The School District of Lee County will begin negotiations with Gulfpoint Construction Company for a public-private partnership to build Hector A. Cafferata Jr. K-8 school.

The Lee County School Board approved the action Tuesday night.

Superintendent Dr. Ken Savage said the district is looking for a turnkey solution to build a K-8 school on the district’s roughly 31-acre site with key components being outstanding elevation, excellent life safety and traffic attributes and high-quality modern energy sufficiency in a full amenity, aesthetically and environmentally pleasing build.

The school will house a minimum of 1,600 student stations.

The new school is expected to have an opening date for the August 2026 school year.

“This public-private model is being used as an attempt to reduce the overall time to complete the project. The project does not involve any private financing or equity arrangements as part of its partnership or involve any long-term facility management,” Savage said.

The original campus at 360 Santa Barbara Blvd. N. sustained significant damage from Hurricane Ian. The school had torrential rain inside the building for 12 to 14 hours due to severe roof damage and the decision was ultimately made to demolish the damaged building.

Hector A. Cafferata students currently attend school in portable classrooms at a temporary campus at Cape Coral Technical College.