JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools heard from more parents this week on the potential closure of nearly 30 schools as meetings on the Master Facility Plan continue.
The Duval County School Board’s choice for the district’s next superintendent took over the headlines last week as Dr. Christopher Bernier’s departure from Lee County and salary request came under scrutiny from the community.
RELATED: School board chair stands behind Duval superintendent selection despite community criticisms
This week, meetings resumed for the Duval County School Board to hear from the community about the proposed Master Facility Plan, which has also drawn vocal responses from parents.
The plan, which would impact nearly every DCPS student in some way, includes a proposal to close nearly 30 schools to make up for a $1.4 billion gap in the budget. Florida’s expansion of the school choice program is one of the factors contributing to the budget shortfall that is prompting the potential closures.
Monday’s meeting was the first time that Bernier was present to listen to parents’ and teachers’ concerns.
Most parents spoke against the idea of school closures. They also asked the school board and DCPS staff questions to get better insight on future plans.
“Can you talk about class size and the impacts of increasing the class size on an operational budget?” one person asked.
“Yes sir good question… if you were able to save one position at every school throughout the district so one position for 155 schools that’s $12 million. You save two positions, that’s $24 million. So when we’re developing the budgeting process we’re looking at the revenue that’s coming in versus the cost that’s going out,” a DCPS school board member answered.
Some people were emotional when expressing themselves to the school board.
Here’s the remaining schedule of meetings that are open to the public (every meeting starts at 6 p.m.):
- 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
INTERACTIVE MAP: Duval County School Board’s proposal to close & realign schools
The district has emphasized that nothing has been decided yet as far as the Master Facility Plan, and before making any decisions, the school district wants to hear from the public.
Following a workshop last month, the district decided to form 12 focus groups: 11 representing each high school feeder pattern that was proposed in the Master Facility Plan and one focus group representing magnet schools.
Each focus group will have experts who have backgrounds in areas like accounting, business operations, or logistics as the district aims to right size its schools.
The district is also asking people to give their input through a survey online: Click here to fill out the survey.