Adapting to *** booming population in every corner of central Florida, the
cafeteria, the gym, all those bus line, car line. Not fun. When *** school is
overcrowded, we've moved as fast as we possibly can. Stretching the limits.
The solutions districts are implementing as classrooms burst at the
seams. Now you've told them they have the scholarship but no school has space
anymore because now we're all full the expanded scholarship families incentive
to explore new options for their kids' education and using new technology to
keep students safe. You saved *** life here at Lake Nona High School because
of this software and I can confidently say because you are able to get
involved early on that student is still here. The strategy is in play to keep
teens on the right track. Take *** moment, check in with your high
schooler. They need you, they need you during this time. You're watching ***
West two news back to school. Special
Central Florida is home for all of us and our families. But every day, about
1200 more people are moving to the Sunshine State causing *** population
boom. Yeah, I grew up here and I've seen that growth firsthand. Sonic. I
know you have as well. Yes. And the school districts are frantically trying
to meet demand for classroom space. It's an increasingly difficult problem
to navigate that may take up to *** decade to relieve. In some places
in Orange County's fastest growing area, it is all about getting creative and
that's part of the planning, right? What else can we do if we can't
physically get the building out of the ground in time? We met Orange County
school board member, Pam Gould at Horizon High School. *** camp is so new
that over the last two years, the district used the empty 12th grade
classrooms to also help students from the new Water Spring Middle School
school established two years before an actual building was ready. Utilizing
the space we built here was *** great opportunity to relieve Bridgewater.
This Fall Water Spring Middle School will finally move to its new building.
Orange County's master plan community, Horizon West. Still less than 60% built
out. How many additional students are there at these eight overcrowded
schools? Anywhere from 50 to 200. It does create some infrastructure
challenges. I'm not going to deny the cafeteria, the gym, all those bus line
car line in the last three years, the district has opened three high schools.
Sunset Park Elementary in Windermere has already had to be relieved 3 to 4
times. We've moved as fast as we possibly can. We haven't missed ***
school date opening, everybody's had seats, everybody's had all the
equipment that they need. 30 minutes south on the Turnpike Osceola County's
newest superintendent, Dr Mark Shano says he's bringing the knowledge he
gained while serving Orange County to the 10th fastest growing county in the
nation. I was *** teacher that taught in *** portable and so you can do
amazing things in portables. And then there are *** lot of limitations with
portables. 10 schools were over 100% capacity in Osceola County during the
2022 2023 school year, Island Village Elementary in celebration will open
this fall two K through eight schools will open next year and *** new high
school is in Q to relieve overcrowding in cloud middle school is *** perfect
example of *** school that's going through *** space reconfiguration where
we want to limit the number of portables that exist on that campus. We
checked in with our other local districts. 31 schools in Marion County
use instructional portables. At least 29 schools are at 90% capacity. 20 are
at 100%. Sumter County says two schools are considered overcrowded with new
buildings slated to begin construction this year and the return of Wildwood
Intermediate school that will help serve grades 45 and six. It was an old
school that we had shut down due to declining enrollment in 2008 and nine
when the economy was really bad. And so we've reopened it in Lake County.
Another rapidly expanding area, 14 schools are projected to be over
capacity for the 2023 24 school year. But the district says its five year
capital plan will help relieve the massive growth with *** new K through
eight school this year, an elementary school next year and another K through
eight school in 2025. And Orange County says 61 schools have at least one
student over capacity that is nearly *** third of their total schools. The
district now taking the lessons learned in Horizon West to the next Master plan
Community Lake Nona. So basically, if you're in this area, you have to settle
in to the possibility that your kid may be going to an overcrowded school for
*** number of brand new, brand new
with the most technology in the classroom is not overcrowded.