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Board advances multiple rezoning proposals, delays Evergreen auxiliary reassignments pending more analysis
Summary
Staff presented targeted and relief rezoning options to address local overcrowding and the opening of a new high school (High School CCC). The board gave consensus to move several items to public hearings and asked staff for alternative maps and financial analyses; Evergreen auxiliary rezoning was deferred to 2027–28.
Marion County School Board members on Jan. 23 considered a set of rezoning proposals staff said are intended to relieve overcrowding and align students with new and expanded capacity.
Student assignment director Jeremy Ayers outlined three rezoning types — "technical, targeted, and relief" — and presented targeted rezoning options (a Shady Hollow area elementary rezoning, a Liberty‑Howard middle rezoning and the former Evergreen auxiliary zones) as well as relief rezoning tied to the district’s new southwest high school (High School CCC) scheduled to open in August 2026.
Shady Hollow elementary: Ayers told the board the Shady Hollow area south of the existing Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary walk zone contains 17 elementary students currently zoned for Saddlewood Elementary and recommended targeted rezoning to Dr. N.H. Jones. Ayers said a community meeting had been held on Sept. 11, 2024. The board expressed support for moving forward and, if the board grants consensus at the rule‑development stage, Ayers said a rule‑making public hearing would be scheduled for Feb. 25; if approved the rezoning would be effective for the 2025‑26 school year.
Liberty‑Howard middle: Ayers presented two Liberty zone areas that together contain 163 middle‑school students; he recommended targeted rezoning that would shift those students from Liberty Middle to Howard Middle after Liberty’s new 16‑classroom wing opens in August 2025. The board gave consensus to hold community input meetings in February and a rule‑development work session in March, with a public hearing tentatively planned for April and effective date of 2025‑26 if approved.
Former Evergreen auxiliary zones: Ayers recommended that changes to the former Evergreen auxiliary zones not be implemented for 2025‑26. Staff explained the auxiliary designation was created after Evergreen Elementary closed and that many families in the areas have already experienced multiple rezones. Ayers said the targeted rezoning for those auxiliary zones will instead be addressed for the 2027‑28 school year once former Evergreen students have moved out of elementary grades; the board accepted the recommendation to delay further action on the Evergreen auxiliary zone map.
High School CCC (relief rezoning and county‑wide high‑school boundary changes): staff presented renderings and a proposed attendance zone for the new High School CCC, which will open in August 2026 with capacity for 2,011 student stations and space to expand. Ayers said the proposed zone pulls students from Bellevue High, Dunnellon High and Westport High to help equalize enrollment. Board members discussed several follow‑up topics and asked staff for alternate map options on two points of sensitivity: (1) which parcels would shift from Forest High to Lake Weir High and whether any of those parcels would be within two miles of Forest High; and (2) whether the pocket of Westport‑zoned students reassigned to Dunnellon would leave households that are nevertheless closer to Westport.
Board direction and concerns: Board members pressed staff on transportation and safety for rezoned students (walking routes, crossing guards and lighting), the specific needs of special‑education students who receive routed transportation (the board asked how many special‑needs students in the auxiliary footprints are on routed buses and for average pickup/ride times), and the need to coordinate programmatic placement so students who rely on particular magnet or pathway programs can remain served where possible.
Financial and facility context: multiple board members asked finance and facilities staff to return with cost comparisons before approving any school off‑lining or consolidation (examples discussed publicly included the possibility of consolidating Anthony and Spar elementary capacity, repurposing Fessenden and Reddick campuses, and the potential for an "educator village" or community program hosted on an off‑lined site). Board members asked the finance office for a 10‑year fiscal projection showing operating cost impacts of building new wings, closing schools or repurposing campuses.
Next steps: Ayers said staff will provide alternative maps and distance checks and post them to the board portal; he was asked to upload two map options and to present them for board discussion on the board’s Jan. 28 meeting (Tuesday evening) so the board could reach consensus about a preferred map for public meetings. Staff will schedule community and stakeholder input meetings, followed by rule‑development work sessions and rule‑making public hearings; if the board approves individual rezonings those changes would be effective in the stated school year for each item (mostly 2025‑26 for targeted pieces and 2026‑27 for the new high school).
Ending: The board gave staff direction to refine maps and provide fiscal and transportation impact data; staff and the board scheduled additional briefings and community meetings before any final rule‑making votes.
