Lee Co. Schools discuss future needs
Jan. 23—With new housing and jobs coming to Sanford and Lee County, the Lee County Board of Education is looking to the future, with an eye toward expansion.
During Thursday's meeting, which was rescheduled from Jan. 9 due to weather, board members discussed the 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Plan for the schools that includes nearly $195 million in new construction and renovations.
"It's a seven year and beyond plan," board member Jamey Laudate said. "It's a little more in depth than it has been in the past. For next year, the main items are the auditoriums and the bus garage. Those (auditoriums) are two projects that we put in for state grant money last meeting. The bus garage we were not able to submit for state grant funds. That will be — other than the 5% match for the auditorium — the only project that we request from the county commissioners."
Estimates have the cost of an auditorium for Southern Lee High School at $13,306,975 and the renovation of the Lee County High School auditorium at $6,859,651. The estimated cost of the bus garage is just under $12 million. Another item listed for 2025 is the purchase of land for new schools at $1,800,000.
"For 2026, we requested for East Lee and West Lee gym expansions," Laudate said. "It would be making each of those gyms a little bigger than four feet at the end of each baseline, so the kids aren't literally bouncing off walls when they play basketball in there. It also includes a couple classrooms as well."
The work on both gyms is estimated at $22,334,200. Also on the schedule for 2026 is the Southern Lee High School chiller replacement at $1,384,000.
"In 2027, you'll see a new elementary school," Laudate said. "We have quite a few students in mobile classrooms at the moment. (Currently, there are 22 mobile pods in use). Based on some numbers from the county and the city, that might be a time that we would need to expand our elementary schools and add an eighth elementary school. Then again in 2028, you'll see a Lee Early College permanent facility. We've been talking to the community college about that. There are some plans to move into Wilkinson when those folks move into the Moore Center in 2028."
The cost of a new elementary school is more than $47 million. A permanent home for the Lee Early College could cost more than $20 million.
Other items listed on the plan include a possible rebuild of the Lee County High School football stadium, depending on the findings of engineers who are currently analyzing the structure. The cost would be around $3.3 million, according to committee documents. In 2029, the possibility of a new middle school is on the horizon at a cost of $55,524,920 and a possible expansion at Lee County High School is estimated at $28,544,159 in 2030. Beyond that, renovations to the Bragg Street facility are estimated to be more than $3.7 million.
Laudate noted that an elementary and middle school site would need approximately 80 acres.
"We're looking at all possibilities," Chair Eric Davidson said. "We're thinking outside the box in some ways. We are definitely having discussions with various people. We're working hard and thinking ahead about what are some things we can to be able to grow with our county. We know growth is here — growth is coming — and we're trying to anticipate that as best we can."
