Superintendent urges action on underused facilities; proposes repurposing Wilkinson, selling The Landings and piloting middle-school reimagining

Superintendent Conner told the board the district must act now to maximize facility use, reimagine programming and protect public-school seats as the state's school-choice landscape changes. He outlined a phased proposal focused initially on four underutilized elementary schools in central county — Wilkinson, Alta Vista, Brentwood and Gulf Gate — and described options to repurpose Wilkinson and relocate district administrative offices.

Conner opened with context: births and enrollment shifts are producing lower student counts in some neighborhoods, and the expansion of the Florida Empowerment Scholarship (FES) program and the retooled "Schools of Hope" rules mean charter operators may seek to occupy underused public-school space. "Education is at a crossroads," Conner said, urging a proactive approach: identify capacity, place high-interest programs, and form partnerships to attract families.

Key proposals and rationale

- Phase 1 focus area: Superintendent Conner recommended beginning with Wilkinson Elementary, which he described as under 50 percent utilized, and rebalancing its zoned students to Alta Vista, Brentwood and Gulf Gate. Staff presented maps showing how splitting Wilkinson's boundary among those three schools could raise projected level-of-service figures into safer ranges and would allow Wilkinson to be vacated for district use or repurposing.

- The Landings (current district office): Staff presented deferred-maintenance estimates of roughly $63 million and said operating the facility costs about $600,000 per year. They estimated a market sale price between $14 million and $18 million and suggested the district could sell the property and lease back space during renovations or move district operations into a repurposed school facility such as Wilkinson.

- Middle-school reimagining: The district proposed piloting a Brookside Middle School reimagination using small learning communities and targeted programming to boost middle-level enrollment and make the district more competitive with charter and specialty offerings.

- Schools of Hope and DOE rule changes: General counsel and staff explained recent statutory changes and proposed Department of Education rule language. The district warned that the state's working definition of underused, vacant or surplus facilities and the School of Hope expansion could allow operators to locate outside historically low-performing attendance zones if the district is judged to have underused space. Staff said the DOE planned rulemaking and public comment and that the district is providing feedback.

Timeline and process: Staff said they would request a DOE spot survey, hold faculty and community meetings, create boundary advisory committees, and complete community engagement before any board action. The district also launched a parent survey open through Sept. 30 to collect community input on programming and middle-school experience; as of the workshop staff reported roughly 800 responses.

Board reaction: Board members voiced a mix of concern and support for acting promptly while preserving school identity and staff roles. Members urged thorough community engagement, careful communications and thoughtful transition plans for families. Several board members expressed particular interest in exploring sale or relocation of The Landings and emphasized the need for a multi-phased, transparent process.

Why this matters: The district faces fixed operational costs for school buildings even as enrollment declines in some attendance zones. Staff said proactively maximizing utilization and offering competitive programming are strategies to protect public-school seats, preserve resources and limit the appeal of external operators seeking district facilities under new state rules. No final board action to rezone or close schools was taken at the workshop; staff outlined next steps and planned further public meetings and required DOE spot surveys.