DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – Two Jacksonville council members shared their concerns Monday morning while discussing Duval County Public Schools’ plan to consolidate schools, but emphasized their focus on finding solutions through city-school board partnerships.
“I got to tell you... very disappointed,” Councilmember Ju’Coby Pittman said at the start of the meeting at City Hall.
Pittman was joined by Councilmember Jimmy Peluso, several school board members and city department representatives to address the planned merger of several schools.
The meeting came just days after Duval County Public Schools announced its consolidation plan.
The plan includes merging Mayport Elementary with Anchor Academy in the 2028–2029 school year.
It also calls for Long Branch Elementary to merge with R.L. Brown in 2027–2028, marking the second consolidation for R.L. Brown.
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District leaders approved these plans earlier this month, pointing to declining enrollment, reduced funding, and rising costs for the need to consolidate.
The district’s consolidation plan, which has been in place for more than a year, is set to help close its $1.4 billion budget gap.
The discussion at Monday’s meeting focused heavily on what some call “neighborhood schools” with long histories in their communities, but Pittman acknowledged the need to address the issues the school district is facing as well.
“We don’t want to just complain. We want to come up with a solution that is a win for the community because what matters to them matters to us,” Pittman said.
School Board Member Reginald Blount, who represents District 5, expressed his commitment to finding alternatives.
“I just want to work with the city to see what we can do to bring the enrollment up and keep the schools open,” he said.
Both Pittman and Peluso highlighted ongoing development projects that could impact low school enrollment, specifically referencing the Eastside Community Benefits Agreement as funding that could bring more housing and families to the area.
“Include us in the process and maybe we work together and try to keep that school open, especially if we know that we need new apartments,” Pittman urged, adding, “We’ve got to do this together. I don’t want us to do it separately.”
The council members discussed several potential solutions, including creating developer incentive programs, combining city and school board funding, expanding vocational programs, and integrating affordable housing initiatives.
Community members at the meeting voiced support for the collaborative approach.
During public comment, one resident said, “Give us a chance. Let us show you what we can do. If we come together collectively and independently. Take a chance on us.”
The meeting comes amid significant backlash from parents and state officials. State Representative Kimberly Daniels sent a three-page letter to the school board chair just days after approving consolidation plans.
The letter says the district closed or proposed closing schools despite reporting strong reserves.
Daniels said after reviewing the numbers, something doesn’t add up.
“We have to find out what happened, how this happened, and make sure that it never happens again. So I pray that even the attention that’s being brought to it will be enough to have people to have a forum so that folk can have a sigh of relief because sometimes people feel like their voice is not heard. And I just want them to know that their voice is heard and and and and we’re working on it and we’re demanding some answers,” Daniels said.
News4JAX recently spoke with Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier about where the consolidations stood.
“In the meantime, they’ve given me some instruction about continuing to work in the case of Anchor Academy. We’re gonna work with the federal grant and see whether we can get that money,” Bernier said. “In the case of the other, Board Member Willie has asked me to start engaging with him and the community to see what else we might be able to do between now and that closure day.”