A Marion County resident is asking the school board to look into possible upgrades for the Dunnellon Middle School gym, which he says is in disrepair.
Gary White, who lives in On Top of the World in Ocala, made the request during the Tuesday, August 24 meeting of the Marion County School Board.
White says that the gym is in disrepair and in need of major upgrades.
“The middle school [gym] at Dunnellon looks like a ghetto. It has lights that are probably in the 40 to 60% on and working. It needs paint,” said White. He says that neither of the scoreboards works in the gym and student athletes are unable to keep time during sports.
“When the referee blows the whistle, everybody looks around to see what he’s calling. Well, he’s calling the end of the quarter or end of the half,” said White.
According to records, as of the last school year, there were over 600 students enrolled at the 21-acre campus of Dunnellon Middle School, which is located at 21005 Chestnut Street.
The school’s most recent financial report shows that just over $770,000 in federal funds and just under $4,700,000 in state/local funds (excluding earnings from the Florida Lottery) were received during the 2019-2020 school year.
The school’s operating costs show that around 50% of the total revenue is devoted to paying teachers, teacher aides, and substitute teachers.