LARGO — Pinellas County Schools is postponing its second round of community meetings on proposed campus closures until after an Oct. 6 School Board workshop, giving board members more time to dig into family feedback and ask for new options.
Superintendent Kevin Hendrick announced the delay after Tuesday night’s board meeting, where parents packed the room to challenge several recommendations tied to the district’s Planning for Progress work. The proposals were not on the agenda, but public comment at the end of the meeting centered on which schools should close and how the district is picking them.
“It remains my strong recommendation that closures and consolidations must be considered for the district to maintain its financial health,” Hendrick said, according to Bay News 9.
Each school on the recommended closure and consolidation list was scheduled for two community meetings. The first round is done. The second had been expected next week; Hendrick said new dates will be announced in the coming days. He did not say Tuesday whether the shift would move the board’s expected Oct. 13 vote.
Board chair asks for a Woodlawn alternative to Sexton
Much of the pushback focused on John M. Sexton Elementary in St. Petersburg. Parents urged the board to keep the school open and questioned why it landed on the list.
District data shared in coverage shows Sexton has a higher utilization rate than at least 20 other Pinellas schools and recently received about $900,000 in renovations. The YMCA has also expressed interest in the property if the campus ultimately closes.
Parent Adriana Diaz said the concern is bigger than one neighborhood’s preference.
“It’s not just that we don’t want our school to close, it’s that the process may not be being followed and this should raise concerns for the board members voting on this as well. I don’t think there’s enough information for them to vote right now,” Diaz said.
School Board Chair Caprice Edmond asked the district to analyze a different scenario: close nearby Woodlawn Elementary, which has a lower utilization rate, and keep Sexton open.
“I would like to request an analysis of if Woodlawn was the school to close and Sexton remain open,” Edmond told fellow board members Tuesday. “This is based on community feedback, the age, and how many students it can hold.”
That request does not change the current recommendation on its own, but it gives the board another option to weigh before October.
Tarpon Springs families challenge a fundamental K-8 plan
Parents tied to Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary also spoke Tuesday. One Planning for Progress proposal would close Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary and Tarpon Springs Middle, then open a fundamental K-8 on the middle school campus.
Jonathan Tharin, who said three of his children attended the fundamental school, told the board he could not understand the option. John Moran, a parent of two former students, called it puzzling to put a top-performing fundamental school in a position of “basically closing.”
Jennifer McDonnell, a former Tarpon Springs Fundamental parent, said teachers, staff and the principal have been told they would not automatically transfer — they would have to reapply. She described a long family connection to the school and said she remains hopeful the board is still open to changes.
Board member Lisa Cane said she wants the staff process clarified at the Oct. 6 workshop, noting that many employees already involved are not clear on what would happen either.
Why the district says it needs closures
Hendrick has framed the recommendations around declining enrollment and campuses running well below capacity. He said having 45 schools below 60 percent capacity is not fiscally sustainable. District materials also cite building age and condition and operating costs among the factors under review.
Reaction at last week’s first-round community meetings was mixed, he said. No one wants to close schools, but birth rates and enrollment are expected to keep falling in the county.
Families and staff can follow the official Planning for Progress materials on the Pinellas County Schools website.
What happens next
The Oct. 6 workshop is the next major public checkpoint. Board members are expected to dig into alternatives — including Edmond’s Woodlawn-for-Sexton request — and into unanswered staff questions around Tarpon Springs Fundamental.
After that workshop, the district plans to resume the delayed second round of community meetings and still has an Oct. 13 vote on the calendar unless the board changes course.