JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — More than a dozen parents filled a Duval County School Board meeting on Tuesday, worried about what the future could hold for their child's school. The school board met Tuesday to talk about a plan to close schools and cut costs.
Fifteen parents and community members spoke to advocate for their child’s school to stay open.
This all stems from a plan a consultant proposed to close 27 schools.
It’s just an idea at this point – the district can pick and choose what to do next – but with a number as big as 27, it shows Duval County Public Schools is in a tough position.
“People say cut the fat, cut the fat," said DCPS Board Member Cindy Pearson. "I don’t think there’s any more fat to cut.”
Pearson summed up a harsh reality for Duval County schools; circumstances for the district have drastically changed.
Since the pandemic, inflation and the rise of charter schools have flipped the district’s financial outlook.
“Fewer students leads to less funding to operate the same number of schools at higher operating expenses, right," said one district staff member.
The school board has to decide on what schools to close as soon as possible, with a list of construction and renovation projects on hold until they decide which schools will stay open.
However, DCPS Board Member Lori Hershey pointed out this isn’t the only big decision looming.
“We’re getting ready to hire a new superintendent, and this doesn’t give them a whole lot of time to weigh in," said Hershey.
The board is hoping to select a new superintendent by July, so they’re optimistic that a school closure vote in September or October will give the new superintendent enough time to weigh in while also ensuring current board members will be the ones to make the decision – with four seats up for election in November.
In the meantime, they’ll get input from the community, including more than a dozen parents from schools like Atlantic Beach Elementary, Holiday Hill, Fishweir and West Riverside who shared their thoughts.
"It’s a balancing act," said Andrew Murdoch, whose child attends West Riverside Elementary. "It’s a scale. Normally, you have to balance it. When it comes to education, it doesn’t. It goes in one direction, toward the children.”
Since the vote won’t happen before school starts again in the fall, parents don't have to worry about closures before this upcoming school year.
In fact, DCPS Interim Superintendent Dana Kriznar says many people may not feel the impact for five or ten years depending on the immediate needs.
It’s the epitome of a big-picture decision, setting up the district for the new educational landscape.
“How do we make sure that we right-size this district, get the numbers correct for operational, so we can actually make it so the funding follows the children and we have good, quality programs in the schools," said DCSP Board Member Kelly Coker.
The next step is community meetings with the board members – seven of them, one in each district.
After getting that feedback, they’ll start to form a timeline so we have an idea of which schools will be impacted first before the vote around October.