A developer has offered to build five schools in east Orange County, Fla., as county officials continue to discuss whether to allow construction of a middle school to alleviate crowding.
WKMG-TV reported that one of the schools that the developer, Beat Kahli, offered to build would be situated in Orlando's Avalon Park community and would ease a space crunch at Avalon Middle School, which is at nearly double its capacity.
The Orange County school district has asked county commissioners for the go-ahead to build a new middle school to provide relief for Avalon Middle School.
The proposed site is 16.7 acres and was intended to be an elementary site, but the board is asking commissioners to waive a requirement that middle school sites be at least 25 acres.
Avalon Middle has a student enrollment of 1,807, but its program capacity is only 970, the district says. After looking at numerous locations, district planners have concluded the proposed site for a new middle school is the most appropriate and accessible location that is available.
Dozens of parents and teachers came to a commissioners' meeting Tuesday to urge them to approve a new school. Commissioners say they will take a month to mull over the school board's request and Kahli's offer and expect to decide in May on a plan.
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