Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary is one of seven Pinellas County schools slated for closure. The school board votes Tuesday, Oct. 13, giving Palm Harbor and Dunedin families less than a month to weigh in.

Superintendent Kevin Hendrick faced a room of parents carrying signs and a petition at a public forum at Sexton Elementary School in Largo on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The meeting was one of several the district is holding for communities affected by its Planning for Progress initiative, which shuttered Cross Bayou Elementary and Disston Academy in February.

"We're worried of our children. We're definitely upset. We're angry, and we're going to fight," one parent told WFLA at the forum.

The seven schools recommended for closure at the end of the 2026-27 school year are Bear Creek Elementary, Azalea Elementary, Blanton Elementary, Lealman Innovation Academy, Sexton Elementary, Kings Highway Elementary Magnet and Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary. The district also plans to convert Sexton's campus into a YMCA extension.

Enrollment decline drives the plan

Hendrick told attendees the district has roughly 45,000 vacant seats. The closures could save $25 million a year, he said. That money would go toward teacher raises, staff raises and program improvements, according to WFLA's Sept. 10 report.

The numbers are stark. Enrollment has dropped by about 20,000 students since the 2016-17 school year, according to Spectrum Bay News 9. Pinellas County births have fallen below 7,000 a year, down from more than 10,000 in prior years, Hendrick said at a Sept. 10 school board workshop. The University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research projects the county's school-age population will plateau or decline through 2050, according to data the district cited in that presentation.

Parents push back as vote nears

For Palm Harbor and Dunedin families, the plan reshapes two local schools. Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary would close, and Tarpon Springs Middle School may also close to make way for a new fundamental K-8 on the middle school's campus, according to St. Pete Catalyst. Dunedin High School, meanwhile, remains above 80% capacity even as the district sheds students, Patch reported.

Parent Jacquelyn Hussey started a Change.org petition to keep Sexton Elementary open. As of Sept. 16, it had more than 750 signatures. Hussey told WUSF she and other parents were showing QR codes at the car line every morning and knocking on local businesses to spread the word.

Hussey challenged the district's math. She told WUSF that redistributing Sexton's 298 students to nearby Lynch and Woodlawn elementary schools would still leave those campuses well below full capacity.

Not all parents oppose the plan. Parent Melissa Solevilla told WFLA on Sept. 10 that taxpayers should not be paying to air-condition a school at 20% capacity.

School board member Eileen Long said at the Sept. 10 workshop that 90% of families would benefit from the changes. Chief Operations Officer Jennifer Dull said each school recommended for closure will get a second community meeting. Tarpon Springs Fundamental's is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6 p.m.

Hendrick said no employees will be laid off and that affected families will get first choice of placement in magnet and fundamental programs.

The school board takes public comment Tuesday, Sept. 22, in Largo, holds a workshop Tuesday, Oct. 6, and votes Tuesday, Oct. 13.