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Superintendent: Palm Beach schools keep 'A' rating; $31.5 million in federal grants temporarily withheld
Summary
Superintendent Burke told the board the district maintained an A rating from the Florida Department of Education, announced $31,500,000 in federal grants are being withheld for programmatic review, introduced five new principals and highlighted internship and community partnership programs.
Superintendent Burke opened his remarks by announcing that the district has maintained an A rating from the Florida Department of Education and highlighted that 120 district schools earned A or B letter grades. He singled out Pine Jog and Rosenwald elementary schools for moving from C to A.
Burke told the board that six federal grants were being withheld by the U.S. Department of Education for a programmatic review, and he put the total value of those grants at $31,500,000. “These funds are vital to provide a lot of the services that we are able to extend to our students,” he said, listing aftercare, adult education and staff positions among programs that depend on the dollars. He said district staff had already planned programs and staffed positions based on expected funding and that administration would continue to monitor developments.
The superintendent also described the district’s summer intern program (87 interns this year placed across departments and schools) and invited deputy superintendent Jamie Wyatt to introduce five newly appointed principals. Each principal gave brief remarks thanking mentors, family and the board and expressing readiness to lead their new schools.
Community partnerships and outreach featured elsewhere in the agenda: the Education Foundation reported plans for GoTeach grant applications (deadline Aug. 8) and a large community ‘stuff the bus’ backpack distribution (30,000 backpacks for 50 schools) in early August arranged with local corporations and CBS12.
Contracting and capital matters also proceeded: the board approved a construction management at‑risk contract with James B. Pirtle Construction Company for Historic Roosevelt Phase 2.
What happens next: District leaders said they will continue monitoring the federal grant review and will proceed with staffing and program implementation as possible; staff will post materials and follow up as required.
