LOWNDES COUNTY, GA — Families in Valdosta City Schools are facing uncertainty after the school board voted Tuesday to shut down the Valdosta Early College Academy — known as VECA — by the end of June.
The program has offered students early access to college-level courses and accelerated academics. District leaders say those same opportunities — including AP classes, dual enrollment, and STEM programs — are now available across all schools, making VECA no longer necessary. They also cited the aging facility and rising costs as factors in the decision.
But families say the rollout has been abrupt and troubling.
During a parent meeting Wednesday night, families say the meeting ended early, with officials now going back to the drawing board on how to handle the transition.
JaTaryia Thomas, a parent with a son heading into 11th grade, said plans tied to VECA could now be disrupted.
"You don't handle things like this because again, now you have a whole school of students that don't know where they're going… Where you going to put them?"Thomas said.
As of Thursday afternoon, district leaders had not released any further information on the process of the school shutdown.
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