© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Application Denied: DOE Rejects Leon's Plan For A New High School

Leon County Schools logo
Leon County Schools

The Florida Department of Education has rejected the Leon County School District’s request to build a new high school.  Numbers show most of the district’s schools are not at capacity.

Leon School Superintendent Jackie Pons wants to build a new high school near Southwood. The proposed site is only a few miles away from Richards High School. The plan first emerged last summer, and at the time district officials said a new high school was needed to address aging buildings and the growing number of portable classrooms appearing on campuses.

But enrollment figures from the district show most of its schools, including Rickards, are not full. In its rejection of Leon’s application, the Florida Department of Education's enrollment projections show the district won’t have a need for a new high school anytime soon. DOE also knocked the district for slow responses to its questions.

The Department requested information from the district last Spring, but didn't get a response until December. And it says that response wasn't sufficient. One question the department's Linda Champion had is why the district believes a new high school is necessary. She write's Leon County Schools have spent $25 million on upgrades to Rickards. When DOE asked for further clarification, it didn't get a response back until this past February.

DOE says it's decision is final. It rejected Leon's application on March 8, 2016.

Read the letter below:

Leon County's New High School

Follow @HatterLynn

Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lynn has served as reporter/producer for WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She is an award-winning member of the Capital Press Corps and has participated in the NPR Kaiser Health News Reporting Partnership and NPR Education Initiative. 

Find complete bio, contact info, and more stories here.