Across the state, school districts are weighing the option of shutting down some public schools, largely due to low enrollment.
In Orange County, seven schools could be shut down next school year. Orange County Public School employees have been holding community meetings concerning each possible closing since Jan. 15.
At McCoy Elementary, families frustrated by the possible closing of their school expressed their concerns over things like where their kids would go to school and if busing would be an option.
One of those worried parents was Natalia Velez. She has an eight-year-old son, José, who is in the gifted program at McCoy Elementary.
"This is just confusing, stressing, and we're trying to make the best decision for our kids," Velez said.
Now, Velez is worried about José getting as good of an education at another school. According to the most recent state report card data, McCoy scored a B. The two schools that students at McCoy would go to, Shenandoah and Ventura, according to that same state report card data, scored a B and C.
At McCoy Elementary, Natalia Velez hugs her son José, a student in the gifted program with the school.
"I want my son to be challenged, and, you know, I don't want him to go to a school that is that has less I don't know," Velez said.
OCPS has cited declining birth rates and under enrollment as reasons for the possible closures, as well as things like more expensive housing in the surrounding areas.
Aside from McCoy, other elementary schools that might be closed include Bonneville, Orlo Vista, Chickasaw, Eccleston, and Meadow Woods along with Union Park Middle School.
Scott Howat, the Chief Communications Officer for Orange County Public School, said another factor is Florida's Universal Voucher school program.
"Right now, we're in a situation where policies in Tallahassee, declining enrollment that we've seen because of birth rates, because of non-housing turnover, all of those things play a factor," Howat said. "Those factors are beyond our control and what control we have is to be able to look at schools, look at enrollment, and see what we can do when it comes to consolidation."
Howat said he recognized why parents are upset, and said consolidation is never an easy conversation. However, he encouraged the community to provide feedback on the process and possible plans. OCPS has feedback forms and a petition for each school on its website.
"We'll take this feedback back, back, and we'll have another work session," Howat said. "We'll have a rural development meeting, which will be separate from that. Then there'll be a final board meeting in March."
All community input is due for all seven schools on Tuesday, January 27th at 7:30 a.m. The Orange County Public School Board will make a decision at its March 10 meeting.
However for parents like Courtney Williams, it feels like their input doesn't matter. She said the listening sessions from OCPS make it seem like the school isn't being considered, but that it will be consolidated.
At Eccleston Elementary in Orlando at a similar listening session to McCoy's, Williams said at one of the cafeteria tables as OCPS gave its presentation.
"I just feel like they just kind of made a decision already," Williams said. "That's what I feel like. I know that they say, we have to have a backup plan. We got to do this, we got to do that. But it sounds like to me, they kind of made that decision already. That's what it sounds like. I could be wrong. I hope not. I hope that they really keep the school, and it's a historic school. I always kind of wanted to go here too when I was growing up."
Above all, Williams said her biggest concern if Eccleston closes, is that her son could be walking to an entirely different school in unfamiliar territory.
"Where I live at you know, he can cut through the neighborhoods and things like that," Williams said. "I'm blessed to have someone some days to take him, and I can take him too, but he is a walker, though."
OCPS will only provide transportation if students zoned for a particular school live outside of a two mile radius. If William's son now has to go to Washington Shores, about 1.5 miles away from his current school, it would be an entirely new route and he would have to cross a busy four way intersection.
"Depending on which way they take they have to come up Bruton and then come up what is that Columbia and those cars that's a four lane, that's a four lane Street…Like it's dangerous," Williams said.
Howat said as far as transportation, if consolidation does happen, new routes will be evaluated for the safety of those students who walk, bike or scooter to school. If a parent wanted to provide input or was concerned about the walkability of the potentially new routes, they can contact the transportation office at OCPS.
"There'll be an assessment and say, 'Okay, we need a four way stop here for individuals to cross, and we'll put two crossing guards here to do it.'" Howat said. "It really does adjust based on what the walking needs are or the biking needs are of the community."
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