Portables to return to Estero High

Schools Superintendent James Browder said Estero and Cypress Lake High will receive 10 portables each, and Fort Myers High will welcome two portables to its campus. The district opted to add portable classrooms in lieu of a "staging area," which is a separate property that accommodates students while new facilities are under construction.

School officials are purchasing land in Cape Coral for a staging area, but were unable to buy the right-sized property in the Alico Road/Three Oaks neighborhood. The district also hopes to add a staging area in the east attendance zone.

Estero High's 13 portables were removed in 2000 after the school opened a new 52,000-square-foot wing, which houses the Academy for Health and Science Professions and adult education programs. But the Lee County School District has not been able to secure construction dollars as fast as enrollment has risen, creating an immediate need for places to educate students. The district expects its enrollment to more than double over the next 20 years.

"Everybody that is familiar with the state of education realizes that we have to accommodate growth," Estero High Principal Fred Bode said. "A staging area is a good idea, but for the short term, we have to use portables."

Estero's 68.5-acre campus, located at Williams and River Ranch roads, has ample space to accommodate portables, Bode said.

Lee County had considered adding portables in August to all south attendance zone high schools because of the space crunch, but this year is the final expansion for Dunbar High. No new high schools are expected to open before the 2005-06 academic year.

Across the district, 314 portables are spread among 49 schools. In south Lee, Bonita Elementary has three, Pinewoods Elementary has seven, San Carlos Park Elementary has six, Spring Creek Elementary has one, Three Oaks Elementary has four and Three Oaks Middle has two. Some schools also have portables designated for office use or special programs.

Bonita Middle will join the list of schools with portables in January, when students will rotate through four portables while crews replace the school's ceiling and add an overhead sprinkler system.