What We Learned at the Town Hall

TL;DR: After weeks of questions about the school merger plan, the superintendent showed up. The room was packed. People spoke up. Some things got clearer. Other things didn’t. But the energy? That told its own story.

📍 The Meeting: The town hall happened Wednesday night at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Pierce. It was hosted by the NAACP and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Dr. Donna Mills was there. So was Superintendent Jon Prince. And for the first time, the community got a chance to ask questions face to face. Kind of.

The setup was structured. Kim Johnson was tapped to read pre-submitted questions. Folks could also fill out notecards or scan a QR code if they wanted to follow up. Eventually it opened up a bit more, but the format threw people off. Some who were watching online felt it wasn’t really a town hall. They expected more of a two-way dialogue. A real back and forth. What they got felt more controlled.

🧠 What Was Said: The superintendent laid out his case. He said Fort Pierce isn’t growing as fast as Port St. Lucie. That older schools are too expensive to keep up. That consolidating into one new K through 8 would save money. The plan is to build a new $65 million school on the Dale Cassens site. Funded by selling off land like Lawnwood and St. Lucie Elementary. Paid for in cash. No new debt.

He said no one would lose their job. That there aren’t enough staff as it is. Most would be placed in the new school. A few admin or custodial roles might shift, but pay would stay the same.

💭 What Was Felt: Even with answers, the room felt uneasy. People were tense. There were moments where you could hear the doubt. Concerns about disinvestment. About what happens when land in a Black neighborhood gets sold off. About whether any of that money would make its way back to Fort Pierce.

The superintendent pushed back. Talked about the new $100 million Westwood campus. Talked about the district’s graduation rates. Black male graduation rates. The push for an A-rated system. He said they’re making progress.

But you could still feel the divide. Because it wasn’t just about buildings. It wasn’t just about staffing or test scores. It was about people asking, are we being planned with, or planned around?

📅 What’s Next: Nothing is final. The superintendent will present his “options” on July 29. No vote yet. Just more information. They say this will take years. We’ll be here the whole time.

🎥 Want to catch up?

• Here’s the original article that started it all
• This was the WLX Horizon training video shown at the meeting
• And here’s the full livestream replay from our YouTube

🎯 Bottom Line: This isn’t just about a school closing. It’s about trust. About power. About who gets heard. Fort Pierce deserves more than a plan. It deserves a say.