“I don’t believe this plan is ready to move forward today”: Alachua County School Board postpones rezoning to 2025-26 school year
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At tonight’s Alachua County School Board meeting on the final approval of the district’s rezoning maps, the board voted 4-1 to postpone the rezoning to the 2025-26 school year.
Superintendent Shane Andrew led off the meeting by recommending that the district’s current zoning remain as it is while the district continues to evaluate options for consideration by the public, the school board, and Alachua County Public Schools employees for the 2025-26 school year.
Andrew said, “As we know, the disruption in the continuity of educational services over the previous years has impacted students’ readiness for engagement and learning. We are in the development and initial implementation stages to support student behavior, student attendance, resiliency, and academic performance. Time is needed for the process to unfold regarding the collection and analysis of data to determine effectiveness.”
Andrew said students in the district’s School Improvement schools “are reaching a crucial point of stabilization that may be compromised by changes in their attendance zones at this time.” He also said that new transportation routes will begin on January 16, “therefore time is needed to address the suitability of these changes.” Andrew added that State scholarships will continue to impact enrollment in unpredictable ways.
He concluded, “Rezoning work will not cease and will continue to be an ongoing priority for the school district.”
Motion
Member Sarah Rockwell made a motion to keep the zoning maps as they are now, and Member Leanetta McNealy seconded it.
An extension, not a pause
Following public comment, which mostly opposed the new maps, Rockwell said she wanted to see an “extension” of the rezoning process, not a pause. She suggested bringing in a “different set of consultants who can really work with the data… I, personally, as a board member, would be willing to spend the money to get this right.” She said the board didn’t have information about how the proposed maps would impact finances or transportation, and she wanted to have several options to consider, along with the ability to see “in real time” how changing the maps changes enrollment, costs, and transportation.
“I am adamant that this rezoning needs to happen for the 25-26 school year, and I would like to see a plan with options, with data analytics, presented by the end of this school year.” – Member Sarah Rockwell
Rockwell said, “I am adamant that this rezoning needs to happen for the 25-26 school year, and I would like to see a plan with options, with data analytics, presented by the end of this school year… I think we should have something done before everyone leaves for the summer… I don’t believe that this plan is ready to move forward today, but I expect the work to continue… I only speak for me, but I expect this to be done well, and I expect our staff to have the support and resources they need to do it.”
“The board gave direction; our Superintendent had failed leadership. He didn’t get it done… It’s not going to get any easier.” – Member Tina Certain
Member Tina Certain disagreed, saying that rezoning was one of the board’s top three priorities at their first meeting after the 2022 election. She said, “The board gave direction; our Superintendent had failed leadership. He didn’t get it done… It’s not going to get any easier. And what I fear is going to happen is, we’re punting this, and it will never get done.” She said there are costs to the district for overcrowded schools and under-enrolled schools.
Certain added, “It’s hard, and it’s unpopular, but we have to [rezone] for the financial stability and improvement of our students… I don’t want the citizens to be blaming the board for this decision… We gave the directive, and this is what was brought back… Until we have the resolve to really face our problems head-on, we’re gonna continue to lag in Alachua County… The maps that we have now–I’m not saying they’re not ready, there’s some that we could do, because there does need to be some changes this year.” She said the district is failing the students who don’t have a certified teacher in every classroom and are eating lunch at 9:00 in the morning and “have portables everywhere and they don’t have a whole lot of green space outside.”
“Please know that there has been movement in this district, and we need to be applauding our staff, but more importantly, the Superintendent… No one is going to sit back; no one is going to kick the can down the road.” – Member Leanetta McNealy
Member Leanetta McNealy said, “The citizens and community have been heard… Please know that there has been movement in this district, and we need to be applauding our staff, but more importantly, the Superintendent… No one is going to sit back; no one is going to kick the can down the road… But I’m pleased tonight because the Superintendent, our leader, has stated that we are going to stop at this point until we get it right… No one is throwing this rezoning out with the bathwater; we’re just filling up the tub again, and we are going to be busy.”
“Rezoning is not going to solve the problems in East Gainesville, and if you think it is, then I don’t know what planet you live on.” – Member Kay Abbitt
Member Kay Abbitt said she was glad Andrew had recommended against proceeding with the maps because “I’m not sure I would have voted for it in its current state.” She said neighborhoods and communities are important, “and I feel like those things were not addressed in the current model… Rezoning is not going to solve the problems in East Gainesville, and if you think it is, then I don’t know what planet you live on.”
