Manatee County School Board plans on new high school

Manatee County's growth hasn't gone unnoticed by the school board.

To address growth and to balance classroom numbers, the district is crafting a long-range master plan. Some schools in Palmetto and west Bradenton have empty seats while Braden River and Lakewood Ranch high schools continue to top previous years' student counts, said Robert Johnson, school district director of planning and performance.

At its meeting Sept. 22, the school board agreed the county needs an additional high school. The project is estimated to cost about $75 million, and officials announced a five-year timetable for the school to be built.

The new high school is just one aspect of the long-range master plan and capital improvements plan the district has been discussing.

But where will the school be constructed?

"If current demographic patterns, and even half of the 9,000 homes already approved for Parrish are built, where that high school will be needed is pretty clear," school board member Charlie Kennedy said.

A few months ago, education officials agreed East County was one of the fastest-growing areas in the county, and could be a contender for an additional school. But no location has been specified, yet.

The district will address the idea in further detail at its long-range master plan meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 24 at Manatee Technical College's State Road 70 campus.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].