Beach School

Schmucker also thanked Fort Myers Beach Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt, the town council's liaison to the committee for being “compassionate” and providing wisdom

Atterholt said four of the committee’s members in particular, played a large role strategically in making an agreement happ e n m e n t i o n i n g S c h m u c k e r , J o h n Koss, Jenny Tardiff and Patrick Vanasse

Atterholt said he didn't think the school would have been reopened without their efforts

“They led this effort, they managed the effort at a time when their personal lives were in complete disarray,” Atterholt said

The vote allows for the historic building of the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School to reopen this fall and handle up to 80 students, with a second phase rebuild of the outer buildings to accommodate up to 150 students

The agreement expands the boundaries of the district off island to Summerlin Road beginning in the 2024-25 year

FEMA in Hurricane Ian aid, covering approximately 385,000 households

Only residents whose homes were their primary residence qualified for individual assistance, Mills said “Secondary or vacation homes are not eligible for FEMA individual assistance Landlords are not eligible for FEMA individual assistance for their rental property, but tenants may be eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance if the rental is their primary residence ”

The agreement addresses some of the concerns amongst the school board about the elementary school’s declining population over the years, from more than 100 students just a few years ago to about 80 students before Hurricane Ian The current number of Beach Elementary School students attending San Carlos Park Elementary School since Hurricane Ian has been estimated at 52 students Beach Elementary School has been closed since Hurricane Ian damaged its buildings Remediation of the historic building has been ongoing

The interlocal agreement has been negotiated in private over the last few months through meetings between the adhoc committee, Lee County School District officials and Town of Fort Myers Beach officials

The agreement guarantees a permanent kitchen and cafeteria in the school by the 2024-25 year

The interlocal agreement would require Beach Elementary to grow its student pop-

In addition to rental assistance for families unable to occupy their residences by Hurricane Ian, Mills said that FEMA has p r o v i d e d e m e r g e n c y h o u s i n g ( h o t e l s , apartments or manufactured homes) to 921 households in Lee County and more than 4,570 households statewide

As of April 11, there were still 641 households in Lee County staying in emergency housing such as apartments or hotels through FEMA In Fort Myers ulation so that it has a cost-per-student ratio at the level of fellow island schools in Pine Island and Sanibel Schools receive more federal aid with more students

The Beach Elementary School has the smallest budget of any school in the district at $1.77 million before Hurricane Ian

The agreement also requires the school board to assist with increasing enrollment and to seek partnerships with other entities for special programs

Under the current framework, Bay Oaks Recreational Campus would be open by the fall handle students at its gym between 8 a m and 2 p m every Wednesday during the school year There would also be a rotating schedule to handle students on Wednesdays during different months during school hours for the tennis courts, soccer field and softball field at the campus Bay Oaks would also be required to provide afterschool care for the school’s students

The town would agree not to turn Bay Oaks into its town hall unless space per-

Beach, there were 80 households staying in hotels or apartments Of those, 20 were staying in manufactured homes (or trailers)

FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides grants to state, tribal and local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship, so communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or mits, while also allowing the school district to use Bay Oaks as a staging area for the renovations and rebuilding of the elementary school

No later than November, 2026, the town and school board would discuss student population and cost numbers to determine if the school is able to financially sustain itself at the same level as the barrier island schools or if the town must provide financial assistance to the school district to operate the schools

If the town were unable to provide further financial assistance for the school to bring down the cost-per-student ratio, the school could be closed and turned over to the town as early as 2027 The agreement also allows for the town to collect funds for the future operation of a charter school

The interlocal agreement was codified by the town and school’s attorneys after negotiations between Lee County School District officials and the ad-hoc committee members

FEMA to develop projects and scopes of work FEMA obligates funding for projects to the Florida Division of Emergency M a n a g e m e n t ( F D E M ) a f t e r f i n a l approval Once a project is obligated, FDEM works closely with applicants to complete the grant process and begin making payments. FDEM has procedures in place designed to ensure grant funding is provided to local communities as quickly as possible