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'Unnecessary stress': Emotions running high for DCPS school staff at schools on closure list

Anxious and stressed is how two faculty members describe feeling, knowing this may be their last year working in their schools before it closes and consolidates.

DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. — Students, parents and staff with Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) are making one last plea to save their schools that are on the district's closures and consolidation list.

A vote on Monday will decide whether six elementary schools will close and one middle school leadership academy will be discontinued.

"It’s been exhausting," Condessa Keith told First Coast News.

The last few weeks have taken an emotional toll on Keith, as she copes with the reality that it may be her final year working as secretary and bookkeeper for Kings Trail Elementary School in Jacksonville.

The following is the current school closure/consolidation list:

  • Annie R Morgan into Biltmore
  • Kings Trail into Beauclerc
  • Don Brewer into Merrill Road
  • Susie Tolbert into Smart Pope Livingston
  • George Washington Carver into Rufus Payne
  • Hidden Oaks into Cedar Hills

With all eyes on these closures, Keith said it's made it hard to do day-to-day operations during the current year.

"They’re focused what next year will bring, but they’re not considering what’s happening to the faculty and staff this year," she said. "It is causing unnecessary anxiety and unnecessary stress."

A DCPS administrator at another school on the list, who wishes to stay anonymous, shares the same sentiments as Keith; her school was added to the list just this month.

"I haven’t been in a good space mentally, physically or emotionally," the administrator said. "We take pride in what we do every single day. So, to have people who are not even members or staff…who haven’t even stepped on our campus, I have a big problem with that. We have students that look forward to being a 5th grader at our school and they will not get that opportunity, but nothing was ever mentioned about counseling for staff or students during this consolidation process."

Now, both of their school's fate lies in the school board's vote Monday.

"I feel like it’s a very unfortunate thing that’s happening, but I do feel like they’ve already made their decision to consolidate us," said the administrator.

"For a district that says every student, every day and every classroom, it doesn’t necessarily feel like that," Keith said.

The school board will vote on its 'Master Facility Plan' Monday at 6 p.m. at DCPS headquarters.

RELATED: Duval County School Board passes 5-year capital plan at Tuesday night's board meeting

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