The Hillsborough County (Florida) school board has voted to close three schools and convert a fourth one from a K-8 to a more traditional elementary.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that Graham Elementary and Madison Middle, both of which have low enrollment and are under capacity, will close after next school year.
And despite emotional pleas from students, teachers, parents and community members, Hillsborough County will also close Pizzo K-8 and convert Sulphur Springs K-8 to a kindergarten through fifth-grade school beginning in the 2027-28 school year.
The board said it was closing Pizzo K-8, which sits on the University of South Florida’s campus and is at nearly full capacity, after the university board decided to raise the rent.
The district paid $10 a year for the space beginning in 1997. In 2008, the lease rose to $60,000.
But in 2024, the university board of trustees approved a lease that would start at $550,000 a year and increase each year.
The board also voted to turn Sulphur Springs K-8 to a K-5 and move students in sixth through eighth grades, where enrollment is lower, to surrounding middle schools.
