- April 19, 2024
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Volusia County Schools has put together a plan to redistribute about 630 students living within a portion of the 32114 zip code to three area schools instead of the 12 schools they’re now zoned for.
“I’m happy that we’ll be bringing the students back into the closest school from where they live," School Board member Jamie Haynes said.
About 246 of those students, of which some are currently are bused out to other Ormond schools like Pathways Elementary and Pine Trail Elementary, will be zoned for Beachside Elementary, which is scheduled to move into its new campus this winter.
“This is something we started some time ago as a goal for students in the central Halifax 32114 zip code area to come home to schools that are in their neighborhoods, to stop riding buses for 40 minutes each direction and to really recreate community family school engagement partnership,” said Stephanie Doster, coordinator in the VCS planning division, during a School Board meeting on Tuesday, June 28.
Per the district’s calculation, the count of students anticipated to attend Beachside in the 2023-2024 school year will bring the school’s utilization rate to 95.5%. The current utilization rate is 85.1%. Once the new Turie T. Small Elementary is completed, the district plans to redistrict some students there, bringing the utilization rate down by five percentage points.
As for the other students, 65 will be zoned for Westside Elementary in Daytona Beach. Phase two of the rezoning would zone 318 students to the new Turie T, which is slated to open sometime in winter 2023.
“We’re trying to keep neighborhoods together,” Board member Linda Cuthbert said. “So the kids who go to school together will play together in their neighborhoods — build stronger schools and stronger neighborhoods, and that’s why this conversation started quite a few years ago.”
Volusia is seeking volunteers to help clean the beaches after the weekend’s Fourth of July festivities, as the county is predicting “another massive accumulation of fireworks, plastics and other litter,” according to a press release.
July 5 is the busiest beach cleanup day of the year.
“When the sun rises on July 5, it will illuminate thousands of pounds of debris left by Independence Day revelers,” the press release states.
The county is encouraging residents and visitors to go to their favorite stretch of beach with a trash bag or bucket to help keep our shores clean. There will be one coordinated cleanup event in the Ormond Beach area — It will take place from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Tom Renick Park, located at 1565 Ocean Shore Boulevard.
Volusia County does not permit fireworks on its beaches. Alcohol and glass containers are also not allowed.
Still, every year, the county states that beaches are littered with thousands of pounds of spent fireworks, food, plastic bags, straws and more.
City Hall and all non-emergency facilities will be closed on Monday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.
The city will, however, hold its annual Independence Day Celebration at Rockefeller Gardens, located at 26 Riverside Drive, from 8:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Volusia County School Board approved via its consent agenda at its July 28 meeting an interlocal agreement between the board and the Volusia Sheriff’s Office for school guardian training.
The agreement is meant to allow the sheriff to provide firearm safety and proficiency training services and equipment, as well as seek funding for the school guardian employee by applying for a state grant. This agreement has been renewed annually since 2018, according to the School Board agenda item.
