The Indian River County School Board on Dec. 17 unanimously approved a sweeping consolidation plan that will restructure campuses across the district, following months of discussion and public input from parents and educators.
Superintendent David Moore proposed the changes in October, citing a decline of about 2,000 students since 2019. He said the plan is intended to address financial concerns tied to underused facilities while maintaining services for students.
The approved plan includes merging Vero Beach High School’s freshman center into the main campus, a move projected to save $1.2 million.
Oslo Middle School will relocate to the former freshman center and be renamed Vero Beach Middle, while Osceola Magnet School will move into the former Oslo Middle building.
Rosewood Magnet School will relocate to Storm Grove Middle, and Glendale Elementary will merge with Citrus Elementary.
Under the plan, IR Prep will share space in the Treasure Coast Technical Education Center, and Sebastian Elementary will share the Sebastian River Middle School campus.
The district also outlined future uses for buildings that will no longer serve as traditional schools.
The former Rosewood campus would become a professional learning and leadership center, Osceola’s current building would be repurposed as an adult learning innovation center, and the Glendale building would house the Wabasso school program and a prekindergarten center.
Moore said the changes are aimed at more than cost savings.
“We’re responding with doing more with less to maximize the service and the resources that we can provide to our children,” he said.
Zachary Wiegers, a Sebastian River High School financial algebra teacher and treasurer of the Indian River County Education Association, voiced support for the plan.
“What this initiative in my opinion does is it sets us and the people after us in our community up for success,” he said.
During the special meeting, parents were given an opportunity to comment on the proposal. School Board Vice Chair Peggy Jones said feedback from the community has largely been positive.
“People will say this is hard, but they’re listening, they’re understanding,” Jones said.
Board Chair Teri Barenborg said concerns raised by parents were taken into account as the plan evolved.
“Parents were listened to,” she said.
Moore said families will be contacted by school officials about options regarding whether they wish to remain at their current school locations. Implementation of the changes is expected to begin in the 2026–2027 school year.
“Now the work begins,” Moore said.