In Jacksonville, Florida, parents are actively engaging in discussions about the educational paths available to their children. This town hall was an opportunity for them to share their thoughts and hear directly from district leaders.

Hosted by District 5 School Board Member Reginald Blount alongside Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier, the meeting aimed to address both the successes and challenges facing the district, particularly in terms of finances and student numbers.

School officials revealed that classrooms in Duval County are seeing fewer students, a trend that demands careful consideration and strategic planning for the future.

Many parents, including Leesa Askew, attended the District 5 town hall to ensure their voices were heard and to gain insight into the upcoming steps for the schools in their area.

“I thought he was very transparent and it really brought things to light,” said Leesa Askew, parent of a student at James Weldon Johnson College Prep. 

The town hall was hosted by District 5 School Board Member Reginald Blount and Superintendent Dr. Bernier, who laid out recent successes like 100% of schools in District 5 earning A, B  or C ratings.

They also explained challenges the district is facing, like declining enrollment. Statistics show enrollment across Duval County dropped 11% over the last 10 years, while school capacity has only fallen 4%. That means 24 schools are operating at less than half capacity, driving up costs. 

To address these challenges, school leaders say school closures and consolidations are inevitable. 

“There are some consolidations that need to happen,” said Dr. Bernier, “We provided some facts and figures tonight as to why they do. When you have only $8000 a student, which is a great number to educate students with, but your building costs $11,000 per student to operate, business decisions have to be made. No one wants to lose their school.”

For Blount, his focus remains on transparency and hearing community feedback before making crucial decisions.

“We’re running into very tough financial issues. No one wants to close schools, not the superintendent, not the board, so we’re having to make tough decisions and that’s why we’re here tonight, just to get the neighborhood’s input.

“Really get involved with your PTAs, come to school board meetings, town halls,” said Askew, “I think it was a really great forum that our school board member had as well as Dr Bernier, to really be here and be accessible to all the parents in the community.

Board member Blount tells First Coast News that parents should expect to get a newsletter in the near future.

Parents and community members will also be able to come out and have their voices heard at Tuesday’s regular school board meeting at DCPS headquarters at 6 p.m.years-long