UPDATE: At its August 13, 2026 work session, Marion County Public Schools Superintendent Danielle Brewer outlined upcoming opportunities for Wyomina Park families to share input.
Brewer and Ben Whitehouse, deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction, will meet with Wyomina Park staff at the end of the school day on August 19, 2026. Two community sessions for families are also scheduled for August 27, 2026, with one at 9 a.m. in the Browne Greaton Cole Auditorium and another at 6 p.m. in the Fort King Middle School cafeteria.
The district plans to promote the sessions through multiple channels, including letters mailed home, notices on the school and district websites, and physical letters sent home with students.
Brewer said the board is expected to revisit the matter at its Sept. 17 work session.
OCALA, FL (352Today.com) – At its August 11, 2026, meeting, the Marion County School Board voted to postpone any decision on rezoning or closing Wyomina Park Elementary after a series of emotional public comments from parents and teachers who said the school was never given the same chance to be heard that other campuses received.
Unlike Reddick and Sparr elementary schools, which held community meetings before any major changes were considered, Wyomina Park families said they learned of the proposal only days before the board discussion. Speakers said there was no town hall, no formal outreach, and little advance notice for a school that serves many students facing limited economic opportunity.
The school had been included in the district’s Future Focused Operations Plan, which called for rezoning its students so Bridgeway Academy could move to the campus. After hearing from 11 speakers, the board tabled that portion of the plan and scheduled community workshops for early September.
Parents and staff repeatedly described Wyomina Park as a critical support system in a neighborhood where many children deal with economic and domestic challenges.
Shelly Ann Scheel, a teacher and a parent of three students who have attended the school, called it a ‘safe space.’
“Wyomina is not just a building where students learn each day; it is a home. It is a safe space. It is a place where they feel seen and cared for,” Scheel said. “Our school is a low-income school. Many kids who go to Wyomina suffer from economic and domestic impacts that are not prevalent in other schools. I am also the parent of three students that have all loved Wyomina, and I could not imagine them going anywhere else.”
Keith Gilchrist, a staff member and parent of two boys at the school, asked the board to look past enrollment numbers and budgets.
“Behind every number is a child. Behind every number is a family, and behind every number is a teacher or staff member who has dedicated themselves to these students,” Gilchrist said.
“If this were your child, wouldn’t you want someone to fight for their school? That is all we are asking tonight. Don’t ignore the challenges. Help us overcome them,” he continued.
Sarah Raymond, whose son attended Wyomina Park from VPK through fifth grade and whose twins were set to follow the same path, criticized both the potential closure and the unequal process.
“This meeting’s existence is the antithesis of what we teach our children. You made a decision to rid the county of an educational landmark, and you thought that it would be easier to ask forgiveness instead of permission, and you were wrong,” Raymond said. “Schools such as Reddick and Sparr were given the opportunity to decide the fate of their schools, something we were purposefully denied.”
Former Marion County teacher, state legislator and U.S. congresswoman Karen Thurman told the board the process itself was flawed. She noted that other schools facing possible changes had been given public meetings months earlier, while Wyomina Park families only learned of Tuesday’s discussion at the last minute. Thurman described students who arrive at school without food and rely on the campus pantry and clothing closet, then urged the board to table the item, hold proper hearings and listen to the community. “If you can’t do that,” she said, “then you probably ought not to be sitting here making decisions about things you don’t know.”
Danielle Goodwin, a parent of three daughters at the school, emphasized its deep roots in the community.
“This school is the community. We have faith in this school, and it still needs to be there, like it has been there since 1940,” Goodwin said.
Other speakers noted that staff regularly provide food, clothing and extra support because many students come from households with limited resources. They also pointed to recent gains in attendance and discipline, arguing the school is improving rather than declining.
After handling other agenda items, the board discussed the larger Future Focused Operations Plan. Superintendent Dr. Danielle Brewer said the plan addresses aging infrastructure, enrollment shifts and operational efficiencies through facility replacement, modernization and consolidation. Board member Dr. Allison Campbell noted that the current proposal would rezone Wyomina Park students to free the campus for Bridgeway Academy and said both schools fall within her district.
The board ultimately voted to postpone further action specifically on Wyomina Park. Community workshops on the school’s future are now planned for early September.