'I'm just so happy': Volusia County Schools breaks ground on new Starke Elementary in DeLand
DELAND — Vickie Presley has been a face of Volusia County Schools since 1980, serving many different roles over the years: assistant principal, principal and area superintendent. Even though she has since retired, Presley still considers herself to be part of the district by tutoring, substitute teaching, and being an actively involved grandmother to two young students.
From 1997-1999, Presley made her first appointment as a principal at Edith I. Starke Elementary. And Friday, she celebrated a milestone at the school that played a pivotal role in her career.
Volusia County Schools broke ground on a new Edith I. Starke Elementary Friday, March 8. This project will include a full replacement of the already existing campus, according to the Oct. 24 school board meeting agenda.
“I am just so happy that after all these years,” Presley said, “finally, this community is getting what it deserves for its children: a new school.”
The rebuilding of Starke Elementary has been a long time coming, Presley noted, saying that “it’s time for a change.”
“For so long, this school has been here, and this is all that has been here,” she said. “Something new gives you a different attitude. It just makes you feel better about things. And I think that people in this community can celebrate and smile that this is finally happening.”
About the Starke Elementary rebuild
Once complete, the rebuilt Starke Elementary School will include a media center, administrative office space, art and music classrooms, and driveways for bus and parent pick-up and drop-off, according to a district press release. It will be equipped with new technology and improved security systems.
Additionally, the school that currently serves just under 300 students will soon take up 88,400 square feet, having space for 650 students.
“My goal is that this is going to be the first magnet public school in DeLand,” said board Chair Jamie Haynes. “This school’s going to have a focus and a purpose, and parents are going to be lining up to get their kids into whatever seats are still available to be able to come here because this is what every child deserves.”
Starke Elementary is currently located between South Parsons and South Delaware avenues at 730 S. Parsons Ave. in DeLand. The rebuilt school will sit between St. Thompson and South Delaware Avenues. Danielle Johnson, Volusia's director of community information said the new address will not be official until the new school is open.
She also said that the current building will be demolished entirely and replaced by the new school.
Students will remain in the current buildings while the new facility is built, Johnson said Tuesday.
According to Patty Corr, Volusia’s chief operating officer, the project has been years in the making. It was first established in September 2021, final drawings were approved in October 2023, and the Volusia County School Board approved the project’s guaranteed maximum price of almost $36 million at its Feb. 27 board meeting.
“That’s two full years of design and preparation and thoughtful collaboration between our team and our vendors that we use,” Corr said. “People will say, ‘gosh, well it takes a long time,’ but it’s good time, and it’s thoughtful time so that when the end product comes, it’s exactly what we want it to be and what our students need.”
This project is said to be completed in the summer of 2025, and the new Starke Elementary should be ready for use starting in the 2025-26 school year.
To Haynes, this rebuild is an investment in the future.
“We have to take care of every kid. Every child is valuable. Every child is part of our future,” she said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “They’re going to be grown up to be the young men and the young women that are going to make the decisions.”
About the Edith I. Starke Elementary in DeLand
While Starke Elementary is embarking on a new era, according to a district press release, this school has a deep history.
Land that was once a pecan grove became the site for Parson Street School in 1956, serving the Spring Hill section of DeLand.
During its first few years of operation, supplemental classrooms were constructed to accommodate a growing student body.
In 1962, the school was renamed to Edith I. Starke Elementary in honor of the school’s first principal.
The school expanded over the years to include a cafeteria and kindergarten rooms in 1969, a media center in 1978, and an administration suite, music and art rooms, and facilities for exceptional education in 1989.
More district construction
In addition to having a new Starke Elementary, Volusia County Schools will soon see three more new schools, according to Johnson:
Tomoka Elementary in Ormond Beach will have 872 student stations. It is expected to open in August 2024.
Turie T. Small Elementary in Daytona Beach will have 850 student stations. It is expected to open in August 2024.
Orange City Elementary in Orange City will have 750 student stations. It is expected to open in August 2025.
Superintendent Carmen Balgobin said that advancing the future generation would not be possible without support from the community.
"Every single kid in this community here could be anything they dream to be. Anything," Balgobin said. "But it takes us adults, stakeholders to do our responsibility. Our responsible part, which is to provide those opportunities for optimal success.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Starke Elementary enters new era with groundbreaking ceremony