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After being shuttered in 2013, Brevard County 'choice school' reopening in Titusville

A Brevard County elementary school shuttered in 2013 as part of a cost-savings measure will be reopening in 2018 as a “choice school” in Titusville, district officials said.
South Lake Elementary School was one of three schools closed to save the Brevard County School District money.
Parent Amber Stevens said it was a painful closure, especially for people like her who fought to keep the South Lake Elementary School doors open.
Now that South Lake Elementary School of Choice will be opening for the 2018 school year, Stevens has been considering enrolling her children there.
“My husband and I have been talking about that recently, on when they open up to put them there, because it’s a lot closer,” Stevens said.
Before Misty Belford joined the Brevard County School Board, she fought to keep South Lake Elementary open.
Now, as a “choice school,” it will offer innovative instruction for students with no academic requirements for entry.
“It will be STEAM focused, which means it will incorporate science, technology, engineering, arts and math,” Belford said. “Lessons will be integrated, so instead of having a science block and a math block, those standards will be incorporated into project-based learning.”
Brevard County Schools recently approved $500,000 for regional busing, which should help some parents who might otherwise have issues getting their children to the school.
The reopening of South Lake Elementary School is a sign that the north Brevard County economy is turning around, Belford said.
“We’ve diversified. We’re growing,” she said. “Things at the (Kennedy) Space Center are going crazy, so we have to have that capacity. It really is a win-win all around.”