The School Board of Alachua County approved a controversial rezoning plan late Thursday, moving forward with school closures and boundary changes that will reshape the district as early as this fall.
After the nearly five-hour special meeting, the board approved revised zoning maps that will close two elementary schools and reconfigure several others, while postponing one consolidation for further review.
Under the plan, Stephen Foster Elementary, in northwest Gainesville, and Joseph Williams Elementary, in east Gainesville, will close, and Lincoln Middle School will convert to a K-8 campus by 2028. The district will also consolidate Oak View Middle School into a pre-K-8 campus to accommodate students from the Newberry Elementary zone, which will transition to a charter school this fall.
The board postponed the decision to consolidate Alachua Elementary and Irby Elementary schools. The board will hear updated recommendations and community input at an April 29 workshop and make a final decision on May 5.
The final vote count was 3-2 in favor of the zoning changes, with Chair Thomas Vu and members Tina Certain and Sarah Rockwell supporting the measure. Vice Chair Leanetta McNealy and board member Janine Plavac voted against it.
The decision came after months of workshops and community meetings tied to the district’s comprehensive school planning initiative, which aims to address declining enrollment and underused campuses across the county. District leaders say consolidating schools will allow resources to be concentrated in fewer buildings while stabilizing enrollment at remaining campuses.
The decision drew strong opposition from parents and area residents who urged the board to delay the vote and reconsider closures they said would harm neighborhoods and students.
“Schools are more than buildings,” Alachua County Public Schools parent Stephanie Penny said. “They are the heart of the neighborhoods.”
Several parents said the rezoning plan felt predetermined and failed to fully consider the impact on affected families.
“Y’all have got numbers,” parent Tina Days said. “We are families fighting for our kids.”
Amanda Fessenden, a Stephen Foster Elementary School parent, called the rezoning process “rushed” and felt there was not enough community support for the elementary school plans. She says her kindergarten-age son Lysander is already trying to find ways to stick with his friends next school year.
“He doesn’t want his school to close,” Fessenden said. “[The plan] is going to split up a lot of kids that used to go to school together.”
School board member Sarah Rockwell apologized to parents at the meeting, saying the district minimized the anger and heartache the community felt in the rezoning process.
“We can do hard things while having the humanity to acknowledge how hard those things are,” Rockwell said.
She proceeded to respond directly to a public commenter who suggested the board was making the “easy” and “politically expedient” decision.
“Addressing the very real problems that we have is the last thing that is politically expedient for me,” Rockwell said. “But if I kick the can down the road, I will not be able to sleep at night.”
Certain echoed Rockwell’s comments, saying the district could not continue operating the same number of schools as enrollment declines.
“These decisions are never easy,” Certain said during deliberations. “But our responsibility is to look at the long-term health of the entire school district and to make choices that position our students and our schools for success.”
She emphasized the responsibility of elected officials to weigh the needs of the entire district, not just individual schools.
“I make decisions that represent the entire district,” Certain said.
Thursday’s vote marked the end of a controversial debate over the future of neighborhood schools in Alachua County, and the beginning of a new chapter for the district’s school system.