Duval to potentially close 30 schools, combine population as charter grows

DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – The Duval County Public School district is weighing in on a proposal to consolidate schools and update the “Master Facility Plan” regarding rebuilding and renovating schools as a result of budget challenges that could potentially close nearly 30 schools in the district.

According to a April 2 press release from Team Duval, “increases in construction costs and charter school revenue-sharing requirements” have impacted the potential plan to rebuild and renovate Duval Schools, which resulted in a need to close a $1.4 billion budget gap.

Duval County School Superintendent Dana Kriznar said during an April 2 board meeting an updated plan was put together by an outside consultant at her request.

“With the massive overruns and construction costs, it was clear that we needed to make adjustments to the bold plan,” Kriznar said.

The superintendent said she was a “bit overwhelmed by the recommendation” that came back to see the number of schools recommended for consolidation and said it was “heartbreaking” to her “both personally and professionally.”

During a March 11 board meeting, it was discussed that the district’s problems stem from losing students over the years to charter and private schools and the enrollment numbers for public schools are low.

The goal for potential school closures and consolidations is to reduce funding needed for facilities and reduce school-level administrative operating costs, according to the press release.

The district explained while school consolidations can be economically logical, it also comes with intangible costs that affect families and students directly. The redrawing of school boundaries, a consequence of such consolidations, brings immediate repercussions for those involved.

Keeping the objective in focus, the consultants were tasked with taking a comprehensive view of the district. Their initial draft was presented for school board deliberation in February, with subsequent discussions among board members resulting in a second draft unveiled during the March 11 meeting.

The consultants’ recommendations include to put forth new, geographically sensible boundaries aimed at fostering cohesion. These proposed boundaries ensure that students from each elementary school progress to the same middle school, and subsequently, students from each middle school transition into the same high school.

The district told Florida’s Voice that nothing has been decided, approved, or endorsed by the board or district as they are still in the very early stages of the discussion.

The next steps, according to the district, are to have future discussions with community members and all stakeholders included.

After that, the district will furnish the school board with a timeline and procedure for engaging the community in this dialogue, facilitating collaborative efforts within Team Duval to arrive at the most beneficial decisions for students, schools, and the community as a whole.

Gov. Ron DeSantis was asked about concerns of Florida public schools potentially closing as families flock to charter schools during a press conference Tuesday.

“In Florida, the money follows the student and the family,” DeSantis said. “It’s not embedded in a certain system or certain framework. And so the student and the family will be making those decisions. Even with robust choice, you are still going to have huge enrollment through school districts.”