Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears options for Crystal Lake Elementary: keep sixth grade, add portables, or pursue K–8 master plan
Summary
Facilities staff presented options ranging from minor classroom conversions to a full K–8 addition at Crystal Lake Elementary; board members suggested a phased approach, asked staff to study capacity across the district and recommended hiring a consultant to map development and enrollment trends.
Facilities director Mark Sikrys presented options for Crystal Lake Elementary at the Oct. 7 workshop, outlining three paths: retain sixth grade by converting four existing classrooms (an estimated under $100,000 for furniture/fixtures), add portables while designing a permanent K–8 addition, or defer action and study other sites.
Sikrys said converting four classrooms for sixth grade would cost roughly $99,000 and could be completed before March so classrooms and furniture would be ready by August. A full K–8 addition would be a multi‑year project with master planning, RFQ/design phases and an estimated construction ballpark of $22 million–$30 million depending on site work, gym needs and furniture.
Survey data from the school’s fourth‑ and fifth‑grade families indicated interest in keeping students at Crystal Lake for sixth through eighth grade: roughly 76–80% of surveyed parents in the fourth and fifth grades said they would prefer their child remain at Crystal Lake if sixth grade (and a K–8 option) were offered. Sikrys noted the survey response rates (for example, 50 of 74 fifth‑grade families responded), and cautioned the figures are limited by response rates.
Board members discussed a phased strategy: several favored a low‑cost pilot to keep sixth grade at Crystal Lake while staff and a consultant study longer‑term enrollment shifts linked to new housing developments in the district (Citrus Grove, Newfield and other growth areas were discussed). Superintendent Main recommended hiring an outside consultant to map expected new FTEs, developer timelines and facility options before committing multi‑million‑dollar capital funds.
Why it matters: The district has capacity differences across schools and is projecting impact‑fee receipts that could be used to fund capital projects. Choosing whether to add sixth grade, expand to K–8 or build new facilities affects enrollment patterns, middle‑school capacity, transportation costs and where impact fees are spent.
Next steps: The board asked staff to: • Provide a short feasibility report on converting classrooms for sixth grade at Crystal Lake and other under‑utilized campuses; • Prepare a consultant scope to analyze county development, projected FTE, and optimal use of impact fees; and • Return options and potential costs for board consideration.
Speakers at the workshop repeatedly cautioned about overbuilding and recommended aligning capital investments to development‑driven student growth rather than reallocating students within the district as an administrative exercise.
