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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2026
VOLUME 120 - ISSUE 20 Not officially associated with the University of Florida
Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
5 elementary schools at risk of closure under Alachua County rezoning plan COMMUNITY MEMBERS GATHERED TO CRITICIZE THE DISTRICT AT THREE PUBLIC MEETINGS
By Grace Larson Alligator Staff Writer
Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff
Alachua County court officer Rolanda Ford voices her concerns during a meeting about the future of schools in Hawthorne, Fla., Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.
Alachua County Public Schools shared draft boundary maps Feb. 2 and hosted community input meetings throughout the week to gather feedback from parents and elected officials on a controversial rezoning initiative. The initiative is a part of the district’s “Our Schools — Future Ready” plan. First drafted in November 2025, it outlines both rezoning and funding initiatives to improve schools throughout the district. The plan seeks to address school enrollment, improve facilities and enhance academic programs. Proposed plans mention the possible closure of five elementary schools — although the drafted maps only account for four closures at once — and the possible conversion of three middle schools into kindergarten through eighth grade schools. Some residents, like those from Hawthorne, criticized the lack of funding allocated to their schools.
Zachary Hand, an 18-year-old alumnus of Hawthorne Middle/ High School, was among those protesting how the school district handles its money. “Every student is just a dollar sign to you guys, and that needs to change,” Hand said.
The maps Kathie Ebaugh, the director of planning at JBPro, led meetings throughout the week to explain the maps. JBPro is an outside company hired by ACPS to handle the rezoning planning. The rezoning attempts to “right-size” schools, or ensure they’re operating at capacity, Ebaugh said. “If we want to make improvements for our program system, if we want to make improvements to our facilities … then we're going to have to address the fact that right now, we are stretched thin,” she said. “We have more seats and more schools than we need.” Across all three maps, the district plans to close Williams Elementary School and send students to Lincoln — a middle school it plans to convert to a K-8 grade school by August 2028.
SEE REZONING, PAGE 4
County officials, grant recipients express frustration over DOGE criticisms The report claimed Alachua County misused general funds By Kaitlyn McCormack Alligator Staff Writer
While leading an art therapy workshop, Sarah Falk taught young girls how to make vision boards and prayer boxes — helping them set boundaries and build self-esteem with an activity called “creating your own Garden of Eden.” She couldn’t have expected her nonprofit, Spirit Led Art Therapy, would soon place her under the microscope of a scathing state audit. Falk’s organization was one of two county grant recipients mentioned by name in a report released by the Florida Department of Government Efficiency Jan. 28. The state labeled her $2,500 in grants as excessive spending with minimal oversight on the county’s part. “When I read that, it makes me sad, because it was such a gift to get,” Falk said. The bullet point mentioning Falk was just
SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Race and equity
Story description finish with comma, Florida now requires driver’s licenses pg# exams be given in English. Read more on pg. 3.
one item on a 23-point list of criticisms for Alachua County. The Florida DOGE report claimed the county misused funds on excessive expenditures and diversity, equity and inclusion training, driving up property taxes and engaging in “aggressive” doctrination. County sources refuted the claims, saying there is much more context involved surrounding the state report.
General fund spending The DOGE report stated that since fiscal year 2016-17, Alachua County’s general fund nearly doubled, while the population only rose 15%. Mark Sexton, the director of communications for Alachua County, confirmed the increase but noted it’s natural to see a change in the budget over the years. The county’s general fund budget reflects larger changes in costs nationwide, he said. “Our general fund budget has gone up that
much since 2016, but it's not surprising in lieu of what's gone on in the United States,” he said. “I think most places, most counties or cities that you looked at nationwide, you would see similar increases.” The general fund is the county’s primary operating fund, which pays for essential services like law enforcement, fire rescue, the county jail and environmental protections, according to the county’s online series “Cents & Sensibility: Alachua County’s Budget in Eight Chapters.” Some of these services are “unfunded mandates,” meaning the state requires the county to provide the programs but doesn’t provide enough, or any, funding to pay for them. As a result, Alachua County funds many entities it doesn’t actually operate — including county agencies like the clerk of the court and state agencies like the district medical examiner. Revenue for the general fund largely comes from property taxes and ambulance fees, Sexton said.
University administration
UF Climate Action Plan 2.0’s indefinite pause continues, pg. 5
“One of the largest sources of revenue for [the fund] is ambulance rides, which we bill people's insurance companies,” he said. “There's also revenue from the communications services tax that the state allows counties to collect.” The communications services tax is a Florida-wide tax imposed on each sale of communications services in Florida, including mobile communications, cable and satellite television and music and video streaming services, according to the Florida Department of Revenue. Supply-chain difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to the increase in the general fund, Sexton said. Prices of materials the county purchases, such as asphalt for road repairs, increased significantly, causing the county’s expenses to climb. He added it’s important to note that even when the general fund increases, it doesn’t mean property tax increases congruently. “Our property tax revenue that we collected only went up 27%,” he said. “It went
SEE DOGE, PAGE 4
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Gainesville celebrates Black History Month at art and poetry event, pg. 6
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