Charlotte School Board to ask for state funding to rebuild Port Charlotte Middle School

Reporter: Tiffany Rizzo Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:
Port Charlotte Middle School
The Port Charlotte Middle School sign. Credit: WINK

The Charlotte County School Board members are set to plead their case to the state for money to rebuild Port Charlotte Middle School following damages from Hurricane Ian.

The building sustained significant damages to the roof, the H-Vac system and classroom flooding.

“They still don’t have air conditioning in some classrooms,” said Selena Misko, a parent who’s child attends Port Charlotte Middle, “She was just telling me that in some of the bathrooms, a couple of the stalls they can’t even use the sinks are broken. I went here. And it wasn’t in good shape when I went here, and I graduated in 2010.”

School board members are set to ask the state for additional money to cover construction costs on Tuesday morning.

Construction workers installing AC-units into the Port Charlotte Middle School roof. Credit: WINK

They plan to ask for around $60 million, however, school board members are planning to do it in phases. Phase one is to provide $30 million to cover the cost of rebuilding a new middle school.

Insurance covered a temporary roof with a five-year lifespan, and the AC units fixed on top of the roof have been replaced.

The Charlotte County Board of Commissioners needs additional funding as classrooms sustained significant damages after Ian ripped through the roofing of the building, which allowed water to pour into the school.

This is the final day for the Charlotte County Board of Commissioners to ask the state for money. The school will know whether the $30 million request to the state for funding is approved by March.

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