SARASOTA — After construction for Wellen Park's new high school was delayed by a year due to lack of funding, Sarasota County Schools officials announced its sister school for K-8 students would follow suit.
Chief Operations Officer Jody Dumas said the decision to halt the plans was related to the district's capital improvement plan involving projected budget totals for the next five years, which Dumas said currently aims to avoid building new school buildings until "we absolutely have to."
He is looking into classroom additions, such as portable classrooms, rather than full construction builds to reduce unnecessary costs and bolster utilization of openings in Sarasota County schools.
Officials said they are monitoring capacity levels for Wellen Park area schools, including Taylor Ranch Elementary — which is over capacity — but have not found sufficient data to prioritize the new school's construction in time for its planned 2026 opening.
Data monitoring at the Wellen Park charter school, College Preparatory Academy, also suggested no large need for an additional school, officials said.
Currently, budget forecasting for the Wellen Park K-8 school is set for the 2026-27 school year. It will be located on the same parcel of land bought for the construction of the Wellen Park High School, which got underway earlier this year and is set to open in 2026.
New SCS Assistant Superintendent/CEO Michael Kemp said rising costs in construction, including labor, materials and supplies, have also been one of the biggest reasons for projects being pushed back.
Kemp named COVID-19 as the "forgotten variable" that continues to impact the CIP each year.
"When things cost twice as much as what they used to, that becomes a great concern on the capital side," he said. "Our pandemic has not ended; it never ended here."
The current cost of the three new school projects total $250 million.
Kemp warned the Board of his past experience with school districts in Florida using too much funding for new projects, leaving little to manage existing communities and potential crises.
Examples of old A/C units in need of repair, like North Port High School's chillers that will cost millions to replace this summer, and natural disaster reparations were used by Kemp.
Dumas agreed with Kemp on rising costs and budgeting concerns, citing the recent growth in SCS influencing rising costs as well.
District officials revealed two new developments, an elementary and high school, have been added to the five-year budget forecast to offset current growth in the Woodlands, near North Port, where Dumas said almost all North Port elementary schools and North Port High School are over capacity or nearing it.
Other upcoming projects include:
- $20.6 million to replace Buildings 4 and 5 at Englewood Elementary School in 2027.
- $8.4 million for improvements to the Venice High School football field, the last school in the district to receive artificial turf, plus an updated track and stadium.
- $13.4 million to replace the roof at Laurel Nokomis.
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