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Middle School Supporters Lobby Orange County Commission

Avalon Relief Middle School plan. Image: Orange County Public Schools.
Avalon Relief Middle School plan. Image: Orange County Public Schools.

Backers of a middle school in East Orange County will deliver 2,800 letters of support to the county commission today.

They say the school’s needed to relieve overcrowding- but many homeowners don’t want it.

Avalon Middle School was built for 970 students. But now it’s enrolment has doubled. Timber Springs resident Raymond Perez Jr, who has children in 5th grade and kindergarten, wants to see a new middle school built on land already owned by Orange County Public Schools.

“This needs to happen," said Perez.

"It’s just bad policy to change that and waste county resources in the process because of a few homeowners that don’t want a school in their area,” he said.

But that land is zoned for an elementary school. Timber Springs Homeowners Association President Glenn Rubinstein says it’s too small for a middle school. And there’s another problem for residents of the seven gated communities in the area: traffic.

“All of these communities only have one gate in and out," said Rubinstein.

"So if traffic backs up, and it will- how can it not on a two lane road with no turning lanes- those people can’t get in and out of their gates,”  he said.

Rubinstein said residents would be happy with an elementary school on the site- but not a middle school. The mayor and commissioners are set to vote on a land use waiver needed to build the relief school in April.