School district Superintendent says no funds to build new Fort Myers Beach Elementary School
Mayor outraged over claim before school board has discussed charter school proposal
School District of Lee County Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin has responded to the proposal from Town of Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers for the town to take over the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School and to turn it into a municipal charter school by saying that while she supports the move, the school district can not provide the town with $12 million as Allers has requested for the town to build a new school.
Allers has been seeking a lease agreement from the school district which would allow the town to reopen the historic school and run a charter school there while the town builds a new school with funds provided by the school district.
“With respect to the Town’s request for a $12 million contribution from the District, we must reiterate that the District cannot provide this funding,” Carlin wrote in a letter to Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay on Friday.
Allers said he was disappointed in the letter and called it a “slap in the face.” Allers has requested the school district provide funds the school district applied to FEMA for after Hurricane Ian for the school, which town officials believe was either not spent or reallocated. The school district received a loan from the state (known as a LAP loan) for repairs to Hurricane Ian while it awaited FEMA funds. The school district also received insurance reimbursement for the damage to the school. Allers began asking questions about how the district used the FEMA funds during the mediation session on Nov. 5 but was cut off by mediator Derek Rooney.
In her letter to the town, Carlin referred to the FEMA funding by saying “the funds indicated in the FEMA August 2025 obligation letter related to Hurricane lan will primarily be credited to the LAP loan; any other funds will be reviewed per Section 428 of the Stafford Act for ongoing lan-related repairs. In addition, although we do not anticipate additional funding, the District’s Hurricane Milton FEMA application for Fort Myers Beach Elementary remains under review.”
Allers said he was “confused” by the letter from Carlin since the superintendent has not yet held a public discussion with the school board and said in the letter that the decision still rests with the school board.
School District of Lee County officials have repeatedly said since Fort Myers Beach Elementary School was reopened in 2023 that they spent $6 million for the work done at Fort Myers Beach Elementary School after Hurricane Ian, which included gutting the historic school and demolishing several buildings on the campus. At the mediation meeting on Nov. 5, the school district’s attorney Kathy Dupuy-Bruno said the district had spent more than $1.7 million to stabilize the school and mitigate the site after Hurricane Ian and $6.8 million to rebuild the historic school while also demolishing several school buildings.
The attorney then said the district has spent more than $1 million on repairs to the elementary school since Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Milton, on top of more than $10 million that was spent after Hurricane Ian, which appeared to contradict the earlier numbers cited by both herself and statements previously made by school officials.
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers (left) speaks with School District of Lee County Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin during a mediation hearing at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church regarding the future of the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School. Seated is School District of Lee County Attorney Kathy Dupuy-Bruno.
Allers and town officials believe there could be more funds that the school district didn’t use for Fort Myers Beach Elementary School that it had received funding for. Allers has suggested there may be $11 million that the school district requested from FEMA and didn’t use for the elementary school.
Atterholt said he believes the school district has reallocated funds elsewhere that was meant for the elementary school. He said the district should also consider the financial risk that the town was taking from the school district, as part of the calculation for the amount of funds the school district should give the town.
The school district also budgeted and promised to spend $6 million on rebuilding a cafeteria building for Fort Myers Beach Elementary School as part of the interlocal agreement that was approved between the school district and town council in 2023 as part of reopening the school.
The interlocal agreement also allows for Fort Myers Beach Elementary School to be turned into a charter school in 2027 if certain cost reductions aren’t met. The school district has cut the school’s budget substantially since 2023 and its enrollment has dropped from 72 students to 41 students since he district closed the school after Hurricane Milton and redirected students to San Carlos Park Elementary School and more recently to Heights Elementary School. The district has also eliminated its second grade class.
Town councilmembers were not happy with the response from Carlin during Monday’s town council meeting.
Fort Myers Beach Councilmember Jim Atterholt makes a point while addressing School District of Lee County officials at a mediation hearing at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Boniita Springs. At left is Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager. At right is Deputy Manager is Dr. Traci Kohler.
“I was stunned by the response,” Fort Myers Beach Councilman Jim Atterholt said. Atterholt said the district’s superintendent was being “incongruent” with what some school board members have publicly said in support of rebuilding a new school.
“It’s odd to me that they responded by saying ‘OK you can have the old building, at least we’ll cede it to you but we will offer you no money to build a new school on Fort Myers Beach.’ That is unacceptable,” Atterholt said. “It doesn’t appear the administration is dealing in good faith.”
In her letter to McKannay, Carlin said that the school board would ultimately have to make any decision regarding the school. The school board is scheduled to meet next on Dec. 1.
“The District has begun exploring a potential path forward that appears to align with the Town’s stated intent while remaining consistent with the District’s legal and financial responsibilities,” Carlin said. “At this stage, we want to emphasize that these concepts are preliminary and any final decision must be made by the School Board of Lee County. Neither the Superintendent nor staff has the authority to unilaterally approve the conveyance of property or enter into charter-related agreements. The purpose of this letter is to outline the direction the District is considering
so the Town understands the framework that may ultimately be presented to the Board.”
Carlin also suggested the school district may want to subdivide the school property. “The District is prepared to explore conveying the historic school building to the Town outright, rather than through a long-term lease,” Carlin said. “This would involve subdividing the current parcel and transferring ownership of the historic structure “as is,” while the District retains the remainder of the property. This approach would give the Town full ownership and control of the historic building, allowing preservation and educational use, directly supporting the goals expressed by
the Town. From the District’s perspective, this represents a meaningful solution that avoids the limitations of a lease and provides the Town with a permanent and predictable path toward achieving its vision.”
Carlin said that if the town chose to pursue a charter school and was approved, the school would be eligible for FTE funding (which supports operational and instructional costs) and PECO dollars (which support facility needs and capital improvements) from the state.
The school district would continue to collect funds from Fort Myers Beach taxpayers for the school district’s $2.9 billion budget, except that those funds would no longer be used for Fort Myers Beach Elementary School. The town estimates that town taxpayers currently send $29 million a year to the School District of Lee County.
Allers said the district’s letter suggests the administration may have “ulterior motives” for the land and said the district should be reminded that the land is zoned for a school.
“That land is zoned the way we think it is appropriate for, for a school,” Allers said.
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers (right) with Fort Myers Beach Attorney Becky Vose (left) during the Nov. 5 mediation hearing with the School District of Lee County. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
Allers said he felt the town wasted its time at the mediation.
“To come back with no offer to me is insulting. It says we wasted four hours of our time, the mediator’s time, our residents times, the kids time. Everybody’s time is wasted based on this counterproposal,” Allers said.
“If in fact they don’t want to put any money toward the school, do we want to consider looking at give us the $6 million then that you have already budgeted for, for the school that you have openly agreed to in an ILA that we already have to build back something that you have chosen not to do,” Allers said. “And then give us the land. If you want to give up the land and you don’t want to build the school there, let us take it all over. Give us the money you have already budgeted for and then get out of our way. Because this back and forth to me is wasting a lot of time and the only one’s suffering is our kids.”
Allers called on the school district’s administration to put the matter in front of the school board and to let the school board make the decision without making the decisions for them.
Allers called on the school board to “step up and do your job. Step up and give direction to your administration one way or another. You are punishing these poor kids and these poor families.”
Councilman John King said there appears to be “a schism” between the school board and the administration.
McKannay said he has requested from the school district to be given a tour of the school to see the condition of the historic school which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
School district spokesman Rob Spicker said in an email last week regarding questions for Carlin about the town’s offer through mediation, by stating “We will reserve our statements for official communications with the Town and at the resolution hearings.”