The draft timeline for building a Sarasota
County Technical Institute (SCTI) in North
Port calls for shovels to go into the ground
on Jan. 1, 2016, and for the facility to open
its doors exactly a year later, Todd Bowden,
the Sarasota County School District's execu-
tive director of career,
technical and adult
education, told the
School Board during
its June 17 workshop.
It was the board's first
session since Gov.
Rick Scott formally
approved $3 million for the project, with part
of the funds dedicated to a joint SCTI/county
library in the facility. Staff and School Board
members expressed their appreciation to
state Sen. Nancy Detert of Venice for shep-
herding the funding through the Legislature.
The new campus won
endorsement not only
from the North Port
C i t y C o m m i s s i o n
during the Jan. 17
C o n v o c a t i o n o f
G o v e r n m e n t s t h e
School Board hosted
(Far left) School Board Vice Chairman Frank Kovach, board member Shirley Brown (third from left),
Superintendent Lori White (fourth from left) and board Chairwoman Jane Goodwin (right) listen
to a June 17 presentation by Todd Bowden (second from left) and Scott Lempe (to Bowden's right).
Photo by Rachel Hackney
PLANNING PROCEEDS ON NORTH PORT SCTI
A TENTATIVE SARASOTA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD SCHEDULE CALLS
FOR COMPLETION BY JAN. 1, 2017, BUT ACQUIRING THE SITE POSES
SOME CHALLENGES
We've come a long way from the
time when I fought to get a high school
for North Port. … This is fantastic. It's
just like the culmination of a dream.
Caroline Zucker
Member
Sarasota County School Board
By Rachel Brown Hackney
Editor
