PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County Schools continues to solicit feedback to see how best to move forward with closing and consolidating schools.
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The school board discussed what it calls Planning for Progress at a school board workshop Tuesday, along with the reasons behind the community meetings.
The district said student enrollment has decreased across the county, largely because of declining birth rates and the cost of living. Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said there has been a decline of 20,000 students since fiscal year 2016-17.
Feedback from in-person sessions and an online survey could shed light on the future of the school district.
About 600 people attended recent meetings, and so far, 1,000 surveys have been completed.
“What that feedback is going to do, it’s going to help them tailor the recommendations that they provide to the board,” said Pinellas County School Board Chair Caprice Edmond. “Once the board received those recommendations, those will become publicly available, and the community can provide additional feedback.”
The survey is available online until Friday.
Edmond shared what she learned attending sessions in St. Petersburg.
“Families would like smaller classrooms. Some mentioned additional K-8,” she said.
Participants were also asked about childcare, technical schools, how to reimagine a vacant campus and school size.
While some board members said they are hearing people appreciate transparency, others said there is room for improvement.
As far as a timeline for the recommendations, proposals will be brought to the board and voted on in the fall.
Approved recommendations are expected to be implemented next spring.