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Residents, teachers plead for Fort Myers Beach Elementary to be rebuilt and reopened
Summary
Scores of parents, teachers and community members told the Lee County School Board during public comment on June 3 that Fort Myers Beach Elementary should be returned to the beach site, with portables as an interim step and adherence to a prior legal agreement the town says the district made after storm damage.
The Lee County School Board heard more than a dozen public comments on June 3 urging the district to restore Fort Myers Beach Elementary to the beach site rather than close or relocate it. Board leaders told the audience at the start of public comment that no vote on Fort Myers Beach would be taken that night and that comments would inform future board consideration.
Board chair (on the record for opening public comment) said: “The school board will not be voting on anything related to Fort Myers Beach tonight,” and that public input would be considered at a future meeting when a decision appears on the agenda.
Teachers and parents described strong community ties to the school, cited the school’s long history and its consistent academic ratings, and asked for portable classrooms as an immediate measure so students can be back on the beach site next year. Sarah Rockwell, a fifth‑grade teacher and former student, told the board: “I implore you to look past the report and consider the community, the kids, and the impact the school has made since being built in 1947.”
Several speakers said a written agreement the district signed after Hurricane Ian required the district to renovate the historic building and to bear operating costs through 2027, and that the board had promised a permanent cafeteria rather than renting portables. Monica Schmucker told the board: “This written legal agreement states that you don't get out because of another hurricane. Honor the agreement. Give us what you promised.”
Parents and teachers also criticized the district’s consultant report, which some said used flawed demographic assumptions. Patrick Venas, a Fort Myers Beach parent, said the community would present corrected enrollment and cost data and invited district staff to a workshop on the beach to review the report’s methodology.
A number of speakers emphasized nonacademic values: continuity, small‑school culture and special programs with local partners. Alexis Cooper, a parent and aspiring teacher, said Fort Myers Beach Elementary’s small size and consistent A‑rating produced “superior academic teachers” and urged the district to “study what makes Fort Myers Beach Elementary so successful and replicating it rather than closing it.”
The board did not take action on the matter that night. Several speakers asked the board to supply temporary portables for next school year so students can return to the beach site while the district and town work through rebuild plans; others asked the board to honor the written agreement and provide the promised facilities and a three‑and‑a‑half year run‑up for the school to reach sustainability as described in the agreement. The board said the comments would be added to materials considered at a later workshop and possible agenda item that would allow public participation when a decision is ready for a vote.
