Alachua County Public Schools hosted its first two community input meetings Wednesday and Thursday to discuss its proposed rezoning maps with parents throughout the district.
The maps, released on Monday, reveal that up to four elementary schools may close throughout the district. Three middle schools may convert to kindergarten through eighth grade schools to accommodate these changes.
The meetings include a presentation of the maps, an online survey and one-on-one discussions with community members. While community members said the maps complicate transportation, school board officials defended the rezoning initiatives by explaining the plan is necessary for the district to operate efficiently.
Hawthorne Middle/High School
Over a hundred Hawthorne residents gathered in Hawthorne Middle/High School’s auditorium Wednesday to listen to the presentation, which quickly went off track.
When residents voiced concerns about a lack of accessibility for older community members unable to use QR codes, an overuse of surveying techniques and the inability to engage in public discussion, Superintendent Kamela Patton gave in to community requests for a public discussion.
Patton initiated conversation by assuring residents Shell Elementary School and Hawthorne Middle/High School, the city’s two schools, would stay open indefinitely. The concern over school closures stems from a rumor that brought residents to a school board meeting Jan. 20.
Despite her reassurance, residents were still frustrated with the “Our Schools — Future Ready” plan. The plan, first drafted in November 2025, outlines both rezoning and funding initiatives to improve schools throughout the district. The plan seeks to address school enrollment, improve facilities and enhance academic programs.
In a discussion lasting over an hour, community members criticized the lack of funding offered to their schools.
Heather Surrency, a Hawthorne parent, said the district needs to focus on “the grounds, discipline and accountability” of Hawthorne schools.
Her complaints stem from the schools’ broken facilities and unkempt gardens, the lack of discipline for misbehaving students and educators unwilling to teach, she said.
Complaints weren’t restricted to parents. Zachary Hand, an 18-year-old recent alumnus of Hawthorne Middle/High School, voiced his complaints, recounting his own experience and that of his younger peers.
“Every student is just a dollar sign to you guys, and that needs to change,” Hand said. “They feel it, too, because this is the things that the students are telling me.”
Despite Hawthorne residents’ desire for increased funding at their schools, both Shell Elementary and Hawthorne Middle/High School saw their zones decreased across all maps. As a result, fewer students would attend the schools, and less money would be allocated towards them.
ACPS spends about $10,800 on each student, according to fiscal data from the 2022-23 school year. There were 458 students during the same year, according to the Florida Department of Education’s yearly enrollment reports, meaning about $4.9 million was spent on students at Hawthorne Middle/High School.
The number would decrease if students are lost due to the proposed smaller zoning for the school. It is unclear if the zoning changes will impact teacher employment.
High Springs Community School
While the Hawthorne meeting turned into more of a discussion, ACPS followed its originally planned schedule at High Springs Community School on Thursday.
Kathie Ebaugh, the director of planning at JBPro, led a presentation on the maps. JBPro is an outside organization helping facilitate the district’s rezoning initiative.
The rezoning plan centers around right-sizing schools, or making sure schools are functioning at a normal capacity, she said.
“If we want to make improvements for our program system, if we want to make improvements to our facilities … then we're going to have to address the fact that right now, we are stretched thin,” Ebaugh said. “We have more seats and more schools than we need.”
The district is looking to potentially close up to four elementary schools, depending on the proposed map.
Across all three maps, the district is looking to close Williams Elementary School and send students to Lincoln — a middle school it plans to convert to a K-8 grade school by August 2028.
Built in 1938, Williams Elementary School is the oldest school in the district. Its enrollment is 200 students under capacity. Since Williams Elementary School is located next to Lincoln, it’s easier to merge students together, Ebaugh said.
The district also proposed the closure of Foster Elementary School, the second oldest in the district. The school, built in 1952, is a popular school of choice. Its science, technology, engineering and math magnet program will move to Norton Elementary School next school year.
For Julia Gatson, a science teacher at Foster Elementary School, the school’s closure is frustrating.
“The district, the school board, the superintendent — not just you, past superintendents — have mismanaged and misspent millions and millions of dollars over years and years and years,” Gatson said during Wednesday’s meeting. “Why is that falling on the schools and our school communities?”
Gatson’s comments refer to lawsuits against the school, like the 2022 lawsuit filed against the previous superintendent by the director of Camp Crystal Lake for false statements about his management.
The relocation of Foster Elementary School students varies by map. The first has students attending Norton and Parker Elementary Schools. The second divides the zone into Norton, Rawlings and Metcalfe Elementary Schools. The third proposes they attend Norton and Metcalfe Elementary Schools.
The change disrupts an already difficult transportation process for students, Gatson said.
“How are my students — most of them walk to school because their families don't have reliable transportation — how are they supposed to get to Norton or Metcalfe or Williams or wherever they're being sent to?” she asked.
Elementary closures
The question of transportation is one apparent throughout the district, as recommended closures are not unique to Williams and Foster Elementary Schools.
In addition to the closures of these schools, the first map proposes Rawlings Elementary School also close. Rawlings students would attend Norton and Metcalfe Elementary Schools.
The second map retains Rawlings Elementary School and instead proposes the closure of Alachua Elementary School. Alachua currently shares a zone with Irby Elementary School. The map suggests Irby Elementary transforms into a preK-5 school, and students from Alachua Elementary School would attend Mebane, a middle school that will be transformed into a K-8 school by August 2027.
The third map proposes a total of four school closures: Williams, Foster, Rawlings and Alachua Elementary Schools.
Additional conversions of middle schools to K-8 schools includes Oak View Middle School, which is located in Newberry. The school will expand to a K-8 school by August 2026 to provide a space for elementary school students following Newberry Elementary School’s conversion to a charter.
Changes at the high school level feature no conversions or closures, focusing instead on evening out attendance and enrollment at the schools.
Parents and community members looking to provide input can fill out a survey online. The next community input meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 9 at Buchholz High School.
Contact Grace Larson at glarson@alligator.org. Follow her on X @graceellarson.
Grace Larson is a first-year journalism student, currently serving as K-12 education reporter. She has previously served as city/county commission reporter for The Alligator's metro desk. In her free time, she enjoys staying active and hanging out with her family.
