Kings Highway closure vote stays on Oct. 13 as Pinellas revises school plan

Kings Highway Elementary in Clearwater still faces a potential closure as the Pinellas County School Board prepares to vote Tuesday, Oct. 13, despite revisions to the district's consolidation plan that removed another elementary school from consideration.

Superintendent Kevin Hendrick announced changes to his Planning for Progress recommendations during a board workshop Tuesday, Oct. 6. The revisions removed Sexton Elementary in St. Petersburg from the Oct. 13 closure vote and introduced a new proposal to establish two K-8 schools in Tarpon Springs.

Closure proposals for Kings Highway, Lealman Innovation Academy, Blanton Elementary and Bear Creek Elementary remain scheduled for board consideration.

The revisions followed weeks of opposition from families concerned about school closures, enrollment changes and the long-term future of their neighborhood campuses.

District seeks $25 million in annual savings

Planning for Progress aims to save approximately $25 million annually by consolidating underused schools and reducing operating costs.

The district has approximately 45,000 vacant student seats. Hendrick told Fox 13 that a 25% decline in local birth rates over 35 years contributed to the enrollment challenges.

Community opposition has influenced parts of the proposal. A Change.org petition opposing Sexton's closure had collected more than 1,000 signatures by the Sept. 22 board meeting, while Tarpon Springs parents developed an alternative consolidation plan that district officials largely incorporated into their revised recommendations.

Sexton Elementary removed from October vote

Sexton Elementary will remain open for now as district officials continue reviewing the proposal and meeting with families. Its removal from the Oct. 13 vote does not constitute a permanent decision to keep the school open.

Parents questioned why Sexton was targeted for closure when some nearby schools have lower enrollment.

At the Sept. 22 board meeting, School Board Chair Caprice Edmond requested an analysis of closing Woodlawn Elementary instead of Sexton, according to St. Pete Catalyst.

Sarah Henley, a Sexton parent, described a "glimmer of hope" during the Oct. 6 workshop after board members raised concerns similar to those expressed by families.

Henley said parents wanted to understand the district's long-term plans rather than accept a short-term solution.

Tarpon Springs parents help reshape K-8 proposal

District officials also revised their consolidation plans for Tarpon Springs following organized opposition from parents.

The original proposal called for closing Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary and Tarpon Springs Middle School and combining their programs into a fundamental K-8 school at the existing middle school campus.

Parents from the three affected schools developed an alternative that would establish two separate K-8 campuses.

Under the revised proposal, the district would establish a neighborhood K-8 school at the current Sunset Hills Elementary campus and a fundamental K-8 school at the existing Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary campus, Bay News 9 reported.

Megan Delgado, a Tarpon Springs Fundamental parent, welcomed the revisions.

"We worked really hard as a Tarpon community as a whole … So we're very excited they listened," Delgado said during the workshop.

Kings Highway closure remains on Oct. 13 agenda

Despite the changes elsewhere in the district, Kings Highway Elementary remains among the schools facing a closure vote Oct. 13.

The Clearwater magnet school enrolls approximately 277 students. Under the district's proposal, Kings Highway would close at the end of the 2026-27 school year.

As the Clearwater Sentinel reported Oct. 5, Kings Highway families had an opportunity to address board members ahead of the scheduled decision.

The board will also consider closure proposals involving Lealman Innovation Academy, Blanton Elementary and Bear Creek Elementary.

Any related school attendance boundary changes will be considered at a separate, future meeting.

The Oct. 13 School Board meeting begins at 5 p.m. at the Pinellas County Schools Administration Building, 301 Fourth St. SW, Largo.