On November 9, 2006, the Board appointed Carruthers & Associates Architects P.A. and Manhattan Construction Company to provide design and construction management services. These additions are necessary to meet class size reduction requirements. The scope of work provides for the following additions: 16 classrooms at Sickles and 16 classrooms at Valrico. The 16 classrooms at Valrico were originally planned for Walker Middle School. The Walker classrooms were deleted and the Valrico classrooms added.

Approval of the schematic design phases will allow the architect to proceed with design development documents. Completion of each project is scheduled for July 2008.

The classroom additions are currently funded at $2,463,000 for both Sickles High School and Valrico Elementary School. The estimate of probable cost for each project is under review to identify design strategies to insure budget compliance. These items are included in the District Capital Outlay: Classrooms for Kids.