Construction Update 2/14/25

Lake Manatee K-8
Currently under construction east of Uihlein Road, approximately a quarter of a mile south of S.R. 64.

NDC Construction
A/E Agreement with HKS Architects, Inc.

Budget

$106,000,000.00

Funding Source

Impact Fees / Half-Cent Sales Tax

Scope of Work

Two-story prototype new construction designed to serve 1,620 students in grades K-8.

Schedule

Project Design Start: August 2023
Construction Start: March 2024
Substantial Completion Elementary School: July 2025
Substantial Completion Middle School: February 2026

Structure: 95% Complete
Site Work: 75% Complete
MEP Systems: 45% Complete
Finishes: 25% Complete

Elementary School: 70% Complete
Middle School: 25% Complete

As of 2/14/25, Project On Schedule

Project Director

Reginald Goff / Michelle Begué

Limited Opening for 2025-2026 School Year

School opens August 2025 for students in grades K-5.
Goal is to open with limited enrollment to accommodate ongoing construction on campus, and to save capacity for continued growth. 
Priority need is for relief of Gullett Elementary attendance zone.

Due to new elementary schools opening in 2026-2027, it will be necessary to adjust boundaries during calendar year 2025.
Creating an attendance zone now would result in some families moving schools twice, so there is no residential attendance zone for 2025-2026.

School expands August 2026 for students in grades K-8. 
An attendance zone will be established during calendar year 2025, to take effect in 2026-2027 along with new attendance zones for the new elementary schools.

Student Recruitment

To accomplish a limited opening for the 2025-2026 school year, “founding family” seats will be offered to students residing within the Gullett Elementary attendance area who are also in geographic proximity to the new school.

1. Identify families who currently attend Gullett, or who are eligible to attend Gullett but were reassigned to Freedom/McNeal/Braden River for 2024-2025, and who live in geographic proximity.
2. Invite these families to attend an information meeting in October 2024, hosted by Executive Principal Richardson and Director Clark.
3. Accept requests from identified families for reassignment (without transportation) pursuant to Superintendent authority in Policy 5120.
4. Any remaining seats, if available, will be allocated for hardship application.

Initial Recruitment For Voluntary Reassignment

Pending final enrollment analysis, the initial recruitment of families for voluntary reassignment for 2025-2026 is projected to take place entirely within the Gullett attendance area:

- South of SR64
- East of Lorraine
- West of Bourneside
- North of 44th Avenue between Lorraine and Uihlein Road
- South of 44th Avenue to South of Rangeland Pkwy. between Uihlein Road and Bourneside

Serving East County Families

This is the first K-8 school in Manatee County built as new construction.

We will offer seamless articulation from elementary to middle school.

Elementary and Secondary students will have leadership opportunities.
- Franklin-Covey “Leader in Me”
- Learning Neighborhoods

We will foster a supportive community.
- Families
- Relationships
- Community Partnerships

Executive Principal

Todd Richardson

SCHOOL BOARD OF MANATEE COUNTY ACCEPTING NAME NOMINATIONS FOR NEW EAST COUNTY K-8 SCHOOL

(Bradenton, FL – August 28, 2024) The School Board of Manatee County is accepting name nominations for a new East County K-8 school currently under construction east of Uihlein Road, approximately a quarter of a mile south of S.R. 64. The new school, initially being built to house 1,620 students, is scheduled to open in August 2025.

Name nominations are closed.
Name nominations for the new East County K-8 school were accepted from Wednesday, August 28, 2024, through Friday, September 27, 2024.

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

These East County K-8 Name Nominations were received by Friday, September 27, 2024. 

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

The School Board discussed the name nominations for the new East County K-8 school at their regularly-scheduled meeting on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. 
The submissions were narrowed down to these finalists (in alphabetical order): 

Frankie (A.) Howze
Tim Kolbe
Lake Manatee
Liberty

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

"Lake Manatee" was approved as the name of the new East County K-8 school during the special School Board Meeting on October 29, 2024.

Policy 7250 - Commemoration of School Facilities

Please note: School names should be in alignment with Policy 7250 - Commemoration of School Facilities:

From time-to-time, the School Board may wish to commemorate a school or District facility or portion thereof by means of a plaque or naming the facility after a person. Such commemoration should be reserved only for those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the enhancement of education generally or the District in particular or to the well-being of the District, community, State, or nation.

The Superintendent shall submit proposed name(s) for school(s) to the Board for final approval. Names for schools shall be considered in accordance with the following procedures:

If the school(s) is to be named by its location in the community, the name(s) proposed should be descriptive and of reasonable length.

If the school(s) is to be named for an individual, the name(s) proposed should be that of an outstanding civic or educational leader, living or deceased, of local, State, or National prominence and, if living, and also an elected official, shall have left public office for a period of time not less than five (5) years.

The name of a new or existing school(s) once adopted by the Board shall be considered permanent. However, should the Board subsequently initiate, or be called upon to consider, a name change of an existing previously named school(s), then in that event the Board shall allow a period of time of not less than six (6) months from said date for community involvement, deliberation, discussion, and debate, prior to its taking action.
 
Any employee of the District thus honored must no longer be employed by the District for a period of time no less than five (5) years prior to the Board's selection of his/her name for a plaque or for the naming of a facility. A person may be nominated with less than five (5) years separation from the District but approval must be ratified with a super majority vote of the Board.