FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — The Lee County School District Board is hearing from viability experts to determine the best options for Fort Myers Beach Elementary School after Hurricane Ian, Helene, and Milton damage.
FOX 4 attended the school board meeting where experts presented five construction options for the damaged school.
Watch Fort Myers Community Correspondent Miyoshi Price's report:
According to the experts, the district can fix the school as is, elevate the floor 2 feet with metal flooring, replace the flooring with concrete, raise the entire building, or build an entirely new school.
READ THE FULL REPORT BELOW:
However, they cautioned that some of these multi-million-dollar enhancements will not eliminate the possibility of future damage.
The experts recommended that a hybrid use of the campus would best benefit the district and the island residents. One example suggested was replacing the traditional K-5 model with a charter school and utilizing the historic building for both educational and additional community resources.
John Koss, who serves on a committee advocating for the school, told me some students who previously attended Fort Myers Beach Elementary are now being bused to San Carlos Park Elementary.
"You know, our families in our island pay an awful lot in property taxes that go towards the school district as well. So, you know, we're just, we want to be good partners. You know, we want to, we want to help, but we want to find a solution, and we want to ensure that our school stays on the island," Koss said.
Temporary solutions include portable classrooms, which could be ready by this fall.
The experts advised the district that they cannot justify the cost to maintain the school as a traditional K through 5th grade facility.
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