Palm Beach County
The Municipalities of Palm Beach County
School District of Palm Beach County

Overview

Palm Beach County, the School District of Palm Beach County, and 26 participating Municipalities within the school district have chosen to implement public school concurrency, based on procedures established in the statutes of the State of Florida.

What is public school concurrency?

School Concurrency provides coordinated planning among the County, local governments, and the School District to ensure that school capacity is available at the time of impact of residential development.

Why is public school concurrency necessary?

Palm Beach County’s accelerated growth has led to a growing demand for school facilities. The implementation of public school concurrency will result in a cooperative and financially feasible process permitting the School Board to address existing school crowding and to provide adequate capacity for projected new growth.

How will school concurrency be implemented?

To implement school concurrency countywide, all participating entities must first enter into an interlocal agreement. The interlocal agreement to establish school concurrency in Palm Beach County was executed and officially recorded on January 25, 2001.

The second step requires the County and 26 participating local governments to have consistent Comprehensive Plan amendments.

According to the State Statutes, the municipalities have one(1) year from the date of recordation of the Interlocal Agreement to adopt their respective Comprehensive Plan Amendments.

Palm Beach County adopted the required amendments on March 26, 2001 and the last of the 26 municipal amendments was adopted timely on January 25, 2002.

The third and final step is to incorporate the Comprehensive Plan amendments into the land development code of each participating local government. The interlocal agreement indicates this step must be in place 90 days after the last municipal amendment becomes effective.

When will school concurrency be in effect?

The requirements to implement school concurrency were successfully completed on June 27, 2002, date marking the official commencement of school concurrency in Palm Beach County.

What Comprehensive Plan amendments are needed?

The 1998 Florida Legislature enacted legislation amending s.163.3180, F.S., establishing requirements for the optional implementation of public school concurrency. The proposed amendments to each local government's Comprehensive Plan will:

• Replace the existing Public Education Element with a required Public School Facilities Element (PSFE) or create a new PSFE, consistent with s.163.3177(12)F.S.

• Amend the Capital Improvement Element to provide for a financially feasible public schools capital improvement program and for consistency with the PSFE, and

• Provide associated amendments to the Land Use Element, the Map Series and Introduction and Administration Element.

Based on the requirements of Rule 9J-5.025, F.A.C., the plan amendments address land development issues which impact education including levels of service for schools, school utilization, location of schools, ensuring that public infrastructure for schools is available, and the financial feasibility of the school construction program.