their attendance and performance,” Clark said.
Another way DCPS is encouraging people to give their feedback is by filling out a 10- to 15-minute survey on the DCPS website.
RELATED: DCPS FAQ on master facility plan, school boundaries, and district finances
Here’s the schedule for the remaining meetings:
- Monday, June 10: District 3 meeting at Main Administrative Building
- Tuesday, June 11: District 4 meeting at Stanton College Preparatory School
- Thursday, June 13: District 6 meeting at Ed White High School
- Monday, June 17: District 7 meeting at Atlantic Coast High School
- Tuesday, June 18: District 5 meeting at Paxon School for Advanced Studies
- Thursday, June 20: District 1 at Terry Parker High School