Pinellas County School Board considers closing schools due to low enrollment

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Pinellas County School District may be closing some schools. This comes after the school board received updated enrollment numbers this week.

The superintendent told board members that, due to a decline, they’ll have to talk about closing schools.

No schools have been named yet. The district says it will collect data and information and get public input. Then, they’ll make initial recommendations to the board on which schools to close in January.

“I felt the need to clarify (if) there will be school closures, and Superintendent Hendrick confirmed there will be a discussion about school closures,” said School Board Vice Chair Caprice Edmond. 

She said at the board workshop on Tuesday that she learned of the district’s plans to close some schools after reporting over 3,000 less students this year than last year.

“If there are fewer students, that’s less money, and you have to think about what that looks like, what efficiencies can occur, what things you can make better, while making those efficiencies,” said Edmond.

Lynn Beksha hopes the board focuses on what can be made better rather than closing schools. She understands the decision some parents make to pull their children out of public school. Her son, Jantis, is autistic and thrives homeschooling through Florida Virtual School, while her daughter, London, excels at Seminole Middle School.

“I would hope they would look for what we need to do differently, instead of what we need to eliminate, because if we’re closing these schools, that means these kids have to go somewhere and we already have overcrowding,” Beksha said.

Edmond shared slides from Tuesday’s workshop, showing a steady decline in student enrollment in recent years. She said it could be due to many things, including homeschooling like Jantis, but also the cost of living and a decline in birth rates. Ultimately, she said her primary concern is making sure families have a say in any decisions to close schools.

“We really do take pride in our schools. We have seen where some school changes have occurred and the outcome has been positive. I do just think that transparency piece is important and getting community feedback on next steps is vital,” said Edmond.

The district will be working with focus groups, conducting surveys and taking input from families from now until January, which is when they’ll announce any school closures.