ACPS releases rezoning proposal, announces closure of Foster, Duval, and Williams, conversion of Lincoln and Oak View to K-8
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At a meeting this morning with representatives from the School Board, Alachua County, and municipalities within the county, Alachua County Public Schools presented the plans for consolidating the district’s schools, including the closure of several elementary schools and the conversion of several middle schools to K-8 schools.
Elementary school
The following elementary schools are scheduled to close under all scenarios:
- Stephen Foster Elementary
- Duval Early Learning Center
- Williams Elementary (incorporated into Lincoln K-8)
The magnet at Foster Elementary will move to Norton Elementary, current students at Duval will move to Lake Forest Elementary, and Oak View in Newberry will be converted to a K-8 school. Students in the Turkey Creek neighborhood will go to Talbot Elementary in all the scenarios, and Lincoln will be converted to a K-8 in the fall of 2028, incorporating students from Williams Elementary. (Unless otherwise noted, all changes are scheduled to take place in the fall of 2026.)
In Draft A, Rawlings Elementary will close, and those students will go to Norton and Metcalfe. Students from Foster would go to Norton and Parker, and students who currently attend Terwilliger will be zoned to Chiles, Hidden Oak, and Littlewood. Students from five different elementary schools will be zoned to Terwilliger.
In Draft B, students from Foster would go to Norton, Rawlings, and Metcalfe. Current students at Terwilliger would go to Chiles, Hidden Oak, Terwilliger, Littlewood, or Glen Springs. Mebane would convert to K-8 in the fall of 2027, and Irby would become a K-5 school, with the zones split at U.S. Hwy 441; Alachua Elementary would close.
In Draft C, Rawlings and Foster would close, with current students at those schools moving to Metcalfe and Norton. Current Terwilliger students would go to Hidden Oak, Littlewood, and Chiles. As in Draft B, Mebane would convert to K-8 in the fall of 2027, and Irby would become a K-5 school, with the zones split at U.S. Hwy 441; Alachua Elementary would close.
The transition of Lincoln to K-8 would be phased, with improvements being made at Lincoln before the Williams students move over to Lincoln.
Click here to see the full presentation and all the maps.
Middle schools
The proposed changes to middle schools are intended to level out attendance and enrollment numbers, draw more students to Bishop and Lincoln, and reduce attendance at Kanapaha. Oak View will be converted to a K-8 this fall to absorb elementary students in Newberry who do not wish to attend Newberry Community School. Students who live in Turkey Creek are zoned to a different middle school in each of the three scenarios: in Draft A, Turkey Creek students go to Mebane; in Draft B, they go to Ft. Clarke; and in Draft C, they go to Westwood.
High schools
The proposed high school boundaries are intended to level out attendance and enrollment numbers; Eastside’s boundary will move west, and Gainesville High School’s Archer Road enclave will be adjusted, with three different scenarios in the maps (see the maps at the end of this article).
K-8 schools
Kathie Ebaugh from JBPro said K-8 schools will help absorb some of the excess capacity that’s available in middle schools, and that will “free up some elementary schools for potential closure.” She pointed out that High Springs Community School, which is K-8, is one of the most requested schools in the district. She said, “Parents like it when there’s consistency for their kids… Middle school s and elementary schools would have the same start and end times, [and] it provides a long-term connection for the student to their teachers, to their friends, and to the [administrators and staff]… And one of the benefits we have here locally is that all of the K-8 that we’re going to be proposing are at the middle school level, which means the athletic facilities that parents want are already on the campuses.”
Maps are not final
Ebaugh stressed that the maps are not final: “We are working with our communities right now to understand what adjustments we need to make, and we’ve already heard great suggestions and great ideas of where we can make revisions. So I can promise you that the boundary scenarios that we have today are going to be revised and adjusted based on the community input we receive.”
Remaining engagement sessions
- Monday, February 9, 5:30 pm: Buchholz High School
- Tuesday, February 10, 5:30 pm: Oak View Middle School School
- Wednesday, February 11, 5:30 pm: Eastside High School
- Thursday, February 12, 5:30 pm: Kanapaha Middle School
- Tuesday, February 17, 5:30 pm: Mebane Middle School
- Wednesday, February 18, 5:30 pm: Westwood Middle School
High school maps
The more things change, the more they remain the same. I was a freshman at Lincoln High School (LHS) when I was informed that due to rezoning, I could no longer attend, even though the school was just a few blocks away from my house.
The SBAC believed it would be better for me to attend a school located miles away. To make matters worse, they added insult to injury by assigning the pickup and drop-off spot for the bus I had to take to the new school—the parking lot of LHS. (wicked!)
When I talked to my kids about my experience with rezoning and how it made me feel, they were brought to tears.
For years I’ve tried to reconcile in my mind with SBCA regarding their decision-making, but it continues to be a challenge for me.
The affected kids will cope with this rezoning in their own way, just as I had to, but they will be forever scarred by it if they care about their education.
Well said, Tony.
Tony did you tell them how you had to walk 3mile uphill though the snow both ways. Or did your kids just rolling their eyes just like every kid does when they poor old parents tell how bad they had it when they were kids
This proposal is not clear; I am not understanding what this will create for the students directly affected.
It seems the board is just trying to cover up its own failures that have resulted in declining attendance by “consolidating” and closing schools. Instead of making the school system more attractive academically and safety wise. The district needs to split between those discipline problems that public schools are required to accept, and the rest of society interested in getting a decent education. School choice has been a lifesaver since it was codified in law in Florida.
The SBAC Shiat Show continues. They’ve fumbled, punted, and blamed others for the past twenty years and now they pretend to be the firemen for the fire they started years ago.
The mistake in the making is that 7th & 8th graders should be in the secondary schools (9th – 12th) not primary schools (K – 5th). Even a 5th grader knows those grades aren’t likely to mix well. High Springs Community School is an anomaly of sorts because it’s the only school within the community, but some of us remember it as Spring Hill Middle School in much simpler and far less complicated times.
You think there’s perversions now? Just wait. You’ll be able to sue the school district soon.
You are right about High Springs Community School being that anomaly. They seem to have parents that care about what their childern are learning. It may be the more conservative Community and wanting to keep life as simple as they can.
This is a great start, so happy to see it. Hope the SBAC can stick with it, without bailing out about personal feelings. One thing that is missing, is numbers. How does the pre and post proposed attendance look like per school? I understand some schools are over populated while others are under utilized. What do the proposed numbers look like?
More BS tricks from a racist school board that values protecting the violent few over educating the willing. Shifting more motivated students into their failing schools to improve their scores is a fools errand. Lord knows we have the fools necessary to accomplish their musical chair zoning.