Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier initially recommended these consolidations, but the timeline for Anchor Academy and Mayport Elementary has now been shifted to the 2028-29 academic year. This delay is to allow the district to explore acquiring a military grant, which could be used either to construct a new school facility or to renovate the existing ones.

Meanwhile, the consolidation of Long Branch and R.L. Brown will now take place in the 2027-28 school year. This postponement is intended to provide more time for engaging with the community and ensuring that stakeholders have ample opportunity to participate in discussions regarding the future of these schools.

The Duval County School Board voted to postpone the consolidation of Anchor Academy and Mayport Elementary to the 2028-29 school year as the district pursues a military grant for either a new school building or renovations.

As for Long Branch and R.L. Brown, their consolidation was approved, but pushed back to the 2027-28 school year to allow more time for community conversations.

According to the district, all four schools have been underutilized, costing the district money.

R.L. Brown just went through a consolidation last year and Board Member Darryl Willie said asking families to go through this back-to-back is unfair. 

Parents, students, community members and even council members packed the board meeting, pleading with the district to stop closing neighborhood schools.

“Has anybody ever thought about asking these kids how they would feel,” said one R.L. Brown parent. ” Are we just worried about where the money is going?”

“We should stop closing schools because it rips apart family and friends,” said Ben Brown, a former R.V. Daniels Elementary student.

“Long Branch isn’t just a school. It’s the heartbeat of the community,” said James Coleman, community mentor.

“You never make a permanent decision based off temporary circumstances,” said Travis Williams, President and CEO of LIFTJAX.

“Every closure tears at the fabric of a neighborhood that’s already struggling with displacement, poverty and underinvestment,” said Jacksonville City Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman.

Duval County School Board member April Carney is hopeful that the district will be awarded a Department of Defense grant that could help build a new, consolidated school in the largely military community or fund renovations at Anchor Academy.

The board agreed to postpone Anchor and Mayport’s consolidation so the district can apply for that funding and wait to see if it is approved.