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Public urges board to reconsider Mary Esther Elementary closure; district says enrollment, not land value, drives decisions
Summary
At the Feb. 9 workshop a community member urged the board not to close Mary Esther Elementary, calling attention to its Title I population and suggesting the Schools of Hope option; the district responded that closure considerations are enrollment-based and that capital-asset sale proceeds are restricted to capital funds.
A Mary Esther community member spoke at the Okaloosa County School Board workshop on Feb. 9 to urge the board to reconsider a possible vote to close Mary Esther Elementary, a Title I school the speaker said serves a largely low‑income population.
Cynthia West told the board she had researched district funding, facilities and state policy and asked the board: “If this were a higher income school sitting on a less valuable land, would this closure even be under consideration?” West said the…
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