Superintendent Terry Connor and district staff gave the school board an update this Tuesday.
By Brice Claypoole
Original Air Date: April 8, 2026
Host: Sarasota County schools – like most other Florida districts – are facing a budget crisis. Declining enrollment, the expiration of pandemic-era funding, and state programs that funnel funding to private schools are taking a toll on the district’s finances. But in the face of these challenges, school leaders are hoping to come out stronger. Brice Claypoole reports.
Brice Claypoole: The Sarasota School Board approved the “Future Focused Initiative” last November. It’s an ambitious plan to boost enrollment and stave off the risk that charter school operators take over underutilized Sarasota schools. The plan includes converting four K-5 schools to K-8, turning Brookside Middle into a technology-focused magnet school and introducing simulated towns teaching about finance, business and entrepreneurship at both Emma E. Booker Elementary and Booker Middle School.
Terry Connor
School Superintendent Terry Connor and district staff provided an update on the Future Focused Initiative to the school board on Tuesday. The presentation came just days after news that the district will be sharply cutting staff to deal with budget shortfalls.
The big news from the update came from district Chief of Strategic Innovation, Dr. Brandon Johnson. He announced a change in the planned location of Finance Park, a simulated town designed by the national education non-profit Junior Achievement USA. The facility will teach students at Booker Middle school “personal financial planning and career exploration.”
Brandon Johnson: The change that was made at Booker Middle—we actually were going to use building 14 which was a stand-alone building, two story building. But after we did the mock-up and the drawings, which were so important the last time we gave you an update, we recognized that, if we looked at a different building, we’re able to save $12 million.
BC: The district is also looking for business partnerships to support their new, Junior Achievement USA-developed programs. They’ve received over $800,000 from the Barancik Foundation.
Dr. Megan Green, Chief of Secondary Education, talked about the curriculum for Gulf Coast Academy of Innovation & Technology, the new magnet school opening at Brookside Middle.
Megan Green: Currently they have machine learning and robotics. What’s new is going to be AI and cybersecurity, and that’s through our partnership with USF. Gaming is going to be a new pathway, and that focuses on video game design and esports but not just video game design, but also, “how would you market this?” We’re working closely with Julius Edwards, the vice president of Sunshine State Esports League, who is helping us to develop the pathway. And then the marine science research and agriscience is something that Brookside currently has that students are actively pursuing, and it’s going very well.
BC: For WSLR News, this is Brice Claypoole.
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