Orange County will open new schools to fight overcrowding

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - Some run down schools in Orange County are getting a major face lift thanks to $260 million of your money. They hope this eases overcrowding and keeps your kids safe.

The schools that have the most students over capacity are the first ones the school systems aims to alleviate. At the start of the 2018 school year, 11 new replacement and renovated schools opened, all at a cost of $260 million.

Bridgewater Middle School is one of the most overcrowded schools in the district. They're almost double their current capacity and there's a new middle school opening in August 2019 that will relieve them.

However, these relief schools may not be enough. In fact, some of the schools that opened just one to two years ago are already at capacity. Windermere High School opened to alleviate the overcrowding at West Orange High school and now that relief school needs relief. 

Until these schools are complete, portables will remain a fixture on campuses. 

The school system says that they are trying to take the most cost effective approach when it comes to opening new schools. In most cases, they try to refurbish or rebuild existing sites. That money comes from the half cent sales tax.

The money for constructing new schools comes from impact fees and property taxes. School officials say that nine schools will open at the beginning of the next school year.