Local, State and Federal Leaders Celebrate Burns SciTech High School Groundbreaking in Oak Hill, Fla.

In 10 Years, Building Hope Is Helping School Grow to Include All K-12 Grade Levels

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Building Hope, a non-profit foundation dedicated to creating high-quality K-12 charter school opportunities for students through its expertise in real estate, finance and operational services, announced Burns SciTech in Oak Hill, FL, broke ground on its new high school Friday. A 10-year-long relationship between Building Hope and Burns SciTech is now culminating in the creation of a new school that will allow Oak Hill students to experience a K-12 education entirely on the Burns SciTech campus.

Burns SciTech Principal Dr. Jan McGee shared an inspiring message about the relationship between the school and Building Hope. “My favorite quote has always been, ‘Leap and the net will appear,’ and Building Hope was our net. They appeared and helped us fulfill our vision of becoming a K-12 school,” she said.

President of Building Hope Services Richard Moreno said, “It has been a privilege to support the growth of Dr. Jan’s educational mission to provide an amazing Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) education right here in Oak Hill.” Moreno was present for Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony.

School and Building Hope officials were joined by community leaders and legislative representatives Friday evening for the groundbreaking event and dinner to recognize Burns SciTech’s 10-year anniversary. Special guests who spoke at the event included Rep. Mike Waltz of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Elizabeth Fetterhoff of the Florida House of Representatives, Rep. Webster Barnaby of the Florida House of Representatives and Danny Robins of the Volusia County Council. Additionally, members of the Oak Hill City Council, Oak Hill Community Trust, the Burns SciTech School Board, representatives from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Buddy Davenport, the Edgewater Rotary and Deb Denys were in attendance to celebrate the school’s success and growth.

Building Hope President Joe Bruno, who spoke at the groundbreaking event, said it was tremendous to see how much community support there is for Burns SciTech. “Building Hope has worked on hundreds of charter school projects around the country, and the community support for this school is truly exceptional.”

Burns Science and Technology Charter School is housed at the site of the former W.F. Burns Elementary School, which was closed in 2008. Community leaders, educators and parents worked tirelessly to keep the building intact. In late 2010, Volusia County Schools and the Charter Evaluation Committee recommended approval for Burns Science and Technology Charter School’s charter.

The new site of Burns SciTech High School is directly beside the existing school and is scheduled to be completed before the start of the 2022-2023 academic year.

For more information about how Building Hope helps charter schools nationwide with facilities, financing, and operational services, visit www.buildinