In recent months, Lake County Schools has excitedly announced plans to open two new schools in fast-growing south Lake over the next four years. As signs emerge on the sites and groundbreaking dates draw near, the district is also planning how best to keep the community informed.
An E-STEM school for kindergarten through Grade 8 will be built in the Cagan’s Crossings neighborhood in Four Corners. With a curriculum that weaves in the outdoor environment, science, technology, engineering and math, the school is slated to open in the fall of 2021.
Also serving students in kindergarten through Grade 8, the Aurelia Cole Academy, named for an esteemed educator who worked many years in the district, is projected to open in 2023, replacing Clermont Elementary and Clermont Middle schools. The school will be built on the site of the current Clermont Middle School.
In a public workshop this week, staff explained to the School Board that attendance boundaries will need to be adjusted before the new schools open to relieve crowding at some existing schools and to address projected student population growth. New attendance boundaries for the Aurelia Cole Academy will be effective in August 2021. Until the new school opens, Clermont Middle School students will need to be temporarily relocated for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.
Students, families and employees have raised questions about who will shift, where they will go and when those shifts will take place.
So far, no firm decisions have been made about the transitions. But, district leaders have started the conversation.
Superintendent Diane Kornegay, Assistant Superintendent Human Resources Chad Farnsworth and Growth Planning Supervisor Kelly Randall met Thursday with staff at Clermont Middle School, which will close to make room for the Aurelia Cole Academy. Staff told the district leaders that they would prefer to stay together “as a family.” Randall said she will evaluate options of moving students and staff together to a single alternative site during construction, but at this point, there are no guarantees.
To those concerned that jobs will be jeopardized during the transition, Farnsworth said he will work with the unions to develop a memorandum of understanding to reassure employees that those in good standing will not lose jobs because of the shifts.
“We are at the very beginning stages of this process and we will work with you each step of the way,” Kornegay wrote to the staff after the meeting. “[This] was the start of the conversation, and it was not the last.”
Equally important, she said, is communication with the public. To that end, the district has launched a web page at www.lake.k12.fl.us/NewSchools, where the public will be able to see photos and videos, dates for upcoming meetings and events related to the projects, and progress updates.
Additionally, information will be shared through social media pages, recorded phone messages and community meetings.
“Parents want to know what’s being planned for their children,” said Sherri Owens, Communications Officer for the district. “We want to share those plans, hear their feedback and incorporate their input when we can. We are excited about what’s to come, and we believe as we bring parents into the conversation they will be just as excited as we are.
For further INFORMATION, see E-SCHOOL
