Thanks to a change in state law, Evergreen Elementary School in Marion County may be forced to close for the 2018-2019 school year, officials said.
Instead of districts getting three years to turn around struggling schools, they now have only two years.
Evergreen Elementary School is currently in the second year of its three-year plan and thanks to the change in state law, it is now running out of time.
It is likely that the school will close, officials said.
With that the most likely result, parents were preparing to send their children to other schools.
It is going to be a struggle to find one that fits her children’s needs, parent Britni Kenny said.
“I have one in gifted and one in needs, and they have been in three schools in the past three years in Marion County,” Kenny said. “I just think it’s ridiculous.”
Marion County Schools spokesman Kevin Christian said if the school wasn’t closed, the state would step in.
“We had to do something, or basically turn the school over to the state, and I don’t think that’s what anyone here wanted to do,” he said. “The district has tried through multiple administrations to really resolve (the school’s issues). We’ve given teachers signing bonuses to go to that school and teach, and that hasn’t paid off in the long run.”
Teachers at Evergreen Elementary School will not lose their jobs, but will be transferred to other schools, Christian said.
“The plan is to basically take those staff members and they will basically follow the students,” he said. “The students will be reassigned to other schools.”
Kenny was still deciding what she would do with her children for the next school year.
“I may home-school my special needs son, and the other, I’m not sure,” she said.
The Marion County School Board will vote on the future of Evergreen Elementary School later in the month.
Cox Media Group
