A big problem is looming for the Lehigh Acres High Schools.
Student population is exploding and in just three years the district will be at its capacity.
By the end of this year, Lee County expects to reach 89,000 students.
The district says it needs two new high schools. One is needed in Lehigh Acres the other in Bonita Springs where the largest influx of students is being seen.
District leaders say there is just one big problem. They don’t have the money needed to build the new facilities.
“We project by 2017-18 we will reach our maximum capacity,” said Director of Planning Mark Mora.
He said some campuses could possibly see crowding as early as this year as some buildings will be using spaces that weren’t traditionally used as classrooms in the past.
Two new high schools will cost about $110 million to build. The district has several options it can consider in order to pay for the buildings – one includes raising the state sales tax in Lee County to 6.5 percent to pay for them.
District leaders say it will take about two years to build the two new schools. They say in order to get the doors opened by 2017 they need a commitment to build them by February, 2015. That is an issue school board members say they will debate in coming months.