Three Options for the Future of Fort Myers Beach Elementary School

FORT MYERS BEACH, Florida. The future of Fort Myers Beach Elementary School comes down to three options presented to the Lee County School Board on Wednesday.

The first option is not to rebuild the school, but to relocate students to neighboring schools. Approximately $4.6 million will be used to restore the historic building, demolish exterior structures, and clean up the area.

The second option is two-sided. Calling it a phased elementary campus, the district will spend $5.8 million to restore the historic building and stabilize the campus. Students will return to classes at the historic building, the library, and possibly other nearby recreational facilities.

By inter-local agreement, Phase 2 may consist of the construction of a new school. However, this is if the district meets the enrollment threshold of 150 students.

The third option is the most expensive. Nearly $24 million will help build a fully portable campus. A new school can be built while the students are in carriers.

During Wednesday’s meeting, community members, parents and teachers were full of emotion.

“At best, yes, there should be a beach school, but we need to remain financially responsible, and every one of you mentioned this today,” said one community member.

The parent expressed a clear point of view, which many parents have told Fox 4 in the past: they want the children to return to the island for school.

“Get us all back to where we were before the storm, and once we’re there, we can fix the enrollment problem,” one parent said.

Some board members expressed similar views.

“We have to think about moving forward,” said Armor Persons, a student council member. “We have to put kids first and for me that means getting them back to school.”

Others have looked at total costs, which is fair and enrollment.

“We asked the community to consider, but they didn’t consider other viable options like a charter school, they asked us to consider an attractor school, but that wasn’t fleshed out in the short term either,” Kathleen said. Morgan, student council member.

Since the 2018-2019 school year, enrollment has been declining every year. Currently, prior to Jan, 54 students from kindergarten through fifth grade attended Fort Myers Beach Elementary School.

Many board members questioned whether it was worth building a new school due to the low enrollment and cost per student. In Wednesday’s presentation, student enrollment is expected to reach 38 by 2032.

The meeting was purely informational and no decision was made. The Lee County School Board is expected to make a decision in March.