Duval County Public Schools has cut the size and cost of its proposed Venetia Elementary School rebuild after the School Board rejected plans to move forward with a larger, 1,200-student design.

The revised plan, unveiled at a Sept. 29 community meeting at Hyde Grove Elementary, calls for an 840-student school. District Operations Chief Jim Culbert said the project is expected to cost $49 million or less, while a district project summary listed a $52 million budget.

That is down from the $70 million budget previously projected for the 1,200-student school.

The School Board voted 6-1 on Sept. 1 against moving forward with a preconstruction agreement and early procurement costs totaling about $2.2 million for the larger concept. District 1 representative Tony Ricardo cast the only vote in favor.

The original proposal drew opposition from residents concerned about the size of the school, neighborhood traffic and the effect of consolidating additional students at the site.

Revised plan limits consolidation

Culbert told residents Sept. 29 that the district has stopped considering enrollment boundary changes beyond the planned consolidation of Ortega Elementary into Venetia.

Ortega is scheduled to close in May 2028, allowing its students to move into the rebuilt Venetia campus when it opens.

The new school would include 40 general education classrooms, five prekindergarten classrooms, art and music rooms, a cafeteria with a stage, an open-air amphitheater, two skills labs and a media center.

Plans also include outdoor play areas, athletic fields and courts, and a dog park at the rear of the property.

Traffic study under city review

Culbert said a new traffic study was completed Sept. 29 and submitted to Jacksonville traffic engineers for review.

Published accounts differ on the projected number of vehicles and the campus's queue capacity. Jacksonville Today reported that the study projected 173 vehicles and 19 school buses, with the redesigned campus providing room for as many as 250 vehicles and 23 buses. WOKV reported 123 parent pickups and said the vehicle queue would accommodate 225 cars.

Jacksonville Today reported that the city had not completed its review of the study as of Oct. 1.

Venetia Elementary has served the neighborhood since 1942 and had about 350 students in