In Gainesville, you may have heard a few elementary schools are closing due to district rezoning. For one teacher, the closings hit close to home.
"It is part of my family," Julia Gatson said. "It is part of my life, for what, 34 years? So, yeah, most of my life I've been connected to Stephen Foster in one way or the other."
Stephen Foster Elementary is one of three schools set to close at the end of the school year. In a nearly five-hour meeting in March, school board members voted 3-2 to close Stephen Foster, Alachua and Joseph Williams Elementary Schools. They cited declining enrollment, financial issues and school choice policies as contributing factors.
This Tuesday, June 2nd, is the official last day of school at Stephen Foster Elementary School.
Most of the students will be reassigned to other local schools. Gatson start the new school year this August, teaching again, at Glen Springs Elementary.