Osceola County details $691 million facilities program, cites cut in leased portables and timelines for major schools

Dave Sharma, the School District of Osceola County’s chief facilities officer, told the school board on Oct. 28 that the district’s facilities program budget stands at $691,000,000 and that project closings have reduced the program total by roughly $300,000,000 since the last update in March.

Sharma led a workshop update that covered projects in planning, design and construction, summer work completed at dozens of schools, and a real estate and school‑siting plan. He emphasized that facilities investments support the district’s core mission of educating students and highlighted recent audit results showing no comments on facilities projects in an operational audit from the state auditor’s office.

The update listed several major construction projects under way. High School AAA remains the largest current construction project and is on schedule; roofs and windows are installed, interior work is progressing, chillers are due on site and an ice‑storage system is included to shift cooling loads to lower‑cost overnight power. Cross Prairie K‑8 opened this summer with roughly 1,100 students in a building sized for 1,455; Sharma said enrollment exceeded prior projections and that about 300 students returned from charter schools.

The district also operationalized the PM Wells Center for Academic Excellence in about six weeks after acquiring the property; work…