Delray Beach commission asks district for school assessments, to review comp‑plan education goals and spending

The Delray Beach City Commission on June 17 directed staff to request assessments and the most recent improvement plans from the School District of Palm Beach County for Delray Beach public schools and to compile district strategic reports, funding and resource-allocation information and early-prevention/wraparound services for the commission’s July 15 agenda packet.

Commission members said they want the district to assess each Delray Beach school — with particular attention to Village Academy, Carver and Atlantic High School — and to return not just statistics but information about how the city and district can work together to improve outcomes. If the district cannot provide a current, actionable assessment, commissioners said the city should consider hiring independent consultants to produce one.

Why it matters: Commissioners said several Delray Beach schools continue to underperform on academic measures and that the city lacks a consolidated view of how it currently spends money on education-related programs. The commission discussed reviving older ‘‘striving for excellence’’ agreements from 1989 and 1995 as a model for a renewed city–district partnership and asked staff to explore comp‑plan amendments to add an education goal for fiscal transparency and accountability.

Most important details

- Direction to staff: City staff (Mister Moore and appropriate departments) was asked to contact the School District of Palm Beach County and request school-by-school assessments or the district’s most recent strategic reports and improvement plans, plus information on funding and wraparound services, so the commission can review them by July 15. Commissioners also asked staff to provide a consolidated list of city revenue sources currently spent on education elements of the comp plan; staff said that list had been compiled and would be forwarded.

- Studies and past agreements: Commissioners reviewed two prior studies in the packet — a Greenway Strategy Group (2018) exploratory report and a Florida International University (FIU) competitive assessment and cluster study (March 2019) — and discussed reviving the 1989 and 1995 ‘‘striving for excellence’’ agreements the city previously held with the school board as a starting framework.

- Possible consultant funding: One commissioner proposed asking the commission at a future meeting to allocate roughly $25,000 to update the Greenway study and $25,000 to update the FIU study (total suggested amount of $50,000) so the city would have current, independent analyses. Commissioners did not approve that expenditure in the workshop; it was discussed as a possible upcoming agenda item.

- Scope limits and next steps: Commissioners emphasized they could not amend the comp plan without first knowing what specific actions or language they would add. The commission asked staff to request a time certain for the district to deliver assessments and to include the district-provided materials in the July 15 agenda packet. Commissioners said if the district materials do not provide the information the city needs, the city should consider contracting for an independent assessment.

Public comments and community perspectives

- Marjorie Waldo, former teacher/principal and member of the Delray Beach Education Board, said the ‘‘crux’’ of local school challenges is poverty and that teachers and principals are ‘‘passionate and working miracles every day’’ in high-poverty classrooms. "If you look at the free and reduced lunch numbers only, you'll see that the majority of our schools are full of kids who eat lunch at school, and that's it," Waldo told the commission.

- Allison Turner, representing the Delray Chamber Education Fund, said the nonprofit raised $46,400 last year for the eight Delray Beach public schools and has shifted to a focused grant program that awarded teacher-led grants up to $2,000; the recent round produced more than 40 grant applications. "We're committed to support these Delray Beach public schools," Turner said, noting the chamber is exploring additional fundraisers and grant opportunities.

- Christina Morrison, a Delray Beach resident and business owner, recommended adopting budget incentives similar to Wellington’s approach — a city line item devoted to schools with awards tied to goals for teachers, principals and students. "They have the same English-as-a-second-language issues we do... They set goals for the teachers, the principals, and the students, and then they award money to those schools and teachers and students that reach those goals. And it works," Morrison said.

Differing views and constraints

Commissioners and public speakers cautioned that some information in existing reports is dated; for example, commissioners referenced older Greenway and FIU reports and said the city already has a lot of raw data (demographics, test proficiency) but lacks an actionable assessment of what to do next. A public commenter suggested splitting consultant funds to put them directly into schools rather than pay outside consultants; commissioners said they would weigh that view when reviewing materials.

Background and next steps

Commissioners noted the city’s prior intergovernmental agreements with the school board (1989 and 1995 striving-for-excellence agreements) as historical models and asked staff to compile comparable agreements other municipalities have with their school districts. Staff agreed to begin outreach to the district within a day or two and to assemble the requested materials for the July 15 agenda packet; commissioners asked that, when possible, the district materials be provided by the end of the month so the commission would have time to review before the July 15 meeting.

The commission also directed staff to include in the packet (if available) district strategic reports, school improvement plans, current funding/resource-allocation data and information about early-prevention and wraparound services.

No formal votes were taken during the workshop; the commission recorded direction to staff and scheduled a follow-up agenda item to review district-provided materials and consider consultant engagement or comp‑plan amendments.