Pinellas board workshops school boundary changes Tuesday, with Dunedin zones up for an Oct. 13 vote

Editorial graphic by Dunedin Community Website. Illustrative blurred community background: Wesley Chapel, Florida (August 2024), LittleT889 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Photo source · License

Dunedin families have a little over a week to weigh in before the Pinellas County School Board decides whether to redraw elementary attendance zones here. The board reviews the Fall 2026 Planning for Progress recommendations and community input at a workshop Tuesday, Oct. 6, and votes at its Oct. 13 meeting, according to a letter from Superintendent Kevin Hendrick posted on the district's Planning for Progress page.

Planning for Progress decision dates

1. Sept. 10, 2026

   District presents Fall 2026 Planning for Progress recommendations to the School Board

2. Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026

   Board workshop reviews recommendations and community input

3. Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026

   Board votes on the recommendations

4. 2027-28 school year

   New attendance zones would take effect at Dunedin, Garrison-Jones, Sandy Lane and San Jose elementaries and Carwise Middle

Source: pcsb.org; palmharbordunedinbeacon.com

Which Dunedin schools are affected

The recommendations, presented to the board Sept. 10, include what the district describes as "adjusting selected attendance boundaries to better balance enrollment and maximize available capacity." The Palm Harbor-Dunedin Beacon, citing the district's Planning for Progress document, reports the package calls for new attendance zones at Dunedin, Garrison-Jones, Sandy Lane and San Jose elementary schools and Carwise Middle School beginning in the 2027-28 school year, with the stated goals of balancing enrollment and reducing the number of students crossing major roadways.

Garrison-Jones Elementary, at 3133 Garrison Rd., runs what the school describes as the only full Spanish and English dual language program in Pinellas County Schools, open to students in PreK through fifth grade.

What a zone change would mean for current students

Students already enrolled at a school whose zone changes could stay put through a Special Assignment Request, but the district would not provide transportation for those students, the Beacon reports. That is the practical trade-off for families on the wrong side of a new line: keep the school, lose the bus.

The boundary work is one piece of a larger package that proposes closing seven schools and touches 28 campuses districtwide, with the district projecting $25 million in recurring annual savings and a one-time capital cost of $6.9 million.

How to comment before the vote

The district's Planning for Progress page carries a feedback form and an address lookup tool that shows whether a household falls in a changed zone. The second round of site community meetings listed by the district runs Oct. 6-12 at Blanton, Pinellas Park, Bear Creek, Kings Highway and Sexton elementaries, Lealman Innovation, Tarpon Springs Fundamental and Tarpon Springs Middle. Earlier rounds of countywide meetings included sessions at Dunedin High School in July 2026 and in December 2025.