Alachua County Public Schools faces challenges ahead of the opening of Oak View K-8 School in August.
In an April letter, Newberry expressed concerns with temporary buildings, traffic and public utilities ahead of the Oak View K-8 School conversion. The district disputed the claims in a letter Friday.
The district plans to convert Oak View Middle School into a pre-K through eighth grade school ahead of the 2026-27 school year. The conversion aligns with Newberry Elementary School’s conversion into a charter school starting this fall.
To quickly accommodate the influx, temporary modular buildings will be moved onto campus to house pre-K through fifth grade students. The district will work to expand the school’s infrastructure in the meantime, creating new wings for elementary school students within two to three years.
In an April 29 letter, Newberry Mayor Tim Marden shared concerns about the expansion of Oak View Middle School into a pre-K through eighth grade school. Marden said the city won’t approve the district’s portables and expressed concerns with traffic and public utilities.
Marden told The Alligator last April he supports converting all three Newberry schools — Newberry Elementary School, Oak View Middle School and Newberry High School — into charter schools.
The district received Marden’s letter May 12. The district issued its own letter just three days later. Signed by Superintendent Kamela Patton and shared by ACPS spokesperson Jackie Johsnon, the letter challenges Marden’s claims.
According to the letter and Florida law, ACPS doesn’t need approval from the city to place temporary buildings at the school.
These buildings will be installed to accommodate the 200 pre-K through fifth grade students the district anticipates for the coming school year.
The modular buildings have a capacity of up to 406 students to accommodate future growth.
Despite the additional 200 students anticipated on campus, the district said the “project’s traffic impact is minimal,” making a traffic study unnecessary
Instead, the district requested Newberry officials, in compliance with Florida law, conduct a study to identify hazardous walking conditions within a two-mile radius of the school.
These hazardous conditions include sidewalks less than 4 feet from the road they run next to.
If the study finds a hazardous path, the law requires the school board provide transportation for impacted students while the condition is corrected “within a reasonable period of time.”
ACPS also addressed Marden’s public utilities concerns. The district said it’s been working with Newberry officials and the Suwannee River Water Management District since February to ensure designs comply with public utilities standards.
Despite Newberry’s challenges, ACPS said it will continue to work toward opening an expanded Oak View K-8 School this fall.
Contact Grace Larson at glarson@alligator.org. Follow her on X @graceellarson.
Grace Larson is a second-year journalism student and this summer's metro editor. She previously worked as city/county commission reporter and K-12 education reporter for The Alligator. When she's not editing stories, Grace enjoys running, weightlifting and going on random side quests. If she's not at her desk, you can find her at any place offering free food and crafts.
