DUVAL COUNTY LOOKS TO FUTURE AMIDST POTENTIAL SCHOOL CLOSINGS AND CONSOLIDATIONS

DUVAL COUNTY LOOKS TO FUTURE

AMIDST POTENTIAL SCHOOL CLOSINGS AND CONSOLIDATIONS

Words by Mallory Pace

Duval County school officials are weighing the idea of closing more than two dozen public schools as they’re facing a $1.4 bill ion budget overrun, leaving many families and parents concerned over the future of their children’s schools. Conversations between officials and residents are still ongoing, but the outcome is appearing less and less ideal as plans progress.

Back in 2020, Duval County voters approved a $1.9 billion budget in public funding for improving school maintenance and implementing new technology through a half-cent sales tax. The district’s master facility plan states that pre-pandemic industry standard costs for new construction was used for new build projects and all planning factors were reasonable — prior to the pandemic. The original goals and intended uses of the money, as outlined in that master plan, were to “address facility age, decrease excess seats, create safe spaces, remove portables, and increase utilization.” In June of 2022, according to News4Jax, it was estimated that roughly $65 million from the tax was already earmarked for school security upgrades and infrastructure projects.

By the end of 2023, that $1.9 billion agreed upon in the 2020 election for school repairs turned into a projected $3.9 billion, as reported by “The Florida Times-Union.” The school district’s master facility plan initially outlined 180 separate projects, including building 28 new schools — the pressure to meet those goals and expectations may have been somewhat underestimated in its original planning. According to a construction update prepared for Duval County School Board members, “the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted global supply chains and construction, leading to materials shortages, cost increases, and project delays.”

It was also reported that from 2018 until 2023, the cost of building an

elementary school in Florida rose about 21% statewide, averaging $264 per foot, according to data from the Florida Department of Education. Rutledge H. Pearson Elementary, which opened in August of last year, was the first school built with the sales tax money coming in at a cost of $40.4 million or 41% more than initially planned. On the Westside, Chaffee Trail Middle School is under construction and projected to cost $60.7 million, 57% more than first expected.

That brings us to now, more than $1 billion over budget and scrambling to find the best solution for as many as possible, but that won’t come without sacrifice. And district officials aren’t looking to increase or extend the sales tax, but rather in moving around, collapsing and consolidating schools across the county. Though nothing has been officially endorsed, several feeder patterns were presented to the board detailing the potential closing and transitions of schools. That proposal includes eight elementary schools in the Arlington area, including Brookview, Holiday Hill, Fort Caroline and Lake Lucina. In the Beaches area, it’s proposed that Atlantic Beach Elementary students be moved to Neptune Beach Elementary located about a mile away which would become a K-8; Seabreeze Elementary and San Pablo Elementary to move to Fletcher Middle, which would become a K-8; Anchor Academy and Mayport Elementary students would move to Mayport Middle as another new K-8 school.

These changes came recommended by consultants hired by the district. Duval County School Board Chair Darryl Willie was quoted in a News4Jax article saying that the School Board asked the consultants to come up with “any and every possibility to make sure we can create the most resources for our schools.” Low enrollment at some of these schools is part of how the decisions are being made. The consultants looked at optimal school size, meaning the ideal enrollment numbers needed to bring in more than what it’s costing. They found that an efficient elementary school should have 800 students, 1,100 - 1,500 for K-8 schools, about 1,200 for middle, and 2,400 for high schools. In 2019, there were 157 schools in Duval County averaging at around 82% capacity, but that’s not the case anymore.

Some of the elementary schools proposed to close do face low enrollment numbers compared to others. Atlantic Beach Elementary, one of the schools receiving overwhelming support to remain open, had 504 students enrolled for the 2023-24 school year. Neptune Beach Elementary, where students would be moved to, had 831 students enrolled last school year. Likewise, the two schools that would be moved to Mayport Middle were Anchor Academy, which saw 341 students enrolled last year, and Mayport Elementary, which had 406. Mayport Middle had 799 students enrolled.

Part of low enrollment numbers is due to an increase in opportunities for charter and private schools. On April 16, as parents and residents pleaded with board members not to shut down their children’s schools, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill championing charter school presence in Florida. The legislation outlines the requirements and responsibilities for school districts to “turnaround” a struggling school into a charter. Duval alone lost thousands of public school students since the pandemic, but counties all across Florida have seen a sizable decrease in public school enrollment as families utilize their children’s educational choice options. The district’s master facility plan states that 61% vs. 39% of middle school students utilize choice options vs. attending their neighborhood schools, respectively. Those numbers have created what the district calls “middle school deserts”, and solutions are found in consolidation.

