Blaming school choice, Madison County will close three schools

Three public schools in Madison County will eventually be closing their doors after the school board recently voted to shutter any that aren't generating enough state money to operate and have less than 250 students enrolled.

"It is a very difficult and emotional decision to close community schools," Superintendent Shirley Joseph said during Monday's board meeting. "The school district cannot survive and effectively serve all students if we don't consolidate operations."

After a 3-2 vote to pass the criteria, three elementary schools are slated to shutter:

• Greenville Elementary, 94 students.
• Pinetta Elementary, 133 students.
• Lee Elementary, 170 students.

Beginning in fall 2025, students from the three schools will be relocated to Madison County Central School, which offers prekindergarten to eighth grade.

Elsewhere in Florida, Duval County Public Schools has identified 30 schools that could possibly close due to low enrollment, largely created by the number of parents choosing to use state vouchers to enroll their children in private schools.

Several other school districts in the state have resorted to closing under-enrolled schools because of costs.

"Many factors have led to these falling enrollments but the large increase in school choice and Family Empowerment Scholarships has deeply impacted the district finances to operate and provide a free and appropriate education to all students," Joseph wrote in a press release issued after the meeting.

The school district in Madison County, an hour east from Leon County, has a total enrollment of 2,300 students, split between nine schools. The district was heavily hit by Hurricane Idalia, a category 3 storm that ravaged the Big Bend last August.

The school district was left with an insurance bill of nearly $5 million after the natural disaster "wreaked havoc" on its facilities. Faced with effects from the hurricane, declining enrollment, high teacher turnover and a loss in state funding, Joseph decided to make the recommendation to the school board.

During the school board meeting, community members and parents said they hoped to save the schools. They pleaded with board members to consider other options, primarily to prevent the facilities from being converted to charter schools, which would set back the district's money saving plan.

But the plan isn't entirely bad news, Joseph wrote in the press release, saying consolidation will save the district millions of dollars: "It will allow the district to use its limited state and local funding in a more efficient manner and improve the operations in the remaining facilities for students."

She mentioned the money saved will go towards paying teachers higher salaries, which will help with recruiting and retention.

Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached atABrown1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3