Duval could close 12 elementary schools within 5 years

Six more Duval County public elementary schools have been added to a potential closure list for the next five years, adding to the five elementaries that could close — and one, R.V. Daniels, that’s already approved to close — at the end of the current school year.

Duval Schools administrators Corey Wright and Erika Harding presented the full list Tuesday to a focus group of community members the district has been consulting as it tries to cut costs amid dropping enrollment at aging schools. The lists aren’t final — though DCPS spokesperson Tracy Pierce tells Jacksonville Today the plan is “very close” to what will soon be presented to the School Board.

These elementary schools are recommended for closure within five years:

• Anchor Academy
• Annie R. Morgan
• Don Brewer
• George W. Carver
• Hidden Oaks
• Hyde Grove
• Kings Trail
• R.V. Daniels ( closure already approved )
• Reynolds Lane
• S.A. Hull
• Susie Tolbert
• Whitehouse

At least 13 additional elementary schools and Stilwell Middle School are also recommended for closure in five to 15 years. Wright said during the meeting that Superintendent Christopher Bernier will present the plan to the school board for vote on Tuesday, Oct. 1. That vote will merely get the ball rolling — for closures, a three-step process culminates in a separate vote after community input.

That process also began Tuesday for the next six recommended closures, with a separate community meeting about the proposed consolidation of Annie R. Morgan Elementary into Biltmore Elementary held at Biltmore. There will be more meetings at individual schools, then a public hearing on Oct. 29, before the board will vote on the six closures on Nov. 4.

The district has been discussing iterations of the plan for a long time, over three superintendents. Tuesday’s draft version of the list is the third one this year. The 25 schools currently under consideration for closure is similar to the list created by an outside consultant earlier this year, with some key differences. That list sparked outrage in the community, and a number of schools mobilized volunteers and advocated to stay open.

Fishweir Elementary, Holiday Hill Elementary and Atlantic Beach Elementary, schools with some of the most vocal community opposition, were no longer on the list presented Tuesday. Other schools are new to the list, like Whitehouse Elementary and Englewood Elementary, which were both previously set to get new buildings.

The closures are part of the district’s ongoing effort to “right-size” its schools and create clear feeder patterns that keep students together as they progress through the school system. Many of the schools that may close are quite small — some have fewer than 200 students.

The master facilities plan isn’t all closures. It also includes a timeline to build new schools and make additions and major renovations to the schools that stay open.

Updated: This story was updated on Sept. 26 to include the mention that R.V. Daniels’ closure was already approved.

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