Board leans toward revised ‘Option D’ rezoning plan after hours of public opposition

The Alachua County School Board moved March 3 to advance a revised “Option D” framework for its Our Schools: Future Ready rezoning plan after an extended public hearing that featured dozens of speakers urging delay or alternatives.

The board’s discussion followed a presentation from John Gilworth of JB Pro, who described updates requested at a recent workshop: consolidating Alachua and Irby into a K–8, reassigning neighborhoods to reduce the number of under‑capacity elementary schools from nine to five, and presenting options to relocate the Foster STEM magnet to Metcalfe or Rawlings to improve utilization. "What you're going to see tonight is an update from the meeting that we had last week," Gilworth said, summarizing staff and consultant work on capacity and neighborhood shifts.

Why it matters: speakers from East Gainesville and student groups said the plan risks losing neighborhood anchors and deepening inequities. Dozens of parents, students and local leaders accused the district and its contractor, JB Pro, of moving too quickly and not providing clear, accessible data for affected communities. Ryan Undine, a longtime local commenter, urged the board to require full disclosure of project communications and alleged conflicts of interest around JB Pro's contracting. "If any member of this board has any outside association with JB Pro, they should recuse themselves from voting," Undine said during public comment.

Board reaction centered on three types of concerns: (1) program placement and capacity math, (2) the effect on historic neighborhood schools (speakers referenced Williams, Foster, Lincoln and Alachua), and (3) the district’s financial and operational readiness to implement changes. Commissioner Ken Cornell, chair of the Alachua County Commission, asked the board to pause its March 12 decision and bring the plan to a joint body of local elected officials for additional input. "I would ask that you consider pausing your decision on March 12," Cornell said, citing county investments in east‑side development.

What the board asked staff to do: during deliberations board members coalesced around keeping the redrafted Option D as the working starting point but directed staff to return with the following before or at the March 12 meeting: (a) a clearer statement of the status of Duval Early Learning Center and confirmation that its current pre‑K/VPK role would remain; (b) analysis of zoning exceptions (how many are choice/school‑choice, which are grandfathered and how many affect over‑capacity schools such as Wiles and Chiles); (c) a plan to relocate the Foster STEM magnet to Metcalfe (staff estimated Metcalfe would rise to about 79% capacity with the magnet); and (d) concurrency information for neighborhoods expected to add students through approved development. Staff said interactive maps would be updated and shared.

Public comment highlights: speakers from across the city criticized transparency and timing. Parents and community members repeated concerns about walk zones, transportation safety and the fate of historic properties; some requested Williams Elementary land be returned to the family or converted into a community recreation site if a school were eventually closed. Students and advocates emphasized that rezoning affects daily life, friendships and trust in the district.

Next steps: staff said it will update the interactive map and return to the board with zoning‑exception data, magnet‑relocation implications, and concurrency forecasts. The board set a special meeting for March 12 to continue consideration of the plan.

The board’s discussion concluded with no final closures or formal adoption of the full plan on March 3; rather members set a narrower set of information requests and left Option D as the preferred working scenario pending the additional analysis.