Orange County Public Schools plans to use funds to open 16 new relief schools in the next five years. The Orlando-area school board discussed the capital budget at a workshop on May 17.
The new schools will primarily be financed by impact fees, with a small portion funded by the capital improvement tax. The county recently agreed to raise the impact fee rate. The 16 schools include nine elementary schools, 2 K-8 schools, one PS8, three middle schools and one high school.
Five-year new school openings:
- 2016 Millennia Gardens Elementary
- 2016 Bay Lake Elementary
- 2016 Wedgefield School
- 2017 131-PS8-SW-5 (downtown area)
- 2017 21-M-E-2 (Timber Springs area)
- 2017 52-M-SE-2 (Storey Park area)
- 2017 27-H-W-4 (West Orange area relief)
- 2017 44-E-SE-2 (Lake Nona South/Laureate Park)
- 2017 84-E-W-4 (MetroWest area relief)
- 2018 133-K8-N-6 (Audubon Park area)
- 2019 37-M-W-4 (Horizon West/Lakeside Village area)
- 2019 72-E-W-7 (Crowne Pointe/Weston Bay area)
- 2019 25-E-SW-4 (Horizon West/Lakeside Village south)
- 2020 114-E-W-4 (Horizon West/Village F south)
- 2020 90-E-N-7 (Wolf Lake area)
- 2020 20-E-SW-4 (S. International Drive area)
In addition, the following 18 existing schools, which are slated for replacement or comprehensive renovations, will be under construction or in design during fiscal year 2017. These projects were made possible by Orange County taxpayers, who approved an extension of the half-penny sales tax in 2014, the school district reported in a news release.
Design (10 schools):
- Pershing/Pine Castle K-8
- Hillcrest ES
- Corner Lake MS
- Durrance ES
- Union Park ES
- Pine Hills ES
- Frangus ES
- Maxey ES
- Hungerford ES
- Hidden Oaks ES
Construction (eight schools):
- Dover Shores ES
- Cypress Park ES
- Oak Hill ES
- Lake Como/Kaley K-8
- Rock Lake ES
- Mollie Ray ES
- Ivey Lane ES
- Meadow Woods ES
The board plans to hold public hearings on the capital budget on July 26 and September 13 before final approval.
The school district says it has one of the largest and most successful construction programs in the United States. Since 2003, 39 new relief schools have been built and 95 schools have been renovated or replaced. Approximately $3 billion is budgeted through 2025 for planning, designing and constructing replacement, comprehensive renovation and relief schools.