Gainesville and Alachua County commissioners requested delays in Alachua County Public Schools’ rezoning plans in a joint meeting Monday.
The current maps propose the closure of Williams, Foster, Irby and Alachua Elementary Schools. The school board is scheduled to vote on the maps at a special meeting Thursday.
The county commission highlighted growth and development in cities like Alachua, expressing the need for the school board to look ahead and prepare for more students in the future.
Alachua County Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler expressed concerns with closing schools in Alachua, which she called a growing city.
The city of Alachua’s population increased roughly 21% from about 9,000 in 2010 to an estimated 10,856 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The school board proposed the closure of Alachua and Irby Elementary Schools at a Feb. 26 workshop, combining the two schools with Mebane Middle School to create a kindergarten through eighth grade school by August 2028.
“We've got growth in Alachua,” Wheeler said. “I would like to know what you're going to be doing with those elementary schools if you close them down? … Can we keep them viable, or at least available in that population?”
School district personnel were unsure of what would happen to the vacant properties or if they would be preserved as schools.
Kim Neal, the director of full-time enrollment and state reporting, said the renovated Mebane K-8 School would feature future building opportunities to accommodate any growth.
When asked how expensive the renovations would be, district workers said the information would be provided at a later date.
Alachua County Commission Chair Ken Cornell took the opportunity to ask the board to delay the decision-making process.
“What I hope that comes out of today is that you hear us ask to just slow down a little bit — not stop the process — but continue to listen and take input,” Cornell said.
Cornell, along with other Gainesville and Alachua County commissioners, expressed the desire to be more involved in the school board’s rezoning planning process.
The district hosted an elected officials meeting Feb. 6, and each commission sent one representative to attend. Mayor Harvey Ward said the commissions didn’t know all elected officials could attend the meeting.
“We did not understand the full import of what those meetings were, what they were going to address,” Ward said. “There was absolutely not time for them to effectively meet with the entire Gainesville City Commission.”
The commission did not receive early enough notice, he said, citing they only had a few days to prepare.
Still, Ward stressed the importance of all local governments being involved.
“Every time any of us as civic institutions make a decision, it has planning impacts on the other institutions,” Ward said. “Two or three or four months is not enough lead-in for us to prepare for those impacts."
It is unclear if the board will delay the process. It’s currently scheduled to vote on the maps in a special meeting Thursday.
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.
