School board discusses future expansion

When Kathie Ebaugh presented Sarasota County School Board members with an update on the five-year Capital Improvement Plan at their workshop Tuesday, she had a definitive message: the school district needs to start planning for future schools.

Ebaugh, the director of long-range planning, told the board that the current method of projecting future enrollment was inaccurate. Currently, predictions are based on birth data, which worked when growth was stagnant after the recession, she said. However, residential developments are on the rise and more families will start moving into the area, Ebaugh said.

“Families will once again see Sarasota County as a viable place to live,” Ebaugh said.

The current five-year capital plan does not include any new schools, but most of the county’s elementary and high schools are at or near capacity, said Scott Lempe, deputy superintendent. The interim solution, he said, is to build new classroom wings and add portable classrooms. This year, 42,360 students are enrolled in the school district, an increase of 818 students from last year. The district has a total of 40 schools; there are also 11 charter schools in the county.

The district wants to research key questions, such as the maximum capacity of all the schools and which area of developments will be growing the most and need new schools. The board approved hiring Tindale-Oliver to complete a growth management study at its Jan. 6 meeting. The study could cost up to $120,000 and will be conducted over the next year.

The firm will study the district, future developments and current facilities to help guide the board in long-term planning and what funds to use. The study has two goals, Lempe said. The first, to help the district understand the long-range implications of growth, such as how many students will be matriculating into the system and which neighborhoods will be growing the most. The second is calculating how much future impact fees should be for new construction.

School Board member Jane Goodwin said at the meeting she’s talked to developers about the population moving into new developments, and their responses suggested the retiree demographic would continue to increase.

Ebaugh said that Sarasota County would always attract retirees, but that the board shouldn’t discount the growth of families. One of the main reasons Ebaugh chose to move into the county was because of the good reputation of the school district.

Ebaugh also said that the board had to be mindful of the county’s charter schools. If a charter school closes, the district needs to be able to absorb the students who might transfer to regular public schools.

BY THE NUMBERS
42,360
Students enrolled in the Sarasota County School District

40
Schools in the Sarasota County School District

11
Charter schools in the Sarasota County School District