However, enrollment is up by over 7,000 in Duval’s neighboring district, St. Johns County, according to an article by Politico. As reported by Jax Today, when asked about Duval’s potential school closures, DeSantis said, “In Florida, the money follows the student and the family, it’s not embedded in a certain system or certain framework. And, so, the student and the family will be making those decisions.” Reshaping education in Florida has been one of DeSantis’ top priorities, for better or for worse. And although certain aspects make charter schools more appealing, they are often criticized for not being required to provide certain services to students, yet they are still funded by the district. Plus, many see the success of charters come at the price of traditional public schools, like we’re seeing in Duval and counties across Florida.

Low enrollment is one thing, but the proposed shutdowns include six “A”-rated schools like Fishweir, Lone Star and Seabreeze elementaries, alongside Anchor Academy, John Stockton and Atlantic Beach Elementary, which has particularly received an overwhelming amount of support from community members. Signs posted alongside the roads, in front of homes and in high foot-traffic areas are found stretched across from Atlantic to Jacksonville Beach advocating to save Atlantic Beach Elementary. An online petition was created to “Save our Little Pink School,” a nod to the building’s unique and notable pink exterior, that has garnered over 1,500 signatures and counting. The school was built in 1939, making it a significant part of the area’s educational history.

Many Atlantic Beach neighbors took to town hall and spoke before the city commission to express their disapproval for closing the school. Atlantic Beach Mayor Curtis Ford told attendees at a town hall meeting in April: “We’re not going away” and “Take Atlantic Beach Elementary off the list.”

It’s not just the closing of Atlantic Beach Elementary that people are upset about — neighborhood families across the district are equally feeling betrayed and frustrated at the idea of their schools closing. Parents of John Stockton Elementary, one of the A-rated schools at risk of closing, have raised suspicions regarding the district’s report of the school supporting its demolition. First Coast News reported that an analysis of the school included information about old air conditioning units from 1955 that do not exist (HVAC systems in need of repair are one of the reasons a school should be considered to shutdown). But parents took to John Stockton and couldn’t find any HVAC systems dating back from before 2005, so the information in the school’s analysis is inaccurate. This brought parents to question the extensiveness of which the district is actually investigating the schools they’re trying to close and whether this could be happening to others.

Since the news broke, there have been several public hearing meetings, where community members are given the chance to voice their opinions. According to News4Jax, former Atlantic Beach Mayor Ellen Glasser spoke at a school board meeting back in April, telling the council: “The purpose of your consultant’s review was to right-size our schools for a rich learning environment. We’re already doing that in Atlantic Beach,” Glasser said. “To say you’re pulling the curtains back on this project suggests there was a curtain up to start with. I would suggest there is a lack of transparency in terms of the schools on the list and that it appears to be outcome-based to save money.”

“Folio” put a post on social media asking people their opinion and feelings on the matter, to which many responded negatively. One user commented, “Mismanagement and charter schools are the problem. Fix that and up the pay for our community members that are teachers/school staff and stop attacking public schools …” Other concerns targeted the district’s recently hired superintendent Christopher Bernier, who first asked for a $350,000 salary but was negotiated to $320,000 — still $20,000 more than his predecessor, making him the fifth highest-paid superintendent in Florida. Comments surrounding this concern wrote, “Closing schools but the superintendent wants a raise? Hmmm,” and “Make superintendents a position we have to vote for, he’ll be gone in a second.”

As conversations continue, the district has stressed that no decisions have been made and that they wanted to hear from the public before doing so. According to a News4Jax article, Willie said the meetings have been successful and that “the district is listening.” These proposals remain fluid and tentative, and any approved action that may come in the future will most likely not take effect until at least the 2025-2026 school year. It would be incredibly disheartening to see so many beloved schools cease to exist, but the priority should remain on what’s best for our children and not on pinching pennies.

Duval County schools already suffer from a lack of attention and devotion, leaving it ranked No. 37 among school districts in Florida. If consolidating dozens of schools really is what’s best, we’ll only know with time. But as Jacksonville continues to grow and popularize as a city through focus on development and football legacies, it’s crucial for our schools to be a part of that success plan, because what’s a leading city without offering good education?