Pasco board reviews Gulf Middle School replacement; new building due Dec. 2026, site work to finish Aug. 2027

Pasco County School District officials presented plans to replace Gulf Middle School and said construction will begin this summer, with the new school building expected to be completed in December 2026 and final site work finished in August 2027.

District staff told the board the project is being phased so the existing campus can remain operational during construction. Mike Goody, introduced to present the project, said the design places a new wing on the campus footprint so instruction continues while crews build the replacement facility.

The plan calls for a roughly 75,000-square-foot building with a consolidated media center at the building's hub, a new gym, CTE and science labs in an "innovation center," and an L-shaped layout intended to improve drop-off and queuing space. "We created a plaza that greets them. But more importantly, there's a lot of queuing space to keep the traffic and keep the parents off the road," architect Jose Margarito said when describing the front entrance and circulation.

Construction management firm JE Dunn and architecture firm Ziskovich were named as the project's partners; JE Dunn was represented at the meeting by Jim Cummings, and Ziskovich presenters included Alex Perez and Jose Margarito. District staff said preliminary underground investigation will begin this summer and major construction work will follow; after the new building is occupied, existing buildings on the site will be removed and converted to parking.

On traffic and site questions, Margarito said buses will be routed to the opposite side of the campus and parent drop-off will be organized around a curved front drive to increase queuing capacity and reduce roadside congestion. When a board member asked whether the track and field would ever be used for vehicular queuing, Margarito replied the design includes a constructed track that could be used as a contingency but is not intended for regular carline traffic: "It's a backup plan." The board member's question and the architect's reply were in the public presentation record.

Staff emphasized continuity of instruction during the build: classes remain on site while the new wing is erected, then students will transition into the new facility before demolition of older wings. Presenters also described a two-story component with a second-floor collaboratorium and teacher planning areas to support pull-out instruction and specialized programs.

The presentation concluded with an invitation for the public: staff said the district will hold a community presentation about the Gulf Middle School project the following evening where the architect and construction manager will share details with neighbors.

No formal vote or contract award occurred during the presentation; the board received the update and asked clarifying questions about traffic, phasing, and site use.