Polk board weighs capping enrollment, removing aging portables as district growth strains capacity

Polk County School District officials on April 8 pressed board members to consider new limits on portables and other steps to address rapid enrollment growth, presenting cost figures, portable counts at specific campuses and three recommended policy directions: stop adding portables now, develop a timeline to remove excess units, and analyze alternatives (building additions, expedited new construction or rezoning).

“We’re going to recommend from my office that we not add any new portables at this time,” Superintendent Kevin Hyde told the board, adding that the district would also “consider capping enrollment at schools.” Hyde described three follow-up topics staff will bring back in future workshops: a recommendation against placing additional portables; a timeline to remove excess portables; and a cost/return-on-investment analysis for portables on campuses that genuinely need additional space.

Hyde and facilities staff gave detailed figures on per-unit costs: recent purchase prices for a new portable run about $166,000 each; lower-cost models have been procured for roughly $23,000; installation or relocation runs about $8,000; electrical/plumbing/IT hookups are about $10,000; and demolition of an end-of-life unit costs about $10,000. Hyde also said the district owns many portables, leases others, and that a substantial share exceed their intended service life.

Staff provided counts for specific campuses requesting additional portables for the 2025–26 school year and for current inventories: Davenport Elementary requested three; Davenport High requested three; George Jenkins has 14 portables on campus; Haines City High has 35; Horizons Elementary has 16; Sand Hill Elementary has 19; Winter Haven High has 11; Mulberry Senior High and Lakeship (Lake Ship) have none currently; and Spencer Holland Elementary has two. Hyde said several campuses have portables on site that are not currently in classroom use.

Board members raised operational and equity concerns. Board Member Miller, who identified herself as an advocate for students with disabilities, urged that “portables are the last place I want to see kids,” and asked for options that would avoid placing students — especially students with disabilities — in portable classrooms. Members discussed the trade-offs between capping enrollment and transporting children to other schools; the superintendent said staff would prepare data on likely transportation costs and other impacts.

The board asked staff to accelerate rezoning work. Director of Facilities Mark McLemore said the attendance-boundary committee (ABC) could be reconvened and suggested a June–July timeframe to begin public workshops. Several board members pressed for an aggressive timeline, saying rezoning and boundary changes must be advanced in time to affect fall 2026 enrollment cycles and any possible 2026 referendum planning.

Hyde said the options are difficult and have fiscal implications: continued leasing or procurement of portables will require replacement for decades-old units, purchasing new portables may be costlier than leasing over time for short-term needs, and building new permanent classrooms or new schools requires capital planning, prioritization of impact fees and potentially bond or referendum funding.

The board directed the superintendent to schedule a full-day retreat to dig into capacity, rezoning and financing options and asked staff to return with detailed timelines and cost estimates for capping enrollment, removing portables and expedited construction. The board did not adopt any immediate policy change on April 8; rather, members asked staff for follow-up analyses, public meeting plans and proposed timetables.