Doctor Phillips Charities gives $2.5 million for Cherokee School restoration; board delegates naming decisions to superintendent

The Orange County School Board on May 12 accepted a $2.5 million philanthropic commitment from Doctor Phillips Charities to support the restoration and program development at the Cherokee School, and passed a resolution delegating naming authority for interior and programmatic spaces at Cherokee to the superintendent to speed campaign implementation.

Ken Robinson, president and CEO of Doctor Phillips Charities, and Terry Prather, chairman of the charity’s board, described the Cherokee School project as a restoration of a 100‑year landmark into an arts and technology campus with extended studio blocks and industry partnerships. Robinson said the donation is intended to support high‑impact learning spaces, workforce alignment and restored performance venues. "We're honored to be able to invest alongside you to make this a little bit better," Terry Prather told the board.

Doctor Border (district staff) presented a resolution asking for an exception to Policy FF so the superintendent could accept and align donor naming intent with project implementation for multiple interior spaces — theaters, galleries, fabrication labs and studios — while the board would retain authority over any campus renaming. Board members argued the delegation would streamline campaign work and reduce administrative burden; the motion to delegate naming rights carried unanimously.

What’s next: Staff will proceed with campaign coordination and present donor recognition details to the superintendent for review. Any proposal to rename the campus itself would still require a future board vote.