The Brevard County School Board is taking steps to potentially close schools as they continue to battle budget woes.
On Tuesday staff presented the board with a dozen schools in two clusters, with two of them, one from each group, being shut down if necessary.
All of them are elementary schools and come from the north and south beach areas, and the Merritt Island area of Brevard County.
In the south beach area, the schools on the list are Gemini, Holland, Indialantic, Ocean Breeze, Sea Park and Surfside.
In the north beach and Merritt Island areas, the schools on the list are Audubon, Cape View, Carroll, Mila, Roosevelt and Tropical.
The initial plan would move students to surroundnig schools without adding portable classrooms.
The school system is hoping voters will sign off on another half cent sales tax referendum on Nov. 4. It would raise $32 million a year for a six-year period. The money would go to rehab and upgrade aging schools and facilities.
"People don't understand, if the half penny doesn't pass, it's not just about a couple schools getting [closed]. Every school is going to be negatively affected," said Richard Smith of the Brevard Federation of Teachers.
But will it pass after being rejected back in 2012?
A newly created citizen’s oversight committee is being formed to reassure the public that the tax dollars raised goes to where it's intended.
"And if there's a deviation from it, then the committee will have the responsibility to inquire why did that happen, and what is the logic behind it," says Adrian Laffitte of Brevard Save Our Students, who will serve on the oversight committee.
Four schools closed last year in Brevard but the district is still facing budget woes.
Other reductions facing the school system could involve a furlough day for employees, eliminating 55 elementary art teaching positions and 57 elementary music teacher spots.