Local parents have choices to make when a new school opens

Now that Kelbran Conrado has graduated from the fifth grade at Myakka City Elementary, his family was put in the predicament of having two children — Kelbran and his younger brother, Declan, who will be in second grade — on the same schedule but at campuses 18 miles apart.

Kelbran now will attend Lake Manatee K-8, which opened last August, for middle school. 

The parents — Miranda and Chance Conrado — had a decision to make. Through school choice, they decided that both boys will be attending Lake Manatee once school starts.

East County parents have to weigh the ramifications of their choice of school. Certainly, the school's distance from their home is a major concern. But other factors can weigh heavily on the decision as well.

Has the child, or the children, become entrenched in a peer group at the existing school, which might be farther away and less convenient? Do the parents have favorite teachers at the existing school and they aren't sure what they are going to get at a new school? Are there extracurricular activities at an existing school that make it attractive? Is there an exceptional principal at the existing school? Does a new school opening mean one child is zoned for that school while a younger or older sibling needs to stay at an existing school which can lead to transportation problems or create the inability to be at two different places for important events? Will a new school take time to operate efficiently? Can you make the decision to transfer your kids to a new school because you know what you've got in the current world?

Being zoned into a new school might mean it could shake up the way a family runs. 

“We don’t have any concerns about Lake Manatee being a newer school,” Miranda Conrado said. “We attended the new family orientation recently and (Principal Todd) Richardson gave such a thorough and informative presentation that put all of our worries and concerns at ease.”

Courtesy image

With East County experiencing so much growth, new schools are needed to keep up with demand. Lake Manatee K-8 opened its elementary school last August and will open up for sixth grade this coming school year. Rangeland High School, which is in the midst of construction, will open to freshmen and sophomores in fall 2027. 

East County parents have more choices now, and it's not always easy.

Prior to attending Myakka City Elementary, the Conrado brothers attended Parrish's Harvey K-8 when it was brand new in 2022. They had lived in Palmetto at the time, and shortly afterward moved to Myakka City.

But they certainly enjoyed having their kids at a new school.

"Due to the larger campus size, there was a lot of hands-on help from teachers and parents for any given event," Miranda Conrado said. "With Lake Manatee also being a larger campus, I’m sure that there are lots of helping hands to make sure things run smoothly, so we aren’t at all worried about Kelbran and Declan doing well."

Like the Conrados, Myakka City’s Brittany McCord was in a similar situation with her two daughters — Maycee McCord, who will be entering sixth grade, and Mila McCord, who will be entering kindergarten. Mila is zoned for Myakka City Elementary and Maycee is zoned for Lake Manatee K-8. But Brittany McCord went a different route.

She decided to keep Mila at Myakka. 

“I will preach over and over again that the size of the newer schools scare me,” Brittany McCord said. “If my children walk the halls at Myakka Elementary School, they will be greeted by name. If they walk the halls at the newer, more crowded schools, they will be greeted by, 'Who is your homeroom teacher?' The schools are the same in the sense that they will be learning the same material, but that is about it.” 

Sweetwater’s Marcin Milewski has a son, Adam, who will be a third grader at Lake Manatee K-8. The family is happy being part of a new school. When the next school year begins, Nell Milewski will be a voluntary prekindergarten student there.

“The first year was great,” Marcin Milewski said. “We thought it would have more hiccups (such as scheduling and teacher shortage). I feel the standards were set high for learning and behavior.”

Some families have children who decided not to attend a new school to keep their children's peer group together, but their peers ended up transferring.

Elana Schwartz of Lorraine Lakes has two sons — Levi, who is going into fifth grade, and Jacob, who is going into third grade. Both will transfer from B.D. Gullett to Lake Manatee K-8 once the school year starts. 

“Some of the boys’ friends made the switch last year, so they are excited to be back in the same school together,” Schwartz said. “Others are also making the switch this fall."

Elena Schwartz said they will make an extra effort to stay connected with the friends who aren’t making the switch through play dates and camps.

Greenbrook’s Ryan Rothhaar will be a freshman at Lakewood Ranch High School and he hasn't even thought about making a school choice move to the new high school. He wants to run cross country for the Mustangs and be a part of that established program.

“It would be disappointing if I couldn’t be a part of that team or have the school spirit feeling at the beginning,” Rothhaar said. “That’s a big part of high school. I would be happy anywhere overall, but what matters most to me is being with my friends.”

He said established schools tend to know what they’re doing and have successful sports and clubs. However, he also said it can be attractive that a new school won't have as many building issues, such as older schools might experience. 

Irene Caiazzo of Star Farms is the mom of a rising senior at Braden River High School and rising eighth grade twins at R. Dan Nolan Middle School. While the Braden River senior won't have the opportunity to attend Rangeland High School, where they eventually will be zoned when it opens, the family has yet to make a decision what high school the twins will attend.

For the Caiazzo family, the struggle isn’t just about whether an old school has a more established community. Their struggle is they’ve transferred schools twice already, including when they moved from New York two years ago. 

Caiazzo does worry about pedigree of teachers, as well as whether or not sports programs may or may not be available. However, she is looking at it differently. 

“We are in a unique opportunity in a brand new school and it might actually be easier to build our own community when everyone is new,” Caiazzo said. “When you are all starting fresh, no one knows exactly what’s going on, which means parents and students can lean on each other and there is a real blessing in that. A bunch of parents trying to figure things out together can build a tight community very quickly and we hope that could help us find our village!” 

Katrina Zagroba-Kamal, a first grade teacher at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, said every school has areas in which they excel and areas that need work whether it is brand new or not. She recommends each family researches what is best for their children. 

“There are so many choices and that can be frustrating,” Zagroba-Kamal said. “Remember to breathe, enjoy that cup of coffee or tea and make a to-do list of pros and cons of each school you visit. Remember to keep your child in mind and enjoy the experience because sooner than you know it they will be off to college, trade school or something else. Embrace and enjoy the moments because time flies by.”