The Alachua County School Board reached a consensus on Thursday to significantly revise the district’s "Future-Ready" rezoning plan.
The board weighed two different plans during the workshop. They discussed Option C, which focused more on balancing enrollment numbers between schools, and Option D, which focused more on preserving neighborhood structures.
Although the plan will not be formally finalized until March 12, the board came to a consensus to lean toward Option D for elementary and high schools.
The board discussed that middle schools would gravitate towards Option C.
Although Option D avoids more community splits by keeping neighborhoods together, substantial changes would still be to come with this plan.
A few schools would still be at risk for closure, including Alachua Elementary School, Duval Early Learning Academy, Joseph Williams Elementary School and Stephen Foster Elementary School.
The possibility of being turned into a K-8 school exists for facilities like Abraham Lincoln Middle School, A.L. Mebane Middle School and Oak View Middle School.
The idea of evening out enrollment in Option C partially originated from 6,600 empty seats existing across Alachua County Public Schools, while overcrowding is present at schools such as Buchholz High School, according to the Board Workshop Comprehensive Schools Strategy Plan.
Although moving forward with Option D could still leave Buchholz at 102% capacity, the board decided that the well-being of the community members may still make the plan worth it.
The rush to have a plan solidified in March stems from intentions to properly prepare families for new school arrangements in August. New transportation, staffing, learning materials and classroom preparation would all need time to commence, according to the Strategy Plan.
These proposed changes caused some members of the community to be concerned about the safety of the children attending as they made their way to school on different routes.
Amanda Fessenden, a 44-year-old parent, was one of many who voiced such concerns in front of the board at the workshop.
“How many people would want their six-year-old walking down 39th Avenue from Foster to Rawlings?” Fessenden said, referring to Marjorie K. Rawlings Elementary School.
Vice Chair Leanetta McNealy agreed with Fessenden’s perspective as she opposed any change occurring at all.
“I am very nervous about the walk-zones for our babies,” McNealy said. “They are not high schoolers, and they are not even middle schoolers. But yet we are determining that they can walk from point A to point B.”
Motivation for the rezoning and closure plans also sourced from the $98.25 million in facility needs costs that could potentially be saved with the departure of the district’s oldest facilities, according to the Strategy Plan.
While it was originally suggested to close these schools to save costs, the board discussed sparing some that made the list, including Rawlings. It will likely be preserved with this plan but with relocated VPK, according to the School Attendance Zone Review at the School Board Workshop.
For some parents, though, these schools are more than just a building that their children learn in.
Bradley Rogers, 40, owes his daughter’s happiness to the community at Duval.
“My daughter is nonverbal. Before this school, we were guessing what she needed, guessing if she was hurt, guessing if she was frustrated,” Rogers said.
After enrolling at Duval, his daughter has learned to communicate her feelings and express herself like never before. Rogers says he owed it all to the teachers who not just educated his daughter but genuinely cared for her.
“I ask you to please look beyond the spreadsheet. Please consider the human aspect,” Rogers said. “Please don’t balance the budget on backs of children like mine who have just found their place.”
The revisions to the plan and map graphics will be reviewed on March 3 to prepare for the finalized voting on March 12.
