Alachua County Public Schools presented its new comprehensive strategy, “Our Schools Future Ready,” to the school board at a Nov. 19 workshop, announcing a phased public engagement process that begins Dec. 4 and aims for possible board adoption of a final plan on March 12.

Kim Neal, the district project lead, told the board the effort will address declining enrollment and “right-size” schools and the district footprint while reviewing instructional and program quality to make Alachua County Public Schools “the place to choose.” Neal said the work is intended to produce both short-term actions for the 2026–27 school year and a longer-term strategic roadmap.

Kathy Ebaugh of consultant firm JV Pro said the initiative is purposely “comprehensive,” combining three components — facilities, instructional programming and boundary maps — rather than starting with maps. “We do not bring maps to the first round of engagement,” Ebaugh said; instead the team will first gather community input on values, program preferences and how families make school choices.

The engagement will include in-person open houses, student-focused discussions and an online portal that will mirror in-person activities. Ebaugh told the board, “Starting, on December 4, we will be kicking off an online engagement,” and that materials, draft maps and summaries will be posted there for anyone who cannot attend in person.

The project is organized in three phases: Phase 1 (gathering ideas and vision, December engagement events), Phase 2 (January–February drafting of proposed boundaries, programs and facilities strategies) and Phase 3 (final review and potential adoption). Neal said the team expects to present final reports and proposed maps to the board around Feb. 27 and to bring the plan to a board meeting on March 12 for adoption.

Project deliverables the presenters listed include summaries and analysis after each engagement round, guiding principles, enrollment and capacity data, program and transportation data, cost analysis and an implementation roadmap. Neal said district staff and stakeholder groups including union leaders and school principals have already been briefed on the process.

Board members asked operational questions about event schedules and materials; one member pointed out a misspelling on presentation slides and asked staff to correct it before public materials are released. Neal and JV Pro urged board members to act as champions for participation by encouraging constituents to use the online portal or attend one of the planned events.

The board will receive a compiled report and materials from each engagement round and will review a draft vision and guiding principles at a Jan. 12 board workshop before consideration of any final maps or adoption.

How this matters: The plan seeks to align facilities, programs and attendance zones with changing enrollment, and the schedule commits to at least one round of extensive public engagement before staff and consultants draft proposed boundaries and recommendations.