Feb 10, 2021 11:24 AM Ormond Beach, FL - The choice of Ortona Elementary School over Osceola Elementary School made by the Volusia County School Board (VCSB) last August will stand. The decision to not reconsider the choice was made during yesterday s (February 9) meeting despite an offer of $1,950,000 as an economic incentive from the city of Ormond Beach. Osceola Elementary School is in the district belonging to District 4 Commissioner Carl Persis. When the decision was made last year, Persis is the only Board member who voted against the choice of Ortona Elementary. He said he believes the other Board members didn t want to revisit the issue and were not swayed by the offer of money from Ormond Beach. Because I was the only one that voted against it originally, it would take a member who was on the prevailing side to want to bring the issue back up. Persis said that Osceola Elementary School will be open for a couple of more years as Ortona Elementary students go
Feb 7, 2021 7:47 AM Ormond Beach, FL - The possibility of Osceola Elementary being shut down and students merged with those at Ortona Elementary School has led to the creation of a Save Osceola Elementary School petition. The city of Ormond Beach is working to keep the school open. At the January 26 school board meeting, Joyce Shanahan, the city manager, addressed the Board to share the city commission’s strong desire to have the new school built on the Osceola site. This comes a year after the Volusia County School Board (VCSB) decided to make Ortona Elementary the location for the new Beachside K-5 School. The decsion was made and then came COVID-19. According to the petitioners, District 4 School Board Member Carl Persis said that During this year long discussion, the Board did not receive a large response from Osceola families. Perhaps, because of the pandemic, people were dealing with so many health and financial issues, the matter of closing Osceola was no