Polk board approves $725,406 contract for three portables at Shelly Boone Middle School after brief debate

The Polk County School Board approved a $725,406 contract Dec. 10 to add three modular classrooms at Shelly Boone Middle School, voting to move the project from the consent agenda after a board member requested discussion.

Board members heard school district staff describe the project as a response to local enrollment growth. The item was pulled for discussion; a trustee who pulled the item said he was not comfortable spending roughly three‑quarters of a million dollars on portables when there is recently created classroom capacity about three miles away and significant prior portable spending in Haines City.

Board member Lisa Miller, who moved the approval, asked Superintendent Hyde where students would be placed if the portables were not approved. Hyde said alternatives include capping enrollment or moving students to nearby schools, but he would not propose forcing students already enrolled at Boone to transfer. "I will not bring a recommendation to the board that those students be forced to transition to another school if they've already been in attendance at Boone," Superintendent Hyde said.

Trustees voted to approve the project; a board member made a public statement of opposition to the portable authorization prior to the voice vote. The motion carried.

Why it matters: Portable classrooms are commonly used as short‑term capacity relief while the district plans longer‑term facilities solutions; the debate highlights tension between immediate space needs and the district's larger capital plans, including recent and planned construction in the same area.

The board said it will continue discussions in January about zoning and midterm facility planning for the growth area. The portable contract is listed on the meeting agenda as Project C‑00334, Shelly Boone Middle School — "3 portables," with the recommended approval amount of $725,406.