The School Board is focusing on one of seven options for how attendance boundaries will shift in preparation for the opening for two new schools in south Lake. That option, known as “6A,” would greatly relieve crowding at Sawgrass Bay Elementary, making room for future growth in the area, while attempting to balance student populations at surrounding elementary and middle schools.
Option 6A is one of seven options district staff developed as plans are being finalized for the 2021 opening of a new school in the Four Corners area for students in kindergarten through 8th grade and the 2023 opening of the Aurelia Cole Academy, which will be built on the site of Clermont Middle School and will also serve students in kindergarten through 8th grade.
Staff weighed many factors in their study of the options, including how each option would balance capacity, assign students to schools closest to their homes, balance ethnic and socio-economic diversity, and maximize transportation efficiencies and walkability. Option 6A meets nearly all of the criteria staff outlined, which led Superintendent Diane Kornegay to recommend it at the February 24 School Board meeting as the option to move forward with for presentation to the public. Board members unanimously accepted her recommendation.
Public input meetings are scheduled for:
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- March 5, 2020, 5:30 pm. to 7:30 pm, at Sawgrass Bay Elementary School
- March 10, 2020, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, at Clermont Middle School
- March 11, 2020, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, at Windy Hill Middle School
At the meetings, information regarding the proposed attendance boundary adjustments will be shared with the public. Public comments will be collected and shared with the School Board. The public also has the opportunity to view the options and learn more about the new schools on a dedicated website —lake.k12.fl.us/redistricting — and comment through email and by phone.
While the focus is primarily on Option 6A, no final decisions have been made. Board members will discuss the topic at a workshop on March 30 and they are expected to make a final decision by mid-June.
