Yet our educators always seem to find a way to get the job done, raising the bar at every opportunity. When it came time to seek community support for the biggest school construction project in Volusia County history Volusia County educators, administrators and staff showed their mettle and got the job done. Today, the result is visible on school construction sites throughout Volusia County.

"A review of our school facilities in the late 1990s indicated many in need of renovation, several in need of replacement, and the need for new schools in areas of marked growth," said Bill Hall, Superintendent of Volusia County Schools. "We felt good that we had an assessment of what was needed, but we also were concerned that the hundreds of millions of dollars required to get the job done were nowhere to be found."

The only way to fund the aggressive program was to turn to the public. "It had to be done," said Deputy Superintendent Tim Huth. "But at that time, the economy was weakening, there was a decidedly anti-tax posture among voters and the world was still upside-down following the tragedies that unfolded on September 11, just a month before voters were to go to the polls to decide the school funding question.”

"The referendum passed October 9, 2001 and tax collections began in January, 2002," said Bill Kelly, Assistant Superintendent for Financial Services. "Revenues at this point are running appreciably ahead of projection, which strengthens our contingency fund and protects the program against economic uncertainties and other anomalies."

The school construction program means that most Volusia County students eventually will be attending schools that are new, renovated or technologically enhanced. While the program will take many years to accomplish, school leaders exercised bonding authority to fast-track several critical projects. This resulted in projects totaling more than $100 million getting the green light. Use of existing building plans and concepts where practical has hastened progress on some projects and saved millions in design costs, according to school administrators.

"No matter where you go in Volusia County today, you are likely to see school construction well under way," said Pat Drago, Volusia County Schools Facilities Director. "Projects include new schools, replacement schools and school renovations, some with innovative sequencing that will allow students, teachers and administrators to continue their work uninterrupted as construction progresses through the school year."

Among the projects are Seabreeze High School on the peninsula of Daytona Beach, which is now in the final stages of more than $30 million in major renovations and new construction. DeLand High School has undergone substantial multi-phase renovations on its existing structures and will be completed in about a year. New Smyrna Beach High School plans call for a new school on a new site. Deltona is getting a new elementary school, as is Orange City. A new middle school will be built in the North Halifax Area.

Mainland High School in Daytona Beach is at the beginning of a project that will yield a new school at the same site as the existing school. This is a $43-million project being completed in phases that will keep students in class while the new school is being built. The project includes a new athletic center that is being enhanced with a $2.5-million donation from NBA superstar Vince Carter, an alumnus of Mainland High School.

Campbell Middle School in Daytona Beach is being rebuilt on its present site at a cost of $22 million. Completion is possible by October. Accommodations for students have been made so as not to interrupt the school year.

"These and other projects are more than an essential tenet of the long-range plan of the Volusia County School District," said Vicki Bumpus, Chair of the Volusia County School Board. "They comprise a significant boost to economic development in Volusia County. A review of the companies making these projects a reality indicates 70 - 80 percent of the subcontractors are local firms. Many of the workers are products of our own schools and have children or grandchildren in Volusia County Schools today."

When the half-cent sales tax increase was approved, Volusia officials looked forward to a significant reduction in the number of portable classrooms throughout the district. Then Florida voters approved a measure requiring a reduction in class sizes beginning this fall. So, before the number of portables was reduced, the decision was made to keep them around until officials can find a way to fund the costs of smaller classes while the Florida Legislature wrestles with budget challenges.

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