Erin Hill
Gadsden County News Service
By the start of the 2026-27 school year, hundreds of Gadsden County students will attend different schools as the district prepares for construction of a new kindergarten through eighth-grade campus.
During a special meeting Tuesday, May 12, the Gadsden County School Board unanimously approved a relocation plan affecting students from James A. Shanks Middle School and George W. Munroe Elementary School.
Under the plan, approximately 182 Shanks Middle students will be reassigned to Havana Magnet School, about 25 students will move to Greensboro Elementary School and roughly 207 students will attend West Gadsden Middle School. Student assignments are based on where families live.
The changes also affect George W. Munroe Elementary School, where about 113 students are expected to relocate to Havana Magnet School.
District officials said the Munroe students are included in the transition because many travel on the same bus routes as Shanks Middle students.
“Many students from both George W. Munroe and James A. Shanks Middle School ride the same transportation routes; therefore, integrating them into a single location allows the district to maximize transportation efficiency and remain economically effective while ensuring our students and parents have a seamless transition,” a district spokesperson said.
The relocations are tied to plans for a new kindergarten through eighth-grade school scheduled to open in August 2027 on the James A. Shanks campus.
According to the school district, the campus will be the district’s first newly constructed school in more than two decades. State funding documents indicate the school is expected to serve about 1,500 students and eventually combine attendance zones now served by James A. Shanks Middle School, George W. Munroe Elementary School, Stewart Street Elementary School and Gadsden Elementary Magnet School.
School officials previously considered several relocation scenarios before approving the final plan, including moving all Shanks students to West Gadsden Middle School or using other district campuses. The adopted plan divides students among receiving schools based largely on where they live.
District and school capacity information presented during earlier discussions showed West Gadsden Middle School had enrollment well below its building capacity, while Havana Magnet School also had room to accommodate additional students.
Superintendent Elijah Key told board members the move is intended to address several operational and financial concerns while preparing for the new school.
“Personnel at these target schools will be consolidated to maximize administrative oversight, bring relief to our strained budget due to decrease in enrollment,” Key said. “Transportation adjustment will minimize transportation costs required for reassigned students. Coordination with receiving schools will be necessary to ensure adequate staffing, scheduling, and classroom capacity through the district’s staffing plan for ’26-’27.”
Key said the district plans to reassign employees as part of the transition while coordinating staffing and operations at the receiving schools.
Key said he has received feedback from parents about the plan but noted that conversations with students suggested many preferred attending schools closer to home.
“When I asked those kids where they wanted to go, they said they wanted to go to the closest school to their house,” Key said. “It’s not a kid problem, we have adults problems.”
School Board Chair Leroy McMillan acknowledged the difficulty of the decision but said board members ultimately had to determine where students would attend while the district prepares for the new campus.
“It’s a hard decision, but at the end of the day, we’ve gotta send those kids somewhere,” McMillan said.
Key expressed optimism about the long-term outcome, saying the district hopes the new school will become a source of pride for the community.
“If we lose kids, I don’t know if there’s anything we can do,” Key said. “But what I do know is this, is that when that new school is open, we’ll have something we can be proud of.”
