Manatee County School Board moves forward with $2.3M Parrish purchase for high school
A spot for a new Manatee County high school was approved Tuesday by the Manatee County School Board, with board members approving moving forward on the purchase of a $2.3 million parcel of land in Parrish.
In 2005, the Manatee County School District purchased a piece of land on Martha Road and planned to build an elementary or middle school there. The approval Tuesday makes the site big enough to hold a new high school, according to district officials.
“I believe that our offer is a good offer,” said Mike Pendley, school district executive planner
The district made the offer on the property, 112601 Erie Road, in early April. The land owned by Aris Horticulture contains a commercial greenhouse.
Resident Tami Vaughan said she is concerned with the size of the roads in the area and a high school would be incompatible with the homes and farms there. She also thought the district paid too much for the land.
“I appreciate with Dr. (Superintendent Diana) Greene’s initiative and I agree with many of her suggestions,” Vaughan said, but added she hopes the board would do its due diligence.
The district has 90 days in the contract to conduct due diligence, Pendley said. The due diligence period will include two different appraisals of the land.
“If it doesn’t meet our needs, we have the ability to terminate with no penalty,” he said.
The deal would close in September if there are no issues.
School board Vice Chairman Charlie Kennedy said he wanted the board to table the vote because he felt it was moving too quickly.
“This one to me just feels a little bit rushed,” he said.
Board member John Colon also asked if the vote could wait until June 7, but decided to go along with the vote.
The purchase is one in a series of proposals Greene made to the Manatee County School Board to help balance district enrollment. A new high school north of the river was named one of the biggest priorities for the district during an extensive evaluation done by Ohio-based DeJong-Richter, a firm hired by the board.
The preferred size of a high school site is between 80 and 100 acres, according to district officials. Purchasing the land from Aris would bring the total acreage in that area to the higher estimate. Building a new high school from scratch can cost between $70 million and $80 million. The Aris land and its buildings are assessed at approximately $1.6 million, according to the county. The district is required to do two appraisals itself as part of the 90-day due diligence period.
A new high school would potentially open in time for the 2019-20 academic year, according to the timeline Greene laid out for the school board in February.
Although the board has purchased the land, it hasn’t formally signed off on building a new high school yet.
The new school would help relieve overcrowding at Palmetto, Lakewood Ranch and Braden River high schools.
Meghin Delaney: 941-745-7081, @MeghinDelaney
Moving and changing
The new high school was just one of the many potential moves the district will make in the next few years to balance enrollment. Other proposals Greene laid out in February include:
- Close Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary School and move most of those students into Rogers Garden Elementary School, effective the 2016-17 academic year.
- Move the international baccalaureate program at Wakeland to Johnson Middle School for the 2017-18 school year, and discontinue using Wakeland as a school. The ACCESS program at Johnson would move to Harllee Middle, helping boost enrollment there.
- Open a new elementary school in the north area of Manatee County in time for the 2018-19 school year, to provide relief for Mills Elementary School. The district does not own any suitable elementary school property in that area yet, but Greene said a new school will be necessary, even if other measures are taken.
- Discontinue use of Blackburn as an elementary school and repurpose it as an early learning center for all students north of the river for the 2018-19 school year. Special programs for high-needs students could also be moved there. Blackburn students would be rezoned to Tillman or Palm View to help bring enrollment at those schools up to capacity.
- Rebuild or do major renovations at Tillman Elementary School to be complete for the 2018-19 school year. Greene also anticipates a rebuild or major renovation project at Oneco Elementary School in the new future.
- Convert Harllee over the next few years to a school for gifted students.
This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Manatee County School Board moves forward with $2.3M Parrish purchase for high school."