BDS preparing for influx of students due to increased Tyndall personnel

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Three F-35A squadrons will officially call Tyndall Air Force Base home starting in September of this year. With those squadrons comes an influx of military personnel and their families. In fact, a third of them are already here.

That has Bay District School Board members working on a plan to handle the large number of new students coming in. During a meeting Tuesday, board members approved adding some buildings to existing schools. One of those being Tyndall Academy.

The director of facilities says they can not rebuild and expand on the current campus, so they are working with the Air Force to find a location for a new school. In the meantime, they have to make sure they have enough space for these students starting in a few weeks.

“As they continue to arrive we are making the best use of existing space that is including bringing in modular classrooms by the end of August we will have around 30 modulars,” said Leon Walters, Executive Director of Faculties, Bay District Schools.

Walters says they will bring in classrooms as needed, but the end goal is finding a new location for a new school.

Copyright 2023 WJHG. All rights reserved.