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Volusia staff propose Edith I. Stark design as potential elementary-school prototype; board urges on-site review before adoption
Summary
District operations staff presented a potential elementary-school prototype based on the Edith I. Stark Elementary design, citing design and long-term cost efficiencies and a target capacity of about 650 students expandable to 770; board members said they want to see the building in use before formally approving it as the district prototype.
Volusia County School District operations staff presented a potential prototype elementary-school design at the board workshop in February 2025 and recommended the district consider the Edith I. Stark Elementary School model as a repeatable, flexible layout for future elementary projects.
Presenters, including Patty Court, the district's chief operating officer, and Tom Brown, coordinator, described the Stark design as a compact, flexible plan intended for efficient construction and operation. Staff said the design is sized for about 650 student stations and can be expanded on-site to about 770 stations by adding six classrooms or through a one- or two-story addition. The presentation noted prototype use can lower design and preconstruction costs and improve operational consistency across schools.
Nut graf: District staff argued a prototype approach could yield preconstruction savings and operational efficiencies and recommended evaluating Stark as a candidate, while several board members asked that the district first evaluate the building after students and staff occupy it before declaring it the formal prototype.
Operations staff said Florida statute encourages using a prototype design when the district will build multiple schools of the same type within its five-year work plan; staff cited peer districts that reported up to about 5 percent savings on preconstruction costs when reusing designs. Tom Brown described the plan as deliberately linear and designed for sight lines and efficient supervision; staff emphasized a flexible cafeteria and classroom layout intended to support different instructional needs.
Board members raised financial and programmatic questions. One board member cited differing break-even enrollment figures discussed during the meeting and asked staff to clarify the student-count thresholds used for financial planning. Staff said Stark's original design targeted 800 but that local demand and level-of-service data led to a 650-student design for the specific site. Board members also emphasized the value of visiting and using a building before approving it as a districtwide prototype; staff said they planned tours and follow-up evaluations after occupancy.
The presentation also flagged an upcoming rezoning effort to populate Stark, noting that some students will be assigned to the new school to address overcrowding at nearby campuses. Staff said rezoning decisions reflect feeder patterns and enrollment projections and that most students assigned to Stark would live within a roughly two-mile radius of the school.
Ending: The board did not adopt a prototype at the workshop; staff will continue planning, share clarifying enrollment and cost information and return with on-site observations and recommendations after Stark opens and is occupied.
