Residents, alumni and clergy press school board to preserve historic Fessenden; criticize short notice for community meetings

Ocala — Dozens of residents, alumni and local clergy used the public-comment portion of the Marion County School Board’s March 25 meeting to urge the board to preserve Fessenden Elementary School and to criticize the district’s outreach about upcoming community meetings.

Several speakers said the district’s notice process left parents and community members little time to prepare. “These meetings are going to take place on Wednesday, March and on Thursday, March. Now there’s very little time for the community, the parents, the students, and the teachers to come together and collect their thoughts,” said Reverend Leroy Chandler during public comment. Chandler described Fessenden as a long-standing local institution: “For over 157 years, Fessenden has been the educational facility that has provided these attributes for both its students and its teachers.”

The concern over notification echoed across speakers. Pastor Mikael James said notices sent March 14 reached families on spring break and were not posted promptly to the district’s website. “Giving families no really time to really process the information or the school staff to make sure that the families got that information,” he told the board. Sondra Brown Henderson, a longtime educator and community member, told the board she had found no evidence that Fessenden met standard closure criteria such as low test scores, unsafe conditions, or budget shortfalls and urged more transparency on the data behind any decision. “If it is not meeting the criteria … then what’s really the reason why it’s being closed?” she asked.

Multiple speakers also warned about the practical effect on families if a school closes. Jeanne Derrough, speaking on behalf of constituents in Congressional District 6, said moving students farther from home would disrupt families who walk children to school: “When you send those children by bus somewhere much further away, you are disconnecting their families from taking part in their education.”

District staff and board members acknowledged the criticisms. Superintendent Diane Gullett (presented in the meeting as Doctor Gullett) said the district had distributed notice materials on March 14 and that some project and permitting updates had been shared earlier with the board; she also agreed to follow up on how notices were posted and on the schedule for community meetings. Several board members called for a reset of communications procedures so affected neighborhoods receive timely, multi-channel notice.

Board members described a timeline the board had previously discussed: the earliest formal decisions about school realignment in the Northside area were expected to affect the 2026–27 school year, not the immediate term. Dr. Sarah James, a board member, said the board had previously agreed not to enact changes for next school year and reiterated that any ultimate proposals would include multiple community meetings and additional public review.

The public comments at the March 25 meeting focused attention on three named schools in north Ocala — Fessenden, Anthony and Reddick/Redick-area (sometimes referenced as Reddick Collier in district materials) — and on how the district notifies families and community stakeholders. Speakers demanded clearer timelines, full disclosure of the data behind any closure proposals, and more accessible meeting locations (many asked that meetings be held at the affected campuses rather than at secondary schools).

The board did not take any vote on school closures at the March 25 meeting. Several members said they would reconvene community engagement sessions with broader outreach and longer lead time so parents, staff and neighbors could attend and offer input.

Ending — Board next steps: Board members said they expect the facilities and communications teams to reissue meeting notices with at least three weeks’ lead time for repeat sessions targeted to affected campuses and constituencies; dates and formats were not finalized at the March 25 meeting.