In a nearly five-hour-long meeting Thursday, the Alachua County School Board voted 3-2 to approve maps that will close Foster Elementary School this year and Williams and Alachua Elementary Schools in 2028.
The decision followed an hour and a half of public comment and several disputes between board members. It comes as part of the district’s “Our Schools — Future Ready” plan, which focuses on rezoning and rightsizing schools to minimize district spending.
The plan was announced in November 2025 and featured community input meetings in December and February.
Elementary school maps
The original elementary school maps, released Feb. 2, proposed the closure of up to five elementary schools: Alachua, Rawlings, Foster and Williams Elementary Schools and Duval Early Learning Academy, a pre-K through kindergarten school.
In a Feb. 26 workshop, the board opted for a map allowing Rawlings and Duval Early Learning Academy to remain open while closing the other three.
During the workshop, the board requested the additional closure of Irby Elementary School. Mebane Middle School would be converted into a pre-K through eighth grade school to accommodate Alachua and Irby Elementary School students.
At Thursday’s meeting, the board approved the map but decided to hold on Irby Elementary School’s closure. Board members requested more community input and additional proposals to consider keeping the school open.
The board will revisit plans for Irby Elementary School, which is located in Alachua and serves pre-K through second-grade students, at an April 29 board meeting.
The decision to close schools was met with disapproval from board members Leanetta McNealy and Janine Plavac, who voted against the school closures.
They instead asked the decision be delayed for six months to a year — but without the majority vote, their request was dismissed.
“We need more time and more input,” McNealy said. “We needed to have situations like we had in Hawthorne with Shell [Elementary School] and Hawthorne Middle/High.”
The first community input session, which took place at Hawthorne Middle/High School Feb. 4, brought protest from community members. Attendees complained about the meeting’s presentation and one-on-one discussion format, advocating for a group discussion instead.
Despite requests for delays, Board Members Sarah Rockwell and Tina Certain, along with Board Chair Thomas Vu, voted in favor of the rezoning Thursday.
For Rockwell, the decision was a tough but necessary one.
“Addressing the very real problems that we have is the last thing that is politically expedient for me,” Rockwell said. “But if I kick the can down the road, I will not be able to sleep at night.”
Rockwell mentioned several problems with continuing to operate schools at low capacity. Closing the schools would save the district money that can be used for upgrades and renovations, she said.
Closing and rightsizing schools across the district would also prevent the co-location of schools due to Schools of Hope legislation passed in 2025. The law allows charter schools to operate in schools with “excess space.”
Schools operating under 75% capacity or with 400 open seats can be shared with charter schools that can apply to “co-locate,” or form within this space. This would mean two schools operating within the same facility at the district’s expense, as they would be expected to fund the charter school without having input in its operation.
Those in support of the maps didn’t only face opposition from fellow board members. They also faced pushback from community members.
During nearly 90 minutes of public comment, about 40 community members provided input on the maps.
Stephanie Penny, a 41-year-old Archer resident who grew up in Alachua County and said she’s worked as a substitute teacher for the district, expressed concerns with how school closures will impact East Gainesville.
“Schools are more than buildings,” Penny said. “They are the heart of the neighborhoods. They are where children feel safe and where families gather and where communities feel identity and stability. … If schools close on the east side, what happens to the communities that depend on them?”
Williams Elementary Schools, which is now set to be closed, is located in East Gainesville — an area that’s home to several historically Black neighborhoods. Foster Elementary School is located on Northwest Sixth Street, which is often considered greater East Gainesville.
Gainesville, Alachua and Alachua County commissioners also attended Thursday’s meeting to publicly comment.
Gainesville Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker acknowledged the difficulty of making what she described as a “heavy” decision.
“Let us work with you,” Duncan-Walker said. “Let us try to chart a pathway forward to make sure that our schools … have the opportunity to serve our same community.”
Despite turnout from the commissions, the board did not adhere to requests to delay the decision.
Instead, Board Chair Vu expressed frustration with the commissioners.
“I resent the implication that we are taking marching orders from the city or the county commissions,” Vu said. “I also really resent a lot of the city folks, who are up for re-election now, commenting on this when it's their decades-long policies that have devastated the east side, that have caused the problem that we're in.”
Vu had to interrupt the meeting several times to request attendees remain quiet. During the discussion — particularly during speeches in favor of closing schools — community members spoke out, halting the meeting to provide their own input.
Middle school maps
The board approved the map for middle school rezoning changes Thursday. The map focuses primarily on rightsizing schools, or adjusting attendance to better manage capacity.
The rezoning plan calls for the conversion of three middle schools — Oak View, Lincoln and Mebane — into pre-K or kindergarten through eighth grade schools.
The Oak View conversion into a pre-K-8 will take effect this August. Construction for the new building is expected to be completed August 2028. The estimated cost is $32 million.
Facility additions include 25 classrooms and separate lunch rooms, media centers and clinics.
Lincoln K-8, which will teach former Williams Elementary School students, is projected to open August 2028. The estimated cost for renovations is $96 million, with $62 million for renovations to the middle school and $34 million to build a new elementary school building.
If the board had voted to close Irby Elementary School, Mebane pre-K-8 would be expected to open August 2028 with renovations totalling $65 million. It is unclear when Mebane K-8 will open – and how much renovations will cost – if Irby Elementary School stays open.
There is no provided information on the opening of Mebane K-8, as current proposals account for the closure of Irby Elementary School.
High school maps
Like the middle school level, the approved high school map focuses on adjusting boundary lines to rightsize schools.
At a Feb. 26 workshop, the board considered a “grandfathering in” technique, in which the high school maps would be slowly integrated into the system. Students could continue to attend their current schools, but incoming students would follow the new boundary lines.
When asked if the board will implement the technique, Vu said the new maps would instead affect all students starting next school year.
The map lowers enrollment of two overcrowded schools: Buchholz High School and Newberry High School, which currently operate at 115% and 111% capacity, respectively.
In turn, enrollment at Gainesville and Santa Fe High Schools, which are both operating slightly under capacity, will increase.
The board will receive input from district staff and community members April 29 to decide what will happen to Irby Elementary School. The district will begin working on staffing allocations, transportation and the preparation of facilities.
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.
