Sarasota proposes sweeping repurposing plan to address underutilized schools, schedules Nov. 7 vote

Superintendent Conner on Nov. 4 outlined a districtwide “Future Focus” strategic initiative aimed at addressing long‑standing underutilization of Sarasota County Schools facilities and to position the district to respond to incoming Schools of Hope eligibility notices. Conner told the board that districtwide analysis identified 10 schools with roughly 5,600 available student stations on the FISH (Florida Inventory of School Houses) report and that recent changes in state law accelerated the conversation.

The initiative would reclassify or repurpose space at multiple campuses, including a recommendation to deem the Landings district office “unnecessary for educational purposes” under Florida statute to allow relocation or sale of that property. The superintendent proposed repurposing portions of Brookside Middle as an innovation and technology magnet — with STEM, cybersecurity and esports pathways and possible university partnerships — removing an estimated 559 student stations and recalculating capacity so the campus would move to roughly 73% utilization under the district’s model.

Conner described a sequence of campus modifications that emerged from a Department of Education spot survey of the sites. Fruitville Elementary’s Building 5 was identified as structurally impractical to renovate and could be removed, which the presentation said would remove about 350 student stations and produce a recalculated capacity cited in the presentation as about 635 stations (reported as ~103% utilization after adjustments). At Heron Creek Middle School the district would pursue leasing one building to a childcare provider to address local gaps in child care; that change is estimated to remove about 257 stations. At McIntosh Middle the district would create micro‑learning communities and repurpose one building for ancillary services, removing roughly 408 student stations and increasing that campus’s utilization to an estimated 83%.

Junior Achievement partnership proposed at Booker campuses

Conner and Dr. Johnson described an ongoing partnership discussion with Junior Achievement to create a BizTown (elementary simulation) and Finance Park (middle school budgeting simulation) on Emma E. Booker and Booker Middle School campuses. Dr. Johnson said a Booker building of about 15,000 square feet could host BizTown while Booker Middle’s roughly 30,000‑square‑foot facility could house a Finance Park and a teacher‑excellence center; the presentation noted that about 1,500 district students currently travel to Tampa for JA programming. Conner emphasized the district does not intend to operate childcare or BizTown directly; the district would provide space and work with external providers and philanthropies. He told the board the district is seeking philanthropic and JA support for facility conversion costs rather than using general district operating funds.

K‑8 rollups and timeline

Conner proposed converting four elementary schools — Alta Vista, Brentwood, Gulf Gate and Wilkinson — to K‑8 models on a phased schedule: the next school year would keep currently enrolled fifth graders on site while offering the new Brookside magnet as an application option; the district would roll those sites to include seventh grade in 2027 and eighth grade in 2028. The presentation projected different utilization outcomes for each site through the 2028–29 school year and noted staffing and transportation models are being developed to match enrollment shifts.

Budget, staffing and next steps

District staff told the board they expect capital infrastructure costs for many conversions to be limited because the surveyed buildings already contain required data and power infrastructure; staffing increases are the primary cost driver and would be phased to follow enrollment. Conner asked the board to hold a special meeting on Nov. 7 to approve updates to the educational‑plant survey and submit those updates to the Florida Department of Education for certification; he said Schools of Hope operators could be eligible to send notices as early as Nov. 11, creating urgency to finalize the submission. The board agreed to meet on Nov. 7 at 10:00 a.m. for that purpose and asked staff to return with next‑year budget/staffing projections in advance of the meeting.

Why it matters

If the board approves the educational‑plant updates, the district could reduce the number of marketed or available student stations at the identified campuses, repurpose facilities for administrative or leased uses, and deploy program‑level changes aimed at retaining and attracting students. Board members emphasized that program quality, aggressive marketing and partnerships (including with Junior Achievement and universities) will be central to recruiting students and reducing vulnerability to outside providers. Legal counsel and staff said they have researched responses to Schools of Hope notices and would be prepared to mount challenges where material impracticability or other statutory defenses apply.

Provenance: The superintendent’s presentation and the board’s discussion of the educational‑plant results and the Nov. 7 meeting are documented in the Nov. 4 workshop transcript (Conner presentation begins at 00:07:11 and concludes at 00:43:42).