# SCS | Board Special Meeting - Garden Elementary Re-Districting -  5:00pTuesday, October 20, 2026


**Body:** Sarasota Schools
**Date:** October 19, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

**Tags:** Education


The Sarasota Schools special public hearing on Garden Elementary redistricting was held October 20, 2026. District staff presented recommended Scenario G, developed through GIS analysis, advisory committee input, and community meetings, to establish Garden’s attendance boundary after its campus rebuild and expansion. The redistricting is intended to use the added capacity at Garden and relieve enrollment pressures at Taylor Ranch and Laurel Nokomis. Staff cited current utilization of 107% of permanent capacity at Taylor Ranch and 95% at Laurel Nokomis; projected Scenario G enrollment was 805 students at Garden (85% utilization) and 757 at Venice Middle School (84%). The transcript’s figures for other projected schools are incomplete or garbled.

Staff said the board would consider the boundary’s legal walking description for implementation in the 2027–28 school year, but no vote or final action is captured in this hearing transcript. Staff recommended allowing current fourth graders at Laurel Nokomis to remain for fifth grade, with siblings and transportation provisions, and allowing students in specialized programs to remain; families may also apply through controlled open enrollment. Speakers raised concerns about continuity for students with disabilities and complex medical needs, and board members asked staff to work with affected families. The campus rebuild was mentioned as context, but no contract, vendor, budget amount, or procurement decision was discussed; no procurement activity was identified.

**Source:** Sarasota Schools