DCPS holding another meeting with parents about school consolidations, closures

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Parents will have another chance to learn more about a proposal that will close and merge dozens of Duval County schools.

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Action News Jax has been following the district’s plan for months.

The proposal was created by an outside consultant, and nothing has been finalized yet.

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The Duval County School Board will hold another meeting with parents on Monday night about the consolidations and closures.

This comes 2 months after the board voted to merge R.V. Daniel Elementary and R.L. Brown Gifted and Talented Academy. Those schools won’t merge until August 2025.

The plan for 30 more closures and mergers was developed due to a billion-dollar funding gap related to the district’s 2019 master plan. The consolidations would help offset low enrollment numbers and the school funding gap.

Read: DCPS School Board votes to push elementary school merger back to 2025

However, some parents and community members are sharing their concerns about the proposal.

“There’s not a single school that won’t be impacted by this whether it’s needing to absorb a school or needing to be closed. I think it’s really inappropriate in today’s environment. Florida is operating at a budgetary surplus,” one parent said at the last meeting.

The district will share its plan to redraw school boundaries and merge many small or low-populated schools.

Monday’s meeting will be held at the District Administration Building starting at 5:30 p.m.

Read: Impacts to homeowners loom large amid DCPS discussion to close, consolidate 30+ schools

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