JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two Jacksonville City Council members met with Duval County School Board members to discuss how the city and the district can collaborate to prevent further neighborhood school closures.

City Council Members Ju’Coby Pittman and Jimmy Peluso held the meeting just weeks after Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier recommended another round of school consolidations, including a proposal to merge R.L. Brown Elementary and Long Branch Elementary in 2027.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE

Both Pittman and Peluso represent districts that have already been impacted by past consolidations.

Peluso placed much of the blame on state lawmakers, saying funding decisions in Tallahassee have hurt public education across Florida, and especially in Duval County.

“The state legislature has completely eviscerated public education in this state, and they have gone after counties like Duval County,” Peluso said. “It’s evident.”

Pittman said her biggest concern is the lack of involvement from city leaders when closure decisions are made.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

“Understanding when you guys close a school, why can’t we, the council members, be involved in the process?” Pittman asked during the meeting.

She also pointed specifically to Long Branch Elementary, saying recent progress at the school isn’t being fully recognized.

“I feel bad about Long Branch because they’ve come so far,” Pittman said. “It’s kind of like the achievements that they’ve made… they’re not really being recognized for it.”

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

School Board Member Darryl Willie acknowledged the impact closures have on families but said declining enrollment continues to strain the district’s budget. He pointed to increased interest in school choice options as one of the drivers pulling students away from traditional public schools, leaving some campuses operating with significant enrollment deficits.

“I think there’s an opportunity for us to both work together and figure things out,” Willie said. “At the end of the day, it’s about … we have to have the dollars to be able to support the students, not only in that school, but in the other schools.”

Pittman said she has a meeting planned with Bernier in the coming weeks. Both she and Peluso say they hope those conversations can lead to a partnership between the city and the school district to save R.L. Brown and Long Branch Elementary before 2027.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.

Action News Jax Top Stories