District construction staff presented the July 2025 change‑order report and a bimonthly construction update and then the district’s 10‑year capital plan at the Sept. 9 school board workshop.

Change orders and project status: Tina Silcox reported July change‑order activity totaling multiple categories: direct material purchases of $4,000,473.73276 (with $253,474.35 returned to the district in tax savings), non‑direct material purchases totaling $766,745.17 (returned as unused funds), and contingency adjustments of $575,898.36. The district returned a total of $1,020,219.52 to project lines in July, Silcox said. Projects with recent activity included Cape Coral Technical College, Hector A. Caferetta K‑8 temporary campus work, Bonita Springs Elementary renovations and Spring Creek Elementary HVAC work; time extensions and portable restroom additions also appeared in the report.

Project mobilization and permits: Silcox summarized mobilization at Bayshore expansion, permit progress for Quad 8/BBBB PreK–8 and active precast wall standing at multiple rebuilds. Several projects remain contingent on federal and state environmental permits: for example, the NNN high‑school timetable has awaited a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consultation and Southwest Florida Water Management permitting; project teams said they would clarify the expected completion date for trustees after the workshop.

Portables and capacity today: District staff reported 258 relocatable classrooms in operation — 30 federally owned, 149 district owned and 79 leased portables. Elementary schools held the largest share (91 portables), middle schools 36 and high schools 26; two large temporary campuses — Hector Caferetta and Cypress Lake temporary sites — account for multiple portables.

Ten‑year capital plan and enrollment projections: Chief planner M. G. T. (Davis Demographics) projections presented to the board estimate the district will serve 106,956 traditional K‑12 students by the 2034–35 school year — an increase of 18,913 students over current levels. Staff said enrollment is already unevenly distributed; 34 schools operate over 100% of their assigned building (FISH) capacity, with many of those schools located in the East Zone where high‑school shortfalls may exceed 350 seats without additional construction.

Planned deliveries and constraints: The capital plan schedules a surge of openings from 2026–2028 that will provide seats through a mix of new schools and remodels; staff said 2028 is the only year in the current schedule where planned capacity meets projected student demand. Beyond that year, projected deficits reappear as enrollment continues to grow. Staff also noted the half‑cent sales tax that provided project revenue in recent years is scheduled to sunset in December 2028; district finance staff said they have convened an internal task force to examine options ahead of that sunset and will bring recommendations to the board before the tax expires.

Maintenance, technology and debt: Facilities staff summarized a long maintenance backlog and a 10‑year maintenance estimate that includes HVAC, roofing, electrical and paving work. The district reported a broad 10‑year technology plan covering classroom devices, surveillance and back‑end systems; approximately half of technology capital is for classroom and office devices and interactive classroom packages, while a sizable portion covers enterprise software and data‑center infrastructure. Trustees asked for clarification on timelines of specific school projects and on the budget implications of the sales‑tax sunset.

Board reaction: Trustees expressed concern about East Zone capacity, the timeline of environmental permits on major high‑school projects and the need to consider alternate delivery or partnership models to accelerate seat production. Trustee Fisher suggested exploring public‑private partnership options and leaseback arrangements used in other counties; superintendent staff said they will investigate approaches and report back.