NEWBERRY – A planned transition of Newberry’s Oak View Middle School into a new PreK-8 campus has sparked a public dispute between Alachua County Public Schools and Newberry Mayor Tim Marden, with disagreement centering less on classrooms and more on the infrastructure needed to support them.
The disagreement surfaced after Alachua County Public Schools issued a public statement detailing progress on preparations for the school’s expansion while responding to concerns raised in a letter from Marden.
The district said construction and site preparation continue ahead of the Aug. 10 opening date, with approximately 200 prekindergarten through fourth-grade students currently expected to attend the elementary portion of the campus during its first year.
According to the district, temporary modular buildings with classrooms and support facilities are being installed while a permanent elementary school building is planned over the next two to three years. Planned additions include a warming kitchen and dining area, an art and music suite, media center, playgrounds and a separate pickup and drop-off area for elementary students.
District officials described the transition as an additional educational option for Newberry families and noted anticipated growth in the community.
“Oak View PreK-8 School offers an exciting educational choice for elementary and middle-school children in Newberry,” the district said in its statement. “This is especially valuable for families moving into the community as a result of the significant amount of new housing approved by the Newberry City Commission.”
The district said representatives from the project design team began communicating with City of Newberry staff and the Suwannee River Water Management District in late February regarding utilities, traffic and stormwater management infrastructure associated with the project.
But the district also directly challenged assertions made by Marden in a letter dated April 29.
The district stated it received the letter through U.S. mail on May 12 and argued that it “incorrectly states that the City of Newberry has the authority to prevent the opening of the PreK-4 facility this fall.”
According to the district, Florida law does not require municipal approval for placement of temporary school buildings.
“Under state law (Florida Statute 1013.33 (9)(a)), the city’s approval is not required for the placement of temporary school buildings,” the district said. The district also stated that a traffic study referenced by Marden was not required.
Marden responded publicly after the district issued its statement, saying the issue was not centered on whether the school district could place temporary facilities on school property.
“We have not asked anything of ACPS/SBAC for anything we wouldn’t have asked someone else or another entity for,” Marden wrote in a public response. “I understand schools have some governmental latitude.”
Marden argued that the city’s concerns involve the infrastructure serving the campus rather than the structures themselves.
“But they can not be under the assumption they will simply connect to our roads, sewer, water, and electrical grid based on their word,” Marden wrote. “We need legally binding documentation and data to protect the citizen public here in Newberry.”
In a separate statement, Marden emphasized that the city is seeking engineering and technical documentation similar to what would be required for other projects.
“The issue is not what they are allowed to do on the school board property,” Marden wrote. “The issue is when they connect to the roads, water, sewer, and power. That’s it.”
“All of that needs to be engineered, surveyed and documented,” he added. “We can’t just take their word for it. That’s not how things work.”
Marden also disputed any suggestion that the city had delayed raising concerns.
“It should also be noted, it’s not as if ACPS was planning this years ago and we had all the time in the world to address this and just waited until now,” Marden wrote. “There were talks but we need the documentation and we were not getting it.”
Despite the public disagreement, the district stated it intends to continue working with city staff on the project.
Whether the disagreement remains a procedural dispute or develops into a broader conflict over growth and infrastructure planning may become clearer as work continues toward the start of the upcoming school year.
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