Sarasota Military Academy wants to add middle school

Published: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at 5:29 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at 5:29 p.m.

SARASOTA - For years, leaders at the Sarasota Military Academy wanted to develop a campus just for middle school students. The high school was steadily growing ? today, the second biggest charter school in Sarasota County.

But the project did not become a reality during the height of the Great Recession because "the numbers didn't add up," said headmaster Daniel Kennedy.

Until now ? so long as the Sarasota County School Board grants its approval.

School leaders are planning to open a new charter middle school ? dubbed "Sarasota Military Academy Prep" ? in August 2014.

The campus containing four or five new school buildings along with soccer and lacrosse fields is expected to cost about $4.7 million to build on a 12-acre site at Fruitville Road and Bethel Lane, east of Interstate 75.

The new school's enrollment is expected to start at 450 students in the first year and will hire 30 new teachers, who could rotate between both campuses, Kennedy said.

Within five years, enrollment could reach 600.

SMAP, where students could take unique classes such as firearms safety, equestrian and bagpipes, will serve as a feeder school for the high school.

"The purpose is to better prepare students for the high school experience," Kennedy said.

With a well-known high school built and a middle school in the works, there are talks to someday include an elementary school, he said.

"We've talked about it," Kennedy said. "Who knows? That may happen."

As to the finances of building SMAP, Kennedy said the school plans to lease the property with the possibility of buying it in future years. He declined to say what the lease payments would be because the final price is still being negotiated, he said.

To build classrooms, Kennedy said the school plans to borrow money from its investors as well as seek a $250,000 federal grant.

The project is moving forward now that the the school's governing board has completed a new charter application. The board could submit the application next week to Sarasota County Schools, which oversees the creation of charter schools in the district.

In the 2012-13 year, about 965 students attended Sarasota Military Academy, at 801 N. Orange Ave.

Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130717/article/130719673

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