As talks continued about the potential closure of Cape View Elementary School in Cape Canaveral due to low enrollment and an aging population, the city council approved a resolution urging Brevard’s school board not to shutter the school.
At a Nov. 4 special city council meeting, parents and community members filled the room, with Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Mark Rendell and Assistant Superintendent of Facilities Services Sue Hann in attendance.
Over the course of a little more than two hours, about 20 people discussed the impact of Cape View on their children and the city, speaking out against Brevard Public Schools’ proposed plan to potentially consolidate it with Roosevelt Elementary School in Cocoa Beach, with promises to help out in whatever way necessary to keep the school open.
“Anything you need us to do, we’ll back you 100%,” mom Katie Lahey told members of the council.
Ultimately, a resolution asking Brevard’s school board to keep the school open was approved unanimously. Mayor Pro Tem Mickie Kellum was absent but sent a statement saying she was in favor of keeping the school open, Mayor Wes Morrison shared prior to the resolution’s approval.
The resolution also requests that no matter what happens to the school, students will be given equal opportunity to attend school within Cape Canaveral and that over the course of the next year, the district will partner with the city council to work on improving enrollment and available programs.
“Cape View is more than a building,” Morrison said, adding that the resolution offers a “responsible, collaborative path” for both students and taxpayers. “It is a daily rhythm of children walking to class, the teachers who have served this community for decades, and the promise that Cape Canaveral is a place where families can put down roots.”
Cape View is ‘integral’ part of community
During the meeting, community members brought up a variety of points about the school, ranging from its walkability for students to its small class sizes to its more than 60-year history. Should the school board opt to consolidate it with Roosevelt, parents felt there could be potential problems for families without transportation and questioned the economic impact it might have on the city and district.
“How is it going to impact businesses, and how is it going to drive away families with small children because there’s no pull to the area if there’s no school?” said Rajesh Ravisankar, president of Cape View’s parent teacher organization, adding that he specifically chose his residence based on its closeness to the school.
Angela Raymond spoke about her work as former mayor pro tem and with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, referencing how there was always a focus on Cape View. And while the aging population in Cape Canaveral is a big reason the district has suggested closing the school, Raymond pushed back on that.
“We want to be connected to the youth,” she said, calling Cape View an “integral” part of the city. “This is the future, not only the future of our city, the future of America.”
Many others spoke of how much the school meant to their families.
Elizabeth Field lives around the corner from Cape View. They’ve been there for her when she’s needed someone to lean on.
“They have helped me when I was a single parent, when I needed food, when I had a lot of problems, they were there for me, and I feel like they’re going to take this away from us,” she said.
For Mary Fish, a former Cape View teacher and current president of the American Legion Auxiliary in Cape Canaveral, she said it was “just a joy to walk around through the rooms.”
It’s something she still does, as she spends time every year at Cape View, creating a museum for kids and teaching them about the military.
“They are our Purple Heart School,” she said, referring to a designation given to schools that support military families in Florida. “They wouldn’t be that if our group couldn’t come in teach them flag etiquette.”
Council agrees: should remain open
The council was largely in agreement with speakers. All members agreed the school should stay open.
“We did not know what today would look like,” Morrison said. “But I do know that this community loves Cape View Elementary, and Cape View Elementary loves this community. I think Cape View Elementary is intertwined in the fabric of our city.”
Councilman Don Willis said that when he first ran for office, his goal was to make Cape Canaveral a place for his grandchildren. It can’t be that without a school, he said.
“The presence of a neighborhood elementary school provides measurable economic, civil, civic and developmental benefits to the city and its families, and any closure or consolidation of Cape View would diminish access to quality public education for our local students and may negatively impact the city’s long-term residential stability and community development goals,” Willis said.
Councilwoman Kay Jackson spoke in support of younger families, saying she believes there’s a way to bring more parents with elementary-aged kids to Cape Canaveral and increase enrollment based on factors like dropping rental prices in the city.
“We don’t have a community without that,” she said of the school. “One thing I’m seeing that absolutely thrills me is young couples walking on North Ridgewood, where I’m closest every day with baby carriages. … Those kids have a right to go to a school close by in their own community, and it thrills me to see that, because that is the heart of our community and our future.”
Councilwoman Kim Davis agreed, saying the city needed “to do everything that we can do to … stay open.”
The resolution, agreed upon by all members of the council, will be sent to the school board.
The district is in the process of gathering community feedback about the potential consolidation with Roosevelt. Rendell was scheduled to attend a discussion about the issue at Cape View on Nov. 10 at 6 p.m., and Hann was set to present data from the community to the board at the next school board meeting on Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m.
Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker. Instagram: @finchwalker_.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Cape Canaveral city council approves resolution urging school board to keep Cape View open
Reporting by Finch Walker, Florida Today / Florida Today
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