JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Some Duval County families are calling on school board members to vote against hiring a construction company to build the new Venetia Elementary School, saying they still have unanswered questions about its size, traffic impact, and which students will eventually attend.

Duval County Public Schools’ current plan would combine students from Venetia and Ortega elementary schools at the new campus, bringing together a total of about 700 students.

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However, the new school is planned to accommodate up to 1,200 students. That additional capacity has led some Stockton Elementary families to worry their students could eventually be moved to the new campus as part of another school merger.

“We’re not being told what’s happening, and we’ve asked for an independent traffic study,” Laura Garcia said. “We’ve asked who’s going in this school. Ortega Elementary and Venetia Elementary only make up 600 kids. Where are the other 600 coming from?”

Garcia and Nick Gieschean are among the neighbors calling on school board members to vote no on the construction contract. Organizers taped flyers to doors in the neighborhood and encouraged community members to speak during the meeting’s public comment period.

“We’re not getting answers, but now we’re getting a construction contract passed,” Garcia said.

Neighbors are also pushing for an independent traffic study because they worry a school built for 1,200 students would overwhelm the surrounding neighborhood and add more traffic to an already busy Roosevelt Boulevard.

“This spills out onto Roosevelt,” Garcia said. “Roosevelt Boulevard is one of the most dangerous highways in Jacksonville. And around the same time this school gets out, we have thousands, literally thousands, of employees leaving NAS Jacksonville.”

Garcia said anyone familiar with the area knows how congested Roosevelt Boulevard can become between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays.

Neighbors also worry additional school traffic could make it more difficult for emergency crews to reach the adjacent senior condominium community.

Gieschean said residents have not been given enough information to determine whether the district is addressing those concerns.

“These are the concerns we have, and if they’re addressing them, we certainly can’t tell,” Gieschean said. “They haven’t disclosed anything to us. The lack of transparency is incredible.”

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He is calling on the district to study how much traffic the proposed school could generate and whether a campus of that size is appropriate for the community.

“Do the traffic study. See if this size school will fit here,” Gieschean said. “We don’t think this size is right to begin with, but at least figure out what will actually fit the community.”

Gieschean also questioned why the district would move students from another school to the new campus.

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“Why tear it down? Or why move that population over here?” he said. “We just don’t understand.”

All seven school board members were contacted by email and asked whether they would consider the neighbors’ request. Only school board member Melody Bolduc responded, saying, “Of course!”

Neighbors say they will continue pushing for answers before final decisions are made.

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