She said people might expect that the district would look at successful charter schools “and say, ‘Hey, let’s see what they’re doing different over there. Why is it working?'” but it hasn’t. She said the district needs to be “innovative” to incentivize experienced teachers to go into lower-performing schools because it’s much easier to teach at a higher-performing school. Regarding the rezoning, she said, “There needs to be an extension on the date when it’s completed, but we don’t need to pause.”
“Parents want two things: they want their kid safe when the come to school, and they want a quality education.” – Chair Diyonne McGraw
Chair Diyonne McGraw reiterated the point she has often made that “the behavior is so out of control” in schools and said, “Parents want two things: they want their kid safe when the come to school, and they want a quality education.” She said rezoning “causes you even more problems” because people buy homes in specific school zones, and parents are likely to do whatever it takes to put their children in private schools if they’re rezoned to a lower-performing school. She said, “I believe we’re gonna get it right when it comes to the rezoning, but timing is everything, and so at this point, I agree with the motion that’s on the floor that we postpone it.”
The motion passed 4-1, with Certain in dissent.
Tina Certain proving she is the idiot of the day.
You’re forgetting all the other days.
Just saying…
Kay Abbitt is the only one with credibility on the board. She’s the only up there with proven results. She undeniably talks the walk and walks the walk. I feel her frustration but that’s the SBAC for you.
“Rezoning is not going to solve the problems in East Gainesville, and if you think it is, then I don’t know what planet you live on.”
Here, here! Give her a cigar!
McGraw finally acknowledged several things; parents want their children to be safe in school, their children to get a quality education, and behavior is out of control in schools. You can’t obtain the first two without correcting the third. Problem is, the SBAC has instructed administration to ignore the 3rd for equity’s sake. Now they’re reaping what they’ve sown. Chances are it’ll take years to correct the culture they’ve been fostering.
Inactions have consequences just as much as actions – they should remember that when they’re making their long range plan.
McGraw listed all of the major problems earlier last year. The problem is that none of the board, including her, seem interested in doing anything about them.
Rogers Corner gets an ‘A’ for paying attention.
We all know the driving force behind the political agenda this feckless Board thrives on. Only Abbott speaks the truth. The Pilot of this issue should be fired. Instill discipline and start focusing on the safety and education for the students and teachers. Classroom behavior is 3rd world at some schools and needs to be dealt with head on and swift consequences. Maybe the pause is so many likewise woke School Boards are being sued out of existance,as they should be.
Rezoning without first addressing the hoodlum and gang member problem just moves the hoodlums and gang members to other schools. ARREST, PROSECUTE AND EXPEL. And get mobile devices OUT of the classroom.
I just love these people that are always pointing to someone else to place the blame, of course they never do anything wrong. If you don’t believe that, just ask them.
Abbitt is correct. Also, they will never fill those eastside schools without magnets and/or eastside development. It’s BS to bus kids long distances and claim poverty while not collecting school impact fees
Silver lining is that the incompetence of school leaders (nationwide) is accelerating the destruction of government schools while simultaneously helping to progress the homeschooling movement.
It’s time for school vouchers equally for all students and private competition in this space but the teachers union is a tough nut to crack and many small counties in the US have the school district as a major employer. Doubt we’ll see any meaningful changes imo. I’m a product of both public and private schools fwiw
All this school board needs to do is fix one problem–discipline–and that will solve 90% of the issues in our district.
It’s not even a difficult problem to fix. Issue a “Discipline Reset” form to be signed by all students and parents outlining the rules that are already in place, along with the consequences.
Issue a notice to teachers and school admins that they will be supported in the disciplinary process and that they are to issue discipline without regard to race, sex, religion, etc.
Then simply follow through. Students will be suspended, held back, expelled, etc. That is the parent’s problem.
Public school teachers have a job to educate students that are capable of learning. Kids that don’t have the mental or behavioral capacity to succeed in the normal environment need to be removed and/or relocated to an alternate system so that the other kids don’t have their educational opportunity stolen from them.
I agree with what you’re saying but what is happening with government education is not an accident or over site. They are leveling the playing field which only hurts those on the right side of the bell curve. Maybe, in the long run, we can fix this but in the meantime you must take your child’s education into your own hands. Maybe that means homeschool or maybe that means private/non-govt schooling
So…..they think busing in more undisciplined thugs to disrupt the classes at the better schools will produce better results? Liberals lack the logic gene in most of their BS solutions.