Marion County schools examine consolidation, excess capacity in North End

Marion County Public Schools is studying ways to reduce operational costs and address excess school capacity, particularly in the northern end of the county where several campuses serve fewer than 400 students.

When district administration offered school board members options during a, Oct. 17 workshop, more than three hours of discussion bled into a host of possibilities.

According to district data, a school is considered to have capacity if enrollment is below 90% of its Florida Inventory of School Houses (FISH) capacity. For the 2025–26 school year, Fessenden Elementary is at 95% of its FISH capacity, Reddick-Collier Elementary is at just 47%, Anthony Elementary and Fort McCoy Elementary are both at 73%, while Sparr Elementary exceeds its capacity at 103%.

Factored into the conversation was the age of the facilities and the growing list of maintenance issues associated with the schools.

Anthony Elementary is 50 years old with an annual operating cost of $4.1 million; Sparr is 48 years old with operating cost of $4.2 million; Reddick-Collier Elementary is 39 years old with operating cost of $13 million.

Fessenden Elementary, which is 73 years old and on the National Register of Historic Places, costs $4.1 million annually to operate.

The district has been trying to move toward site-based budgeting, which could make it harder for smaller schools to offer certain services if they don’t have the revenue to support it, adding another layer to consider during consolidation discussions.

In addition to considering annual operating costs, 20-year maintenance costs are projected at $37 million for just these four aging elementary schools in the north.

School Board member Sarah James said consolidating smaller schools could help align capacity levels and save millions on operating costs over time.

“If we were to put a centralized center school at Reddick for the north end, and we were to offline building 10 for FDLRS  [Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System], we’re going to put ourselves at about 75% capacity at Reddick,” she said. “That is a significant step in the right direction for addressing capacity.”

Consolidation under review

Board members reviewed several concepts for reconfiguring schools, including combining campuses or repurposing facilities.

One idea was to convert all four elementary schools on the north end to K-8, leaving North Marion Middle School vacated for Bridgeway Academy (currently located in the Marion Technical Institute).

The other concept focused mostly on the north end elementary schools:

• Relocating Fordham Early Learning Academy to Reddick-Collier Elementary to operate as a single school, with Bridgeway Academy moving into the Fordham site or Madison Street Academy of Visual and Performing Arts moving into the Fordham campus, with Bridgeway Academy moving to Madison Street Academy.
• Combining Sparr and Anthony elementary schools into one new facility on the Sparr campus, estimated to cost between $26 million and $50 million, depending on whether the district opts for additions or a new build.
• Converting the Anthony Elementary campus into an Exceptional Student Education (ESE) center if students are moved to Reddick-Collier.

“These options could improve efficiency and reduce redundant operational expenses,” the district summary states.

James said the proposed Sparr consolidation “literally pays for itself” within a decade because of savings in utilities, maintenance and staffing.

“We’re going to spend the money either way—operationally, to the tune of two and a half million annually over 10 years, which is $25 million just in operations,” she told the board. “Improving Sparr and putting everyone in a better school literally pays for itself.”

Balancing cost and community

Board member Allison Campbell said the district must make “fiscally sound” decisions while remaining mindful of community ties to neighborhood schools.

“Having any school with a capacity of 400 or in that range just isn’t going to make fiscal sense in the day and age we’re living in,” she said. “I understand that there’s history and that the school was originally a high school, but we have to think as fiscally as we can with student focus as well.”

Board member Nancy Thrower cautioned that consolidation decisions must consider the cultural and historical significance of small North Marion schools.

“There is a strong sense of community up there, and I don’t hear them clamoring, saying ‘tear down Anthony and build us a new school,’” she said. “They’d probably rather see us take care of spaces that kids aren’t even in first, before we disrupt communities that have such history.”

Next steps

The board plans to revisit the topic Nov. 6, when district staff will present cost comparisons, updated FISH capacity projections, and potential zoning changes to balance enrollment. Interim Superintendent Dr. Danielle Brewer summarized that the board reached “consensus to have further conversation” about consolidation plans and community input sessions.

District leaders have emphasized that any changes will involve public engagement before decisions are made.