Westlake’s Education Advisory Board (EAB) invited Palm Beach County School District representatives to present at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting for our forthcoming K-5 school. Tea was spilt!
But first, the EAB is the same Board who organized yesterday’s Spirit Day at Jabrewski’s which raised almost $90! For a first outing, this is a great haul. This money is going to Golden Grove Elementary, toward their MVP Marketplace where students use their doing-good bucks to buy sweet little trinkets and treasures. Thanks everyone! The EAB is eyeing a Chipotle Spirit Night next.
Now for this new school, currently referred to as 23-H (boo)…it’ll be nestled into the northeast corner of Sky Cove South, with Persimmon Blvd bounding the north and Green Ln bounding the east.
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THE BUILDING – 23-H is a K-5 prototype school, the same as Arden’s Saddle View Elementary (631 students first year) and Boca’s Blue Lake Elementary (697 students first year). This usually allows for a relatively compact, efficient construction process since it’s been done before.
Ground should break March 2026 with an expected completion date around May-June 2027. Just in time for the ’27-’28 school year!
23-H is a 3-story building of 96,900 sq. ft. meant to accommodate 971 students across 52 classrooms (though partial enrollment of about 600 students is usually planned for the first year).
The first floor will house K-1st grades; the second floor 2nd-3rd grades; and the third floor 4th-5th grades. Floors 1 and 2 have classroom bathrooms; floor 3, with the older kids, will have public (or “group”) restrooms.
Windows, windows and windows galore provide abundant natural light which is conducive to learning. Yet, the building will still maintain a low EUI (energy use intensity) with the goal of net zero.
While the footprint is the same as Saddle View and Blue Lake, the aesthetics, name, mascot, colors… will be our community’s own! Shall I suggest “Wanderer Elementary”? I think it has a lovely musical ring to it. Very memorable.
THE TRAFFIC – A preliminary traffic pattern has already been established for 23-H. However, things will tighten up closer to opening. You, like I do, might spot some visible wrinkles that will surely need ironing out (e.g. lots of blocked left turns). Our input will be KEY here.
The good, nay GREAT, news is that 23-H will have a separate car loop (light blue dotted parent loop below, 128 vehicle queue), two pedestrian/bike loops (pink paths below) and bus loop (yellow loop below, 8-10 busses), but, ALSO, a separate golf cart loop! PBC is recognizing golf cart traffic as an important part of our community! (Mayor J.P. O’Connor is smiling ear-to-ear, folks!) There will also be parking for 161 vehicles.
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And there is talk of a potential traffic signal going in at that huge, confusing intersection at Persimmon Blvd and Ilex Way. What do you think?
THE JOBS – 23-H will support at least one hundred new jobs: from admin, teachers, to cafeteria, and custodial, teacher assistants… etc.
Assuming 23-H’s new principal was already a principal elsewhere, they are given the (amazing) privilege of bringing their best people to the new school, assuming these best people want to transfer.
Palm Beach County Unions are strong and heavily support their higher seniority workers.
Beyond these two points though, there will still be room for new employees. So if you want a job at 23-H, stay tuned, show your faces in the meantime, get involved… you know the drill.
THE CURRICULUM/PROGRAMS – Palm Beach County has an incredibly complicated and thorough set of algorithms that will establish things such as whether or not we get VPK, gifted/ESE, and/or choice programs… But our voices will matter, too. So get ready to play a part if you care about any of this!
THE CONTACTS – Got ideas? Or concerns? Questions? Call 561-434-1500 or email public.comment@palmbeachschools.org.
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Truly, thank you to the EAB members, Vice Mayor Greg Langowski (EAB liaison), and all of the Palm Beach County School Board members who showed up to make us feel all warm and gooey about 23-H.
Thank you, in particular, Mr. David Dolan (Chief of Facilities Management), Ms. Marcia Andrews (our outgoing District 6 School Board member) and the Attendance Boundary Committee (ABC) who are incredibly in demand and busy but still gave us their rare time. It meant a lot to see these competent, busy folks at our City Council meeting. And thanks to the EAB!
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