What lies ahead for Fort Myers Beach Elementary School is coming to a vote this month after the buildings sustained damages from Hurricane Ian, forcing students to locate to sites off the island.
Patrick Vanasse’s son is in the third grade at the school. He said that it is important to consider the lives of the students when looking at the future of Fort Myers Beach Elementary.
“For the kids, it means everything,” Vanasse said. “That's their community. It's their friends. It's the same kids that they hang out with after school, that they play little league with. It’s all the same kids during the school year, and the parents all know each other.”
The Lee County School Board has three options to consider for the school. A favorite among parents is to rebuild the school completely and start with portables for classrooms. This comes with a $24.3 million dollar price tag.
“This is a very emotional issue for lots of people, and it should be,” Superintendent Christopher Bernier said. “The beach was disproportionately impacted by the storm.”
Bernier said that the board is not ready to discuss financial support for the school because of ongoing conversations with the town over an interlocal agreement.
“The school is really meaningful for the families that live on the islands,” Ethan Mackey, who is a parent of a student at the school, said. “We're in different pockets of neighborhoods, and the school is sort of the thread that connects a lot of us together.”
Another choice includes putting students in the historic building for class and a phased opening. The third possibility that neither the school board nor the parents want is closing the school entirely, ultimately selling the property.
“If done correctly and done in the appropriate phases, we believe we will be closer to the cost differential for some of our other island schools,” Bernier said. “And then certainly, as we grow in terms of numbers, we hope that would close even further.”
The work to restore the historic building is currently in progress to complete the first phase of the restoration project.
“If you don't have a school, I know of at least a couple of families that would pretty seriously consider moving off of the island, which would just mean that it's going to become Airbnbs or second homes for the rich retirees,” Mackey said. “[Removing the school] would transform the island away from being a local community that everyone enjoys.”
Before Hurricane Ian, the enrollment was at 77 students. The campus was damaged by wind and flood due to storm surge from Hurricane Ian. All interior contents must be replaced, including mechanical, plumbing and electrical machinery. The structural systems were not compromised.
Right now, the students are bussed to San Carlos Elementary and staying in the same classes they were in before the storm.
“The bus has been a difficult situation,” Vanasse said. “They're having trouble with the district finding bus drivers. Often the buses are late. Drivers come and go. The kids are on the bus for an hour to get there and an hour to get back. It makes for long days for young kids.”
To address the large costs and low enrollment numbers, parents have brought up the idea of the school transitioning to a magnet program.
“The current principal has been involved in STEM programs, so the school could possibly work with FGCU and other colleges to focus on our coastal environment,” Vanasse said. “I think if we can do that we could really attract a lot of families from off the island to come to the school.”
Enrollment thresholds and an estimate for a cost per student for the three options will be determined ahead of a final approval in April.
This story was produced by Democracy Watch, a news service provided by Florida Gulf Coast University journalism students. The reporter can be reached at rjhazel4249@eagle.fgcu.edu