In a temporary town hall building, the Fort Myers Beach Town Council met Wednesday morning. Present were parents, residents, and the ad hoc committee that acts as a liaison between Fort Myers Beach Elementary School and Lee County School District. On the agenda was just one order of business: The repair and rebuild of Fort Myers Beach Elementary School.
The school and the town of Fort Myers Beach were at the heart of the terrible destruction from Hurricane Ian in 2022. They were again in the path of Hurricane Milton in 2024.
Fort Myers Beach Elementary and the School Board of Lee County have a four-year interlocal agreement that was put into place after Hurricane Ian. (The school is in the Lee County School District.)
Patrick Vanasse is a local parent and one of the members of the ad hoc committee. He says that the committee believed that according to the agreement, the viability of the school was not in question. Until about February of this year.
“We started getting an indication that the district wanted to hire a third-party consultant. And as part of that scope, the consultant might be looking at the viability of the school. And we thought that had been put to bed. We thought that after Ian, we had addressed that fully, and that we were simply working towards rebuilding the school, not questioning the viability," said Vanasse.
Parents and other residents began getting concerned, and gathered to protect the school they love that they believe should be emulated, not done away with.
Monica Schmucker is another member of the ad hoc committee. She points out that the school is the top-rated elementary school in Lee County.
“When we teach young kids, we teach them more than just reading and adding. We teach them how to be good and productive human beings. And I think that the district should be looking at how and why it is we achieve what we achieve, despite all the hardships, because it makes us the best K-5 in the county. And we should be a model for all the other schools,” Schmucker said.
No one from the School Board of Lee County was at the meeting Wednesday, but it offered this comment by email:
“We look forward to the independent consultant providing their analysis of Fort Myers Beach Elementary to the School Board on June 3rd and the board members' discussion afterwards. The collaboration with the Town of Fort Myers Beach is an important part of this process and we appreciate their partnership.”
The School Board will hold a workshop at 1 p.m. June 3 and Fort Myers Beach Elementary is on the agenda.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
