Board staff recommend boundary plan to open Wellen Park High School in 2026 after extensive community process

The board heard a multi‑meeting update on the new Wellen Park High School (site collocated with a k–8 site) and a recommended redistricting plan developed after community meetings and a Boundary Advisory Committee. Dr. Kemp said the “vision without implementation is hallucination,” summarizing a multi‑year process that began in 2018 and intensified as growth projections and development accelerated in the Wellen Park area.

Construction status and leadership: Executive Director of Facilities Jody Dumas reported that construction is on schedule for an August 2026 opening and highlighted recent milestones (building enclosures, electrical service approval for primary classroom buildings). The board has named the school mascot and principal: Mark Grossenbacher was introduced as the new principal and described early outreach to families and business leaders in the Wellen Park area.

Boundary process and scenarios: district planning staff used GIS overlays of student addresses (zone students) and actual enrollment to model redistricting options. Diane Comenati (planning) presented six initial scenarios and explained that the Boundary Advisory Committee developed additional variants after community input; the committee scored each scenario for feasibility (criteria included capacity, travel/transportation, neighborhood integrity, safety, future growth and program equity).

Enrollment data presented to the board (zone = students living inside a boundary; actual = students currently attending): Northport High School permanent capacity (FISH) = 2,793; 40‑day actual enrollment = 2,560 (90% utilization); zone students = 3,141 (113% of capacity). Venice High School permanent capacity (FISH) = 2,156; 40‑day actual enrollment = 2,588 (120% utilization); zone students = 3,014 (140% utilization). The district expects roughly 175 students presently attending Lemon Bay (Charlotte County) to be counted in local planning going forward as that agreement changes.

Recommendation and rationale: after three boundary advisory meetings and three public community sessions, the committee rated scenarios D, F and B as the most feasible. District staff recommended Scenario D to the superintendent and the board because it achieved the district’s objective—reducing crowding at Venice and Northport while providing a viable level of service for Wellen Park High—without splitting neighborhoods or requiring multiple reassignments for the same family.

Programmatic equity and choice: district secondary leaders said they would preserve program access and offered protections for students with one year remaining in their current school and for existing choice students. Dr. Megan Green explained plans to pursue IB authorization pathways and to align accelerated, CTE and arts opportunities so impacted students can continue program tracks where practicable; the district is awaiting IB feedback on proposed authorization steps. The district's school‑choice office described how existing choice students may remain at their chosen campus and how the district will manage new choice applications and wait lists for impacted families.

Community engagement and next steps: staff noted an extensive FAQ and meeting archive on the project website, signage to affected properties and targeted outreach to impacted ZIP codes. The board was told the recommended boundary will be advertised for 30 days; the staff will return for final board action on September 16 (or the date set on the board calendar) after the statutorily required public notice period.

Ending: board members praised the scope of outreach and asked staff to continue individualized family outreach for juniors and students in program sequences; staff confirmed plans to provide targeted communications and choice‑application assistance.