Pinellas School Board votes 6-1 to close six schools; Sexton Elementary closure under reconsideration

The Pinellas County School Board voted 6-1 on Tuesday to close six schools and relocate or merge several others, putting the district's Planning for Progress plan into motion. Five elementary schools and Lealman Innovation Academy, a South County middle school, are slated to close.

One closure is not settled. WUSF reported that the plan to close Sexton Elementary is being reconsidered after community feedback, including an online petition to keep the school open that drew more than 1,200 signatures.

What the plan means for named schools

School	Status under the plan
Azalea, Blanton, Kings Highway, Bear Creek elementaries	Closing
Lealman Innovation Academy	Closing
Tarpon Springs Fundamental	Closes and relocates to Sunset Hills campus as expanded K-8 fundamental
Sunset Hills Elementary	Relocates to Tarpon Middle in 2027-2028, forming a K-8
Sexton Elementary	Closure being reconsidered
Bay Point Elementary and Bay Point Middle	Combining as Bay Point K-8

Source: wusf.org; pcsb.org

The Tarpon Springs changes drew the most opposition

Most of the more than 60 people who spoke during more than three hours of public comment asked the board to delay the Sunset Hills Elementary move. Under the plan, Sunset Hills is slated to relocate to Tarpon Middle in the 2027-2028 school year, forming a K-8 school.

Sunset Hills was not part of the original proposal. It was added about a week before the vote after residents worried about losing Tarpon Middle, the area's only zoned traditional neighborhood middle school. The earlier version would have moved Tarpon Springs Fundamental into Tarpon Middle; the updated plan instead sends the fundamental school to the vacated Sunset Hills campus as an expanded K-8 fundamental.

Tarpon Springs Fundamental has fewer than 300 students but long wait lists for some grades, and district leaders said the move would add about 200 seats. Sunset Hills parents criticized the district for not giving families enough time to weigh in and for putting the fundamental school's needs ahead of their traditional elementary. Parent Eileen Gomez told the board families need clear answers about safety, staffing, space for younger children and special education support before students move.

How the board voted

Board member Lisa Cane moved to postpone the vote. That motion failed, and she cast the lone no vote. Board member Eileen Long said the district had studied the reconfiguration for two years and warned that delays would make the financial problems much worse.

In a separate action reported by the district on Oct. 14, the board approved the name Bay Point K-8 for the new school that will combine Bay Point Elementary and Bay Point Middle.

Why the district says it is closing schools

Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said 45 county public schools are below 60% capacity and 41 elementary schools enroll fewer than 300 students.

Hendrick said the closures and consolidations could save $25 million a year and remove nearly 5,000 unused seats. The district has about 85,800 students now, and Hendrick has said economic research shows enrollment will eventually level off at 60,000.

What families can do now

The district said recommendation materials, FAQs, video overviews and a proposed zone school locator would be posted at www.pcsb.org/progress. Families at affected schools can use the locator to see which school their address would be zoned for under the plan.