Marion County School Board Approves Funding for Osceola Middle School Project

The Marion County Public School Board approved funding for a construction project that will transform Osceola Middle School's Building No. 2.

Marion County Public Schools sign with slogan "Helping Every Student Succeed" against a blue sky.

352today322Today Osceola Middle School will be undergoing some renovations this summer as the Marion County School Board approved funding for the project.

OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Public School Board voted unanimously, 4-0, with one recusal, to fund a construction project for Building No. 2 at Osceola Middle School, at their meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.

Marion County Public School Board Vice Chair Lori Conrad recused herself from voting on the item.

Building No. 2 at Osceola Middle School has an existing open concept floor plan, and the construction project will enhance security and the learning environment, said Ivonne Bumbach, Marion County Public Schools director of facilities and construction. The school district will place new walls and doors in the building, with new flooring included. The construction will begin during the summer.

The project is being funded by the half-cent sales tax, with the cost being $1,765,998. The school district is working closely with the staff at Osceola Middle School on packing up the classrooms and the media center, and having the space ready for the contractor, so they can start when the students leave for summer vacation, said Bumbach.

“We wanted to thank Ms. Johnson (Mrs. Renee Johnson, Osceola Middle School principal) and her amazing staff, for doing it again. They went through it last year. They are prepared and ready, and we will give them a new wonderful inside of the building,” said Bumbach.

For clarity purposes, Rev. Eric Cummings, Marion County Public School Board Dist. No. 3, asked Bumbach, because the concept was an open classroom if there will be an installation of doors as that area of the building didn’t have doors previously, including the media center.

“They have some type of metal wall that isn’t good for sound,” said Bumbach. “So, we’re going to replace some of the walls. There are no doors in most of the rooms, and the media center doesn’t have any walls or doors either.”

Nancy Thrower, Marion County Public School Board Dist. 4, wanted to take the opportunity to thank the community once again for passing the half-cent sales tax.

“With the great growth we experienced, we had to get on it and start building schools and we finally have the money to get to projects that we’ve been wanting to do for a very long time,” said Thrower. “Thank you, community, for helping us help our students and our teachers, and our staff, to have good, safe places to be working in.”

At the previous meeting, the East Marion Elementary project was approved by the Marion County School Board, with both projects funded by the sales tax, as both are fundamentally safety-related, said Marion County Public School Board Chair Dr. Sarah James.

“We are so grateful to the community for the sales tax, which is enabling us to fund these kinds of projects and put our students in safer positions,” said James.