JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The future of many Duval County public schools was the topic of conversation Thursday during a School Board workshop. The district released results of its Master Facility Plan and says they would need $1 billion to make every improvement right now, which is down from $1.4 billion that was proposed during a previous plan. The district doesn't have that money, but hopes to make improvements over multiple years.
Results from a focus group of parents in the district showed that many parents wanted to see high performing neighborhood schools remain open and not get consolidated. However, School Board Chair Darryl Willie said that with dropping enrollment in some schools due to the rise of charter schools, some changes have to be made.
"We do have some tough decisions to make," said Willie, "but I believe this board that just had these conversations is ready to get into it and really dive into how do we create the best environment for students academically but also create the most efficient environment financially too for our district."
New Duval Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier told the board that the district plans to send what they call Tiger Teams, which includes plumbers, roofers and carpenters into schools to identify which schools can be repaired and which have to be replaced.
Stockton Elementary School was on a previous plan released in March to be consolidated, but the new plan calls for Stockton to stay open and feed into Lakeshore Middle School. Lauren Agresti has a child at Stockton and said an educational path for children is important to many parents.
"Middle school is a concern for the majority of parents as they start looking at what elementary school and where their kids will be and where they're going to go and matriculate," said Agresti.
Atlantic Beach Elementary was on the chopping block under the previous plan, but is slated to stay open under the revised plan. Atlantic Beach Mayor Curtis Ford attended the school board workshop to advocate for parents in Atlantic Beach.
"We'll fight very hard on this, we're not happy at all that this continues to go on," said Ford, "in our opinion we shouldn't even be part of this conversation, Atlantic Beach elementary should not be closed."
More information about the district's Master Facility Plan can be found here: https://www.teamduval.org/2024/08/15/community-feedback-on-districts-master-facility-plan-presented-to-school-board/
The Master Facility Plan is expected to be adjusted throughout September before the school board votes on the plan during their October 1st meeting.