School administrators cite low enrollment. But a parent group is pushing back.
By Dania Hefley
Original Air Date: September 19, 2025
Host: Wilkinson Elementary could become the first school since 1969 the Sarasota school district puts on the chopping block. And its closure could be the first of more to come, among dropping student numbers and sagging budgets. With the gambit of closing the school and moving administrative offices there, staffers want to avoid a possible takeover of the building by a private, for-profit school, as a new Florida law seems to allow. But a group of parents is pursuing a different project: reviving the school. Dania Hefley reports.
Dania Hefley: Before Tuesday’s Sarasota school board budget meeting, supporters of the Wilkinson parents gathered outside:
[Crowd cheering]
Supporters of the Wilkinson parent group protest outside the school board auditorium. Photo: Werner
Speaker: Is it okay to make choices without the people they impact?
Crowd: No!
Speaker: Is it okay to leave parents out of a conversation about what happens to their students?
Crowd: No!
Speaker: Do parental rights only apply to some parents?
Crowd: No!
DH: Inside, in a tight 3-2 vote, the board moved future sessions to 10 a.m. from the traditional evening slot. That tension over who gets to speak and be heard is now shaping a much larger debate: What should happen to Wilkinson Elementary and other schools with dropping student numbers?
Wilkinson is a Title 1 school. Those are public schools receiving federal funding to help students from low-income families. Other Title 1 schools in the district seeing enrollment declines are Booker Elementary and Booker Middle.
Wilkinson has just under 400 students, about half of its building capacity. District officials say consolidating students into three nearby schools could reduce inefficiencies and prevent a state takeover of the underused facility.
Under Florida’s Schools of Hope law, charter operators can petition to run campuses that aren’t fully utilized. As part of the plan, the Wilkinson building would become the district’s new headquarters.
During the budget meeting’s public comment period, Les McCurdy—owner of the long-standing Sarasota comedy club that bears his name—said he supports the proposal.
Wilkinson Elementary
Charles Les McCurdy: My grandson attends Wilkinson Elementary School, and we love it. I understand that there’s a matter—if I’ve got this correctly—that schools have low attendance. There’s the possibility of closing Wilkinson, redistributing those children to other low-attendance schools. And I think that’s great. I don’t want private schools to profit from taxpayer money. They shouldn’t.
DH: But many parents see it differently. Local pastor and parent Sarah Sobolewski said Wilkinson’s role goes beyond the classroom.
Sarah Sobolewski: Wilkinson is such a really special place. It’s not just a building. It’s a place of belonging and stability. Closing Wilkinson would not simply move students to another campus. It would disrupt relationships, dissolve trust, and weaken a neighborhood that depends on the school as an anchor.
DH: That sense of disruption is what led parents to organize. Jody Osceola says she first learned Wilkinson might close not from the district but from another mom who saw it online.
Jody Osceola
Jody Osceola: I got a phone call from a mom who had seen it online, and she’s like, “You volunteer there. There’s meetings coming up. Can you find out if there’s any rumor to this? Because it wouldn’t be on Nextdoor or Facebook if there wasn’t some kind of truth, and there’s a meeting coming up.” She couldn’t be there, so she asked if I could get the information. So I asked, and that was end of August, beginning of September. When the teachers and the principal had no clue when I asked them about it, and the student advisory meeting was rescheduled, I started asking more questions.
DH: Osceola says parents shouldn’t have to piece together the fate of their school through whispers and social media.
JO: We just want a little more transparency than to have to get put off, put off, put off until there’s a media story before we get a phone call. We still haven’t been sent a letter home or anything but a couple phone calls.
DH: For her, the issue goes beyond numbers.
JO: Sarasota County has never closed a public school in its history. There were two temporary closures, but that was in the 1920s and then again when desegregation happened and Booker reopened. Aside from that, there has not been a public school closure. It’s way above Sarasota. It’s way above Wilkinson. It goes up to the legislatures and where the money is going for choice, vouchers, homeschool.
DH: She says safety and community are also at stake.
JO: Numbers can’t show community. Numbers can’t show the love that comes from a family. Numbers, cheeks in seats and data—you don’t have the spirit of a community.
I think that we have some really dangerous intersections that are there, and these kids are too young to be going through those intersections. I also feel that the schools that are listed are geographically far from our location, and if we’re going to repurpose schools, we need to integrate both the underperforming and the performing schools in an even manner so that people have a chance—those kids have a chance.
DH: Osceola and others are drafting their own “repopulation plan,” aimed at boosting enrollment instead of shutting the doors.
JO: Title I schools get extra funding. Those funds go towards extra supplies, food, reading. We get kids, but our percentage are from lower income families, so those are the kids that are impacted directly. If a child doesn’t have a good breakfast in the morning, how can they think? Our school provides that for them.
DH: The closure debate comes as Sarasota schools grapple with their overall budget. At Tuesday’s budget meeting, the board approved a final millage rate and fiscal plan for 2025-26. While property values increased nearly 3%, the district’s millage rate fell slightly, leading to reduced revenues.
Several speakers, including Carol Lerner, director of the advocacy group Support Our Schools, tied those shortfalls to state policies.
Carol Lerner: Vouchers are now sucking funds out of our schools. Now we have Schools of Hope, which are sucking students and resources. We’re now talking about closing schools, and that’s largely because of Schools of Hope.
DH: Multiple public hearings are planned before any final vote is taken.
In the meantime, Wilkinson parents say they’ll keep showing up, building their case for a small school with a big community presence.
Public input will continue as the district considers the future of the campus.
At the Tuesday meeting, the Sarasota County School Board underwent a leadership reorganization. Robyn Marinelli, the sole nominee, was elected chair in a unanimous vote, and Bridget Ziegler became vice chair following a 3-2 vote against Tom Edwards.
The board also passed two other significant changes in 3-2 votes. A new student code of conduct was approved, which removes specific protections for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC students and replaces them with the general term “all.” Board members Liz Barker and Tom Edwards opposed this, arguing the change weakens protections.
Also in a 3-2 vote, the board moved future sessions this fall were moved to 10 a.m. from the usual 6 p.m. The argument is to improve “safety and efficiency.” But critics argue it cuts off access for students, teachers, and working parents.
Reporting for WSLR News, Dania Hefley.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.
