Alachua County school board talks Camp Crystal changes, lawsuit carries on

There was one question that circled around the School Board of Alachua County: How can the district’s sleepaway camp be run more efficiently given its recent controversy and ongoing issues?

At Wednesday's school board workshop, board members discussed a host of changes for Camp Crystal Lake, some of which include raising pay for counselors, raising fees for out-of-county campers and changing how scholarships are awarded to students.

“There were somethings procedurally and financially that we needed to tighten up,” board chairwoman Tina Certain said.

Camp Crystal concerns not addressed: School district shows little progress to address concerns at Camp Crystal as lawsuit pends

2022 Year in Review: An exciting year for education in Alachua County

Hawthorne Principal meeting: Principal of Hawthorne Middle/High School removed after botched fundraiser

Camp Crystal Lake, located in Starke, has been operating since 1948. It is a sleep-away camp for students in grades 2-9. The camp runs for a total of eight weeks throughout the summer and is divided into one-week sessions and two-week sessions. Applications for the camp typically open in the fall and close in early January.

To attend the camp, families will see a slight bump in costs from $545 to $600 for just a week. The rate for two-week campers, however, will increase from $1,090 to $1,440.

For those who can't afford the cost, the district has scholarships available that are intended for lower-income families, though some slots were given to more high-profile members of the community in years past.

The range of pay for the scholarship varies. Families who qualify for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and are in the foster system will qualify for a 90% scholarship, while others can receive 50% of the cost based on income.

A controversial issue brought up in previous discussions of the camp's management is how available spots in the camp were given to out-of-county students, sometimes even people traveling outside Florida.

The school board, however, changed the rules to ensure Alachua County students are given first priority to available spots.

“They would only get in if there are no in-county students wanting to,” board member Kay Abbitt said.

The out-of-county fees were also raised from $75 to $100. Those living out of the county can also no longer receive Alachua County scholarships to pay for their stays, though donations to the district could be used to help pay costs for low-income families.

Board members agreed that first-year counselors would make up to $400 a week, doubling the previous allotment, which board members said was "severely" too low. The pay would then go up by $25 each year for those who returned to help with retention.

The Investigation into Camp Crystal

Over the past year, Camp Crystal has been embroiled in controversy due to the concern over the misuse of camp funds and management.

In 2021, Superintendent Carlee Simon launched an investigation into the camp after she and her team discovered that Camp Director Scott Burton was using district funds to pay for benefits at the site, including a DISH satellite TV service, and that he was giving scholarships to students without a financial need.

The Gainesville Sun had previously requested records regarding the camp's past attendees, though the district overbilled, redacted and withheld much of the information, citing state law. Legal experts argued that the district wrongfully redacted and withheld information. The Sun has yet to receive its full request from May 2021.

Camp Crystal Lake investigation:School district wrongfully overbilling, redacting information on Camp Crystal, experts say

The investigation led to Burton and his wife, Holly Burton, a principal at Alachua Elementary School, filing a defamation lawsuit against Simon, the school board and the district’s Special Projects Manager Prescott Cowles.

Court records show that Simon, the board and Cowles were served with court documents in December and give the parties 20 and 30 days to respond.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Alachua County school district makes changes to Camp Crystal Lake