More buildings are needed to alleviate the crowded classrooms in Osceola County’s public schools.

But more development means more money that the district says they don’t have. This is why local leaders are hoping for a little help from a state grant.

“Central Florida, as you know, is one of the highest growth areas in the nation,” said Clyde Wells, the chief facilities officer for Osceola County School District. “And Osceola County is the epicenter of that.”

State Sen. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, says all that growth is caused by new residents coming in from the northeast part of the country and from Puerto Rico.

Juan Santiago who came from Puerto Rico 14 years ago, says his kid has seen the overcrowding first hand.

“My little one says there’s so many students that they don’t have space to walk in the classroom. I hope we can see more schools around here,” Santiago said.

In order to bring some relief, the school district wants to build three new elementary schools, a middle school and a high school wing addition.

But district officials say they are about $120 million short in the budget for the next 5 years.

“We collect local impact fees based on residential multi-family constructions and that’s not able to keep up with all of the growth coming in,” Wells said.

Senator Soto says he’s pushing to acquire $3 million to $5 million for Osceola County through a state grant: a small dent but it can help.

Wells says the grant funds could be used for renovating existing schools, or buying new buses and technology.

“The kids need this and we need this for our kids,” Santiago said.

A decision on the grant funding would be made by the end of this legislative session when the budget is passed.