JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board will vote Tuesday to finalize and update its Master Facility Plan, which lays out which schools are on the chopping block to make up for a more than $1.4 billion budget shortfall.
The changes will impact nearly every student in the district, determining where new schools will be built and which schools will close or merge with other schools.
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Tuesday’s vote will trigger a review process, inclugin a public hearing on Oct. 29, followed by a final vote on Nov. 4.
The district says the overall goal of the plan is to reduce operating costs by cutting the number of schools.
The district’s massive budget constraints are due to the increased cost of building post-pandemic, increased requirements for revenue sharing with charter schools and shrinking school enrollment.
The district says the changes will also make better use of the money provided by the county’s half-cent sales tax.
Last month, the district warned staff and parents at seven Duval County schools that under the updated version of the Master Facility Plan, their schools are being considered for closure at the end of this year and consolidation to other schools for the 2025-26 school year.
The plan is not yet final, but six elementary schools were alerted to these possible changes:
- Annie R. Morgan students into Biltmore
- Kings Trail students into Beauclerc
- Don Brewer students into Merrill Road
- Susie Tolbert students into S.P. Livingston
- George Washington Carver students into Rufus E. Payne
- Hidden Oaks students into Cedar Hills
News4JAX’s analysis found the majority of the students who would be impacted by these proposed consolidations are disproportionately minority and economically disadvantaged.
On top of the six elementary schools proposed for closure, the Young Men and Women’s Leadership Academy program at Eugene Butler Middle School would also close under the latest version of the plan. The district’s Bridge to Success middle and high school programs, which are currently housed at St. Claire Evans Elementary and Henry Kite Elementary would then consolidate at Butler.
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The latest proposed Master Facility Plan shows that two of the schools receiving students from a closed school would be near capacity, but not over capacity. The other four elementary schools would be around 75% full.
The district is holding meetings for the schools alerted to their possible consolidation.
Annie R. Morgan’s transition into Biltmore was discussed on Sept. 24 and Don Brewer’s possible transition into Merrill Road was discussed on Monday.
Susie E. Tolbert’s possible transition into S.P. Livingston will be discussed at 5 p.m. Thursday at Susie E. Tolbert Elementary School.
And the meeting for Kings Trail’s transition into Beauclerc will be at 5 pm. Thursday at Beauclerc Elementary School.
What families need to know:
- Students attending Merrill Road, S.P. Livingston,Biltmore and Beauclerc will not be affected by this change.
- Students attending Don Brewer, Susie E. Tolbert Annie R. Morgan and Kings Trail are proposed to attend their new schools starting in August 2025, if approved.
- All eight schools will operate as normal during the 2024-25 school year.
Meetings to discuss the consolidation of George Washington Carver students into Rufus E. Payne and Hidden Oaks students into Cedar Hills have not been announced yet.