Manatee County School Board votes unanimously to close Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary School in Bradenton

BRADENTON -- The Manatee County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to move students out of Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary School effective for the 2016-17 school year.

By approving changes to attendance zones for Rogers Garden Elementary School and other area schools, the board emptied out Orange Ridge and signed off on the first official action in a districtwide proposal to help balance enrollment.

Ailing board member Bob Gause was not in attendance but the four remaining board members approved the plan.

Board member Charlie Kennedy asked a clarifying question before the vote. No members of the public spoke about the school closing.

It was an emotional night for Maribeth Mason, the Orange Ridge principal, who attended the board meeting.

"Even though we knew it was going to happen, and we knew it was the best for the district and the kids, it's still very sad," she said.

Most Orange Ridge students will attend Rogers Garden Elementary next year, a school built in 2009 without an attendance zone. Since 2009, few students have chosen to attend the school, which is only at about 40 percent capacity for the 2015-16 academic year.

On the other hand, Or

ange Ridge has serious drainage and flooding issues that would require a lot of money for the district to fix. The two schools are located less than 1 mile apart and in February, Superintendent Diana Greene recommended moving the bulk of the students from Orange Ridge to Rogers Garden.

Some students will be rezoned into Oneco, Daughtrey and Samoset elementary schools. Ballard Elementary is also affected by the change in attendance zones.

Students in the Bullock program at Orange Ridge will move to Rogers Garden instead of being redistricted to another school. The Bullock program has some of the neediest students in the district with severe mental and physical disabilities.

The district will also look to build a new high school and a new elementary school in the northern part of the county, based on Greene's plan. Closing Orange Ridge was the most immediate piece of Greene's plan.

"The decision you made tonight affected 730 students and their families," Greene told the board.

The vote sets a number of other pieces in motion. Letters will go home to affected families, informing them of their new schools. A special choice program will open up for the affected families. If they do not want to attend their new school, they'll have the option to pick another school in the district with space open.

It also starts the process to find new classrooms for teachers and the staff at the schools. The district will have space to take all the Orange Ridge teachers whose contracts are renewed to a new location.

How the district plans to consolidate office staff, including the principals, is also up in the air.

Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Cynthia Saunders said she and the teacher's union head will meet with the affected school sites Thursday and Friday to start the process with teachers and staff.

District staff can now begin moving forward on the other logistics to have Rogers Garden ready for the first day of school Aug. 4.

The board also:

Approved a $12,500 settlement with Chad Ritchie, head of Sarasota Security Patrol, over a public records lawsuit.

Approved an agreement with Manatee School for the Arts to help the charter school create its own bus fleet. The decision helps alleviate some school district transportation issues and helps the charter start its own fleet at a lower cost.

Announced Greene's new communications program called, "ManaTeach. What I Taught. What I Learned," to help inform the public about what happens in the district.

Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter @MeghinDelaney.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 11:25 PM with the headline "Manatee County School Board votes unanimously to close Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary School in Bradenton."