Why PBC school board is spending $15 million to aid a charter school
Palm Beach County’s public schools went to court last year to try to avoid giving charter schools more construction and maintenance money. Now the school board is preparing to spend $15 million fixing up an old campus on a charter school’s behalf.
After they shut down Odyssey Middle in June, board members plan to hand the keys to the campus to SouthTech Academy, a charter high school that specializes in technical and career education.
SouthTech will get free use of the campus under a lease agreement that board members approved Wednesday. But that’s not all.
The school district is also planning to spend $15 million fixing up the campus for the school, including installing millions of dollars worth of specialized equipment so the school can continue teaching vehicle repair and other technical skills.
The estimated cost would be enough for the school district to buy more than 100 new school buses. Or to replace the air-conditioning systems at five elementary
schools.
So why spend the money on a privately run school that competes with the school district for students and funds?
School district officials say they have little choice.
SouthTech is what is known as a “conversion charter school.” Once a district-operated technical school, it converted into a charter school in 2003 to fend off the school district’s attempt to close it.
Under state law, district schools that convert to charter schools have a right to stay in their facilities rentfree as long as they remain in existence. And SouthTech has had rent-free use of its campus in Boynton Beach since reopening as a charter in 2004.
The same goes for Inlet Grove Community High School, which converted into a charter school at the same time and now operates on the former campus of Suncoast High School in Riviera Beach.
“With conversion charters, it is my understanding that the district is obligated to provide a facility as long as the school is in existence,” said Mike Burke, the school district’s chief financial officer. “SouthTech does have a good track record of serving the community and their charter continues to be renewed, so I do not see this obligation going away anytime soon.”
Since converting to charters, SouthTech and Inlet Grove have developed into high performers in the county’s charter school world. Both schools are run by former school district principals, serve large numbers of economically disadvantaged students and produce high graduation rates and high student achievement.
SouthTech has a B grade from the state and its graduation rate last year was 94 percent, nearly 9 percent higher than the county’s overall rate.
The school boasts more than a dozen career academies that grant students apprenticeships and a chance for industry certification in fields such as auto repair, cosmetology, music production, business management and veterinary assistance.
SouthTech has unquestionably benefited from its free use of a school district campus, which frees up money to invest on programs and staff. Most charters spend large portions of their budgets leasing campuses from private landlords.
Jim Kidd, superintendent of SouthTech and its sister middle school, SouthTech Preparatory, led the school during its conversion into a charter and said moving from its current campus to Odyssey Middle’s campus will be a boon for its roughly 1,100 students.
“We don’t have a cafeteria out here,” he said. “The students eat out in the halls. We don’t have formal P.E. facilities. We don’t have athletics, we don’t have an auditorium, we don’t have a place to assemble our kids.”
“We built (the school) based on the quality of the instruction,” he added. “We’re looking for kids who want to realize their American dream.”
Burke said that moving SouthTech to the Odyssey campus will end up being slightly cheaper for the school district than keeping it in its current premises, which need $15.5 million in upgrades.
“Given the South Tech campus is now 43 years old, it made sense to consider demolition and either building a new facility or renovating an existing one in better condition,” Burke said. “Retrofitting Odyssey and demolishing old SouthTech is slightly less.”
After demolishing SouthTech’s current campus, the school district plans to expand an adjacent school bus compound onto the grounds.
The school board is expected to consider approving the school’s lease during its board meeting on Wednesday.