Okaloosa School Board schedules hearing on proposal to close Mary Esther, Longwood Elementary Schools
NICEVILLE — The Okaloosa County School Board on Monday voted to schedule a public hearing on a proposal that could close Mary Esther Elementary School and Longwood Elementary School at the end of the 2025–26 academic year, a move district leaders say is driven by sustained enrollment losses, rising fixed costs and structural limits in Florida’s public school funding system.
The public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 23, with a final vote expected that evening. If approved, students from the two campuses would be rezoned to other elementary schools in southern Okaloosa County at the beginning of the next school year.
Superintendent Marcus Chambers told board members and the public that the district has exhausted most alternatives after cutting more than $22 million from its operating budget over the past two years.
“This is not about a building,” Chambers said as he opened the discussion. “It’s about a community, a sense of home, families and students whose lives have been shaped within those walls. And this is not easy.”
A decision shaped by finances and personal history
Chambers acknowledged his personal connection to Longwood Elementary, where he once served as principal, and the deep roots many families have to Mary Esther Elementary.
“Some of you who are here tonight attended Mary Esther as students,” he said. “None of that is to be glossed over.”
Still, he said, the proposal is rooted in financial realities the district can no longer absorb.
Over the past two years, Okaloosa County Schools has reduced staffing, restructured departments, adjusted employee health insurance and made other cuts tied directly to declining enrollment, resulting in more than $22 million in budget reductions.
“The next two budget cycles are projected to be even more challenging than the last two,” Chambers said.
Funding increases fail to keep pace with costs
This year, Florida increased the base student allocation, the per-student funding that drives most district revenue, by $41.62. Chambers said state-mandated expenses quickly eclipsed that amount.
“When you look at the state-mandated increase in retirement, that’s already $33 per student,” he said. “Property insurance is $7.94 per student.”
Before accounting for textbooks, utilities or classroom supplies, the district is already operating at a deficit.
“That’s a deficit of $66.85 right off the bat,” Chambers said.
To maintain current operations, the district would need an additional $342 per student in base funding.
“We’re receiving $41.62,” Chambers said.
State-mandated textbook adoptions this year will cost the district about $6 million for English Language Arts alone, while Okaloosa County will receive roughly $1.8 million in textbook funding after charter school allocations.
Enrollment decline accelerates in southern Okaloosa
Assistant Superintendent John Spolski presented enrollment data showing elementary schools in southern Okaloosa County have lost more than 1,200 students over the past decade, a nearly 19% decline.
Mary Esther Elementary currently enrolls about 400 students, down from roughly 620 in 2018. Longwood Elementary has similar enrollment figures.
District officials initially projected enrollment would decline by about 450 students this school year. Instead, enrollment dropped by nearly 1,000.
“We have a tale of two regions,” Spolski said. “Everything north of the Shoal River is experiencing growth. The south end is experiencing significant decline.”
Projections through 2034 show the north end of the county gaining more than 850 elementary students, while the central and southern zones are expected to lose roughly 1,100.
District officials also noted that both schools serve large numbers of military-connected families, whose frequent relocations contribute to enrollment volatility, particularly at the elementary level.
School choice, scholarships and legislative response
Chambers and several board members pointed to Florida’s expanded school-choice scholarship programs as a significant factor contributing to enrollment losses.
In Okaloosa County, about 5,000 families currently use education scholarships, Chambers said. Of those, approximately 3,500 students never attended district schools.
“That’s about $45 million coming in and then flowing right back out,” Chambers said.
The issue has drawn statewide attention following a recent operational audit of 2024–25 school funding that found weaknesses in tracking scholarship students and payments.
In response, State Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Crestview, filed Senate Bill 318, which would overhaul Florida’s school-choice scholarship system by separating scholarship funding from the public-school formula, improving enrollment verification, shifting payments to a monthly schedule and expanding audit requirements.
School Board Member Parker Destin cautioned that the district cannot base immediate decisions on legislation that has not yet taken effect.
“We have to deal with the system as it exists today,” Destin said. “If you don’t have children at the desks, that money shrinks.”
Chambers also addressed public frustration over continued construction projects and athletic field upgrades while schools face closure.
“There are different pots of money,” he said. “You cannot spend capital dollars on anything other than what state statute allows.”
Capital funding, including revenue from the voter-approved half-cent sales tax, can only be used for construction, renovations, buses, technology and debt service, not teacher salaries or operating expenses.
General fund dollars cover staff pay, benefits, instructional materials, utilities and daily operations.
“We cannot use capital dollars for teacher raises,” Chambers said. “We have audits that dictate exactly how those dollars are spent.”
Board members cite legal and fiscal responsibility
Several board members said the decision, while painful, is constrained by law.
“We are required to have a balanced budget,” said board member Lamar White. “You cannot operate a school with empty seats because you don’t have the revenue.”
Board member Tim Bryant said the proposal was among the most difficult decisions the board faces.
“If we don’t address it now, it only gets worse,” Bryant said.
Board member Brett Hinely said the pace of the enrollment decline was striking.
“I did not expect it to happen this fast,” Hinely said. “But the numbers are the numbers.”
School Board Chair Linda Evanchyk pushed back against suggestions that students were being reduced to statistics.
“Never in 38 years did I ever consider one of my students a data point,” Evanchyk said. “This is personal for us too.”
Community concerns and staff assurances
During public comment, parents, teachers and city leaders urged the board to slow the process and consider the broader impact on students and neighborhoods.
Mary Esther Mayor Chris Stein, who attended Mary Esther Elementary as a child, called the school central to the city’s identity.
“Mary Esther school was one center point,” Stein said. “The other is the library.”
City Manager Jared Cobb said the city’s community vision plan identified the school as a cornerstone of local character.
“A decision of this magnitude deserves a process that matches its weight,” Cobb said.
District teacher Kenley Wise urged the board to consider the stability schools provide for young students.
“These kids need stability,” Wise said. “They need adults who know them.”
Mary Esther parent Nicole Potter echoed that concern.
“My son is not a data point,” Potter said. “He is a child who is known, supported and loved at that school.”
District officials also sought to reassure employees. Dusha Ross, the district’s external reporting director, said staff in good standing would have positions for the 2026–27 school year.
“Our employees are our greatest resource,” Ross said. “Those employees who are in good standing will have positions.”
What happens next
No final decision has been made on the closure of Mary Esther or Longwood elementary schools. The board’s unanimous vote Monday authorized a public hearing on Feb. 23, when a final vote could occur.
District officials said students would be rezoned to nearby schools with available capacity and that transportation plans are still being evaluated.
The district has not yet determined how the Mary Esther or Longwood buildings would be used if the schools close.
Chambers closed the meeting by acknowledging the emotion surrounding the proposal.
“I understand the anger. I understand the sadness,” he said. “This is not something any of us want to do.”
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