Due to budget cuts, Duval County Public Schools has decided to eliminate one of our two assistant principal positions for the 2025–2026 school year. Unfortunately, the position being cut is the Assistant Principal of Curriculum — a role that is absolutely vital to the success of our students and the integrity of our academic programming.

Landon is not a typical middle school. We serve a unique and high-achieving student population that includes a significant number of gifted learners as well as students with highly specialized educational needs. Our curriculum is tailored to challenge, support, and inspire these learners. Losing the Assistant Principal of Curriculum means losing the very leadership, expertise, and strategic planning that makes this possible.

We understand that the district now uses a new student enrollment threshold of 1,000 students (rather than the previous 750 students) to determine the allocation of assistant principals. However, this formula does not reflect the reality at Landon. Our school, with approximately 900 students, is already operating at 122% of its building capacity under the fire code. We have hundreds of students on a waitlist each year who would love to attend, and our school would gladly welcome them if we had the space to do so safely. Because of these constraints, Landon will never realistically meet the district’s new 1,000-student benchmark, despite serving a student body that exceeds the capacity and complexity of many larger schools. It is unquestionably too many students for a single assistant principal—especially when we are now being left without any administrator trained in curriculum development and instructional leadership.

To make matters worse, this staff reduction is happening in a year of enormous academic transition. Due to district budget cuts, Landon will be shifting from an eight-period block schedule to a seven-period daily schedule — a change that requires extensive curriculum revision, master schedule planning, and thoughtful coordination to ensure all students continue to receive the services and rigor they need. Removing the instructional leader responsible for this kind of educational planning is not just ill-timed — it is deeply damaging to our students and school community.

By eliminating the Assistant Principal of Curriculum, the district is sending a message to Landon families that our children’s unique educational needs are no longer a priority. Landon students and parents feel abandoned by this decision. We call on Duval County Public Schools to reconsider and reinstate this critical position to protect the quality and continuity of education at Julia Landon College Preparatory.

Our students deserve better. Please sign and share this petition to show your support.

Thank you, 
Leah Kennelly, JLCP PTSA President
Jaime Shachter, JLCP School Advisory Council Chairperson