Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) recently announced the launch of a comprehensive, community-wide planning initiative to position its schools for future success.  

According to an ACPS press release, the “Our Schools – Future Ready” initiative will address several issues facing the district, such as enrollment and school capacity, transportation, educational programs, etc.  

“For the first time, Alachua County Public Schools is aligning school programs, student attendance boundaries and school facilities into one, unified, districtwide strategy,” interim Superintendent Kamela Patton said in the release. “Through this plan, the district will right-size its facilities, freeing up resources to enhance educational programs, improve facilities and increase teacher/employee pay.” 

ACPS is collaborating with Gainesville-based engineering and planning firm JBrown Professional Group Inc., or JBPro, to implement the plan, which is expected to be finalized and approved by mid-March 2026, the release said. 

“The plan will outline both short-term strategies for the start of the 2026-27 school year and a long-term roadmap to support strong schools across the district,” the release said. 

The School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) approved the contract with JBPro for $175,000 at its Nov. 4 meeting. This is being funded by the half-cent sales tax, which Alachua County voters approved in 2018.  

The release said community feedback “will guide the development of the plan.” 

JBPro and ACPS are expected to host at least 16 community engagement sessions to get input from the public, the release said.  

The first set of engagement sessions will take place throughout December.  

The release said any person is welcome to attend one or more of the following sessions, which will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.  

• Dec. 4: Mebane Middle School Media Center (16401 NW County Road 241, Alachua) 

• Dec. 8: Eastside High School Media Center (1201 SE 43^rd St., Gainesville)  

• Dec. 9: Oak View Middle School Cafeteria (1203 SW 250 St., Newberry) 

• Dec. 10: Westwood Middle School Multipurpose Room (3215 NW 15^th Ave., Gainesville) 

• Dec. 11: High Springs Community School Cafeteria (19559 Main St., High Springs) 

• Dec. 15: Buchholz High School Media Center (5510 NW 27^th Ave., Gainesville) 

• Dec. 17: Kanapaha Middle School Cafeteria (5005 SW 75^th St., Gainesville) 

• Dec. 18: Hawthorne Middle High School Media Center (21403 SE 69^th Ave., Hawthorne) 

During an SBAC workshop on Wednesday, where representatives from ACPS and JBPro provided board members with an overview of the comprehensive planning initiative, Kim Neal, the district’s director of full-time enrollment (FTE) and state reporting, explained the reasoning for the locations. 

“We wanted the location and the space that was very flexible for the small groups and the types of engagement that will be done,” she said. “It’s not a stand-and-listen kind of presentation. It is not a community open mic…It is discussion-based.” 

A second round of engagement sessions will take place in the spring of 2026 after a draft plan has been developed, the release said.  

Additional public input opportunities, such as meetings with school staff and students, pop-up activities at community events and online engagement tools, are also in the works, the release said.  

During the workshop, project leaders asked for the board’s help in supporting the community engagement part of the plan. 

“What we want you to do for us is be our champion,” said Kathie Ebaugh, planning director for JBPro, who is also serving as the project manager for the ACPS comprehensive planning initiative. “We want you to encourage everyone to participate. This only works if we get the full participation of our community.” 

More information about the initiative can be found on the ACPS website. 

According to the release, the site will be updated regularly with reports from every community engagement session, progress on the plan, proposed recommendations, etc.  

Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.