The School Board of Alachua County has made some decisions related to ongoing issues concerning schools in our area.

The plan to move the fifth grade from Newberry Elementary to Oak View Middle School has been tabled for the time being. Alachua County schools public information officer Jackie Johnson says the district’s staff has decided not to look at the plan for the upcoming school year. However, Johnson says the Board has talked about bringing the plan back as a possibility for the 2009-10 school year. She says the upcoming workshops on the 2008-09 budget and class size considerations will go a long way toward determining whether it is necessary.

The School Board did pass the proposed boundary change for Fort Clarke Middle School. The area of Gainesville bordered on the west by NW 43rd St., on the north by NW 68th Ave., on the east by Hwy. 441 and on the south by NW 53rd Ave., will be moved from Fort Clarke to Westwood Middle School. The plan will affect approximately 170 students.

The district has been given approval by the state to begin planning for at least two new elementary schools in the western portion of the county. The district is currently looking at a possible prototype design for the schools. The goal would be to open for the 2010-11 school year.

The School Board will hold public hearings on the district’s budget during the summer. The Board will approve the 2008-09 budget on September 16. Dates of all public meetings will be placed on the district’s website at www.sbac.edu.