The Okaloosa County School Board voted unanimously Monday night to close Mary Esther Elementary and Longwood Elementary schools at the end of this school year, finalizing a months-long process driven by declining enrollment and budget pressures across the district.

• All five board members — Tim Bryant, Parker Destin, Linda Evanchyk, Brett Hinely and Lamar White — voted in favor of Resolutions 26-01 and 26-02, approving the closure plans for Longwood and Mary Esther respectively. 

The board also unanimously approved Resolution 26-03, which rezones students from both schools to Edwins, Elliott Point, Florosa, Kenwood, Shalimar and Wright elementary schools beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

Both closure resolutions declare the school properties surplus. However, the two properties carry different terms. The Longwood Elementary property sits on land originally conveyed to the school district by the federal government through a 1970 Quitclaim Deed. Under the reversionary interest clause of that deed, title to the property will revert to the United States through the Secretary of the Air Force now that the district has declared it surplus. Resolution 26-01 directs the superintendent to notify the appropriate Air Force authorities. The Mary Esther Elementary resolution provides for the surplus and disposal of that property by the district.

The votes followed public hearings held earlier in the meeting at the district’s Central Administration Complex in Niceville. No members of the public spoke during the public hearing portions for any of the three resolutions.

Chambers outlines challenges driving closures

Superintendent Marcus Chambers opened the meeting with a presentation reiterating the factors behind his recommendation, which he first brought to the board in December.

Chambers said south county elementary schools have experienced a 19.3% enrollment decline over the past decade, with both Mary Esther and Longwood exceeding that figure. Projections over the next eight years show continued losses south of the Shoal River — 607 students in the south end, 516 in the central part of the county and 332 in the Destin community — while the north end is expected to see growth.

• “When you’ve had decline in essence the last 10 years, and now it’s projected that that decline is going to continue when budgets are where they are right now, lack of affordable housing and other factors, decisions have to be made,” Chambers said.

Chambers said the district has cut more than $22 million from its budget over the past two years and will need to make an additional $12 million in adjustments this year. He noted the state has signaled the next two budget cycles will be even more challenging.

“I am the one who brought this to you, so you did not ask for this, but I brought it because of where we are,” Chambers told the board. “It’s the last recommendation that I would ever want to make.”

On the funding side, Chambers said this year’s base student allocation appears likely to increase to approximately $190 per student after last year’s increase of just $41.62. But he said the district would need roughly $350 per student just to break even when accounting for cost-of-living raises for employees and other mandated costs.

Chambers also pointed to the impact of Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship program, saying approximately 3,300 students in the county hold a scholarship, with about 3,500 of all scholarship recipients having never attended Okaloosa County public schools. The scholarship funding, which Chambers said totals between $42 million and $45 million, flows through the district’s budget as a pass-through to fund private education.

• “In my opinion, that funding structure should be completely outside of our funding structure,” Chambers said. “Those are dollars that can be there for public education.”

Chambers stressed that the closures were not a reflection of either school’s performance, calling both “absolutely outstanding schools.” He noted that Mary Esther has been an A and B school, and defended Longwood’s record despite it receiving a C grade.

“Even when we talk about Longwood Elementary in terms of being a C school, what they do for their students is outright outstanding,” Chambers said.

Board members weigh in on vote

Before the vote on the Mary Esther closure, Board Member Parker Destin — whose District 2 includes Mary Esther Elementary — offered extended remarks on what he called one of the hardest decisions of his tenure.

“I didn’t run to get elected to close schools,” Destin said. “This will likely be one of the hardest things that I’ll have to do during my tenure. I hope that it has to be the hardest. I don’t want anything worse than this because it’s hard to imagine a greater impact on our students and families.”

Destin said he came to the board from the business community and initially shared the public’s perception that better financial management could solve the district’s problems.

• “I will admit I had a bit of that when I came in. I’ve been in for about 13, 14 months now,” Destin said. “What I have learned is this is not a made up problem. It’s not a question of just moving parts and pieces around inside the institution.”

Destin described what he called “tectonic forces” in Florida public education, noting that the district competes for students with private schools and charter schools that operate under fewer regulations and with more flexibility.

“The playing field’s just not fair. It hasn’t been in a long time, and that falls squarely not on anybody other than our state legislature,” Destin said. “They set the rules for all of us.”

Destin urged community members who care about the closures to contact their state legislators and push for equitable funding between public and private education options.

• “Make sure we don’t forget about the 80% of the students that live in the state of Florida that attend traditional public schools,” Destin said. “We can’t function as a society where 80% of the kids are abandoned in dysfunctioning and going-bankrupt schools.”

Chairwoman Linda Evanchyk expressed frustration over stalled legislative efforts to reform scholarship funding. She referenced an audit that found approximately $247 million in scholarship funds unaccounted for and said a reform bill filed by Sen. Don Gaetz had not advanced.

“When Senator Gaetz put the bill out, at this time it’s pretty much gone flat and died on the Senate floor because no one in the House would pick it up despite this audit,” Evanchyk said. “That’s frustrating and very sad.”

Rezoning and transition plans

Assistant Superintendent John Spolski presented the rezoning plan under Resolution 26-03, which the district developed in partnership with demographics firm MGT Davis. Spolski said the district shared proposed attendance zone maps with receiving school principals, teachers and employees, and published them on the district website alongside a school site locator tool for parents to determine their new zoned school.

Spolski also noted the district had communicated directly with military leadership at Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base, as both closing schools serve military-connected families.

District staff outlined a transition plan for affected students, families and employees. The district’s Human Resources team has assured employees in good standing they will have positions for the 2026-27 school year.

What comes next

With the closures now approved, the district said it will move forward with a communication plan that includes visits to both closing schools and receiving campuses to assist families and employees through the transition. The district’s zoning webpage and direct email contacts remain available for parents seeking information about their children’s new school assignments.

Chambers said the district will also bring forward additional proposals for the upcoming school year aimed at combating declining enrollment at the elementary level, though he did not provide specifics. He noted the 2026-27 budget will require continued adjustments, including further restructuring of district-level positions.

The closures are part of a broader statewide trend. Chambers said 45 of Florida’s 67 school districts are experiencing enrollment decline, and that 50 schools across the state have either closed or been proposed for closure this year.