OCALA, FL (352today.com) – A potential merger and the relocation of students from one school to another?

Parents expressed their concerns about the possibility of consolidation that would transform the school district at the Marion County Public School Board meeting Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025.

Fordham Early Learning Academy on W. Anthony Road in Ocala, opened on Aug.10, 2022, with students ages four and five enrolling in voluntary pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes. There has been talk that the elementary school may merge with Reddick-Collier Elementary School, which is 13 miles north of Fordham.

Early education is pivotal to a student’s academic success. Fordham began with a promise when the school district needed a place that specifically focused on early education and it’s delivered, said Vicki Treulieb, whose daughter attends the school.

“Ms. [Jennifer] Beck [Fordham Early Learning Academy’s principal] has created a culture of academia, but more importantly a culture of love,” said Treulieb. “At Fordham, the children and staff become family, and they help each other to succeed. My daughter is a success story, her teachers at Fordham, and the administration at Fordham have never given up on her, although she certainly has her days. They know her, they know her special ticks, they know who she’ll get out of the car for in the morning, but they’ve worked with her to make her into the student that she has become.”

Treulieb’s daughter has made all A’s this year.

“If she was at another school, I don’t know if this would’ve been possible,” said Treulieb. “I believe she would be drowning in the curriculum of first grade that she was not ready for. She would’ve been labeled a problem child and deemed a hopeless cause, but she’s not that at Fordham, and that’s what makes the school so special. Miss Beck and her team came in and nurtured not only the students but the entire campus. She created a movement so every child can learn.”

Worth the commute

Tia Thompson is the proud parent of two Fordham students.

“I’m here tonight because I strongly oppose the proposed merger of Fordham with Reddick-Collier Elementary,” said Thompson. “Fordham has truly changed my children’s lives for the better. When we first started school mornings, they were full of tears, it was a daily struggle, and now my children wake up excited to go to school. The teachers, staff and environment at Fordham have created a place where children want to learn, where they feel safe, loved and supported. That transformation is something that you can’t put a number on.”

Thompson drives 30 minutes every day because she feels Fordham is worth it.

“Families like mine choose Fordham because of the incredible foundation it gives our kids, academically, socially and emotionally,” said Thompson. “It’s a school of choice not a school of convenience… Please keep Fordham Early Learning Academy intact, let it continue to keep changing lives the way that it has ours.”

Community gem 

The school was named after Edmond Fordham, a longtime Marion County educator, leader and school administrator, and U.S. Air Force veteran who passed away in 2022. His daughter, Krista Fordham, was one of those speakers who lent her voice regarding the possible merger.

“No, I don’t have little people at Fordham Early Learning Academy, but the passion that I have for the school, my family… runs deep, very deep,” said Fordham. “The unique qualities that Ms. Beck has implemented with the students, with the staff, with its ability to bring people together, to bring children together, to influence their lives in ways that other schools aren’t doing. I’m the daughter of a teacher who taught in the Marion County Public School systems. I am a product of the Marion County Public School system, and for that Fordham Early Learning Academy is so valuable to this community.”

Parents want their children to attend Fordham Academy because the classrooms are smaller and because of the intimacy that the teachers have with the children and the passion they have for learning, said Fordham.

“To take Fordham Early Learning Academy and combine it with a school that’s 30 minutes away from Fordham would be an atrocity,” said Fordham.