JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The State Board of Education on Thursday approved Duval County's plan to improve three low-performing schools, but delayed a vote on a plan to convert two Duval County schools into specialty schools.
Hyde Grove Elementary School is set to become an early learning center and Oak Hill Elementary School is to become a center for students with autism.
Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti has until Aug. 15 -- the first day of school -- to say how he's going to address the board's questions on the placement of students currently attending Hyde Grove and Oak Hill.
“Plans to convert are intact,” Vitti said in a statement. “The State Board gave the district a month to clarify our plan. They deferred the vote until next month so we can provide more documentation and information regarding the way in which students were assigned after the closure and conversion.”
Vitti said the families affected got a letter telling them they have 45 other schools to choose from with transportation provided.
"A lot of the schools have been historically low performing D and F schools. The schools in particular have seen low enrollment, low utilization," Vitti said. "Many parents have been opting out of the schools for magnet schools and charter schools, and we thought that it was time to do something different programmatically at the schools."
Vitti also recommended curriculum changes and additional professional development for teachers at Ribault, Gilbert and Northwestern Middle Schools, all D-schools that could close if they don't improve to at least a C grade in two years.
When schools receive too many D and F grades, districts tell the state how they’ll go about improving them, called a “Turnaround Plan.”
Vitti told WJCT News that if the schools don’t get at least a C, “We would then after the 17-18 year have to close the school, convert it to a charter or hire an external management company to run the school.”
Vitti said the best option for the schools is called a “hybrid model.” The district will change its curriculum to be more aligned with Common Core standards, and a national nonprofit called The New Teacher Project will offer teachers training, WJCT News reports.
“We feel one of the gaps that we have at the three middle schools is just teaching to the rigor of the standards, even with students that are below grade level and offering high-level professional development to work with our teachers,” Vitti said.
The district's used the nonprofit for leadership development in the past. These new services would cost the district about $95,000 per school from its budget, plus a $300,000 grant.
Vitti said he’s confident the schools will get to a C or higher. Ten out of 11 of the district's low-performing schools improved at least a letter grade this year and six improved to at least a C.
Parents with questions about how this might affect their students can call the DCPS Choice Office at 904-390-2144 or 904-390-2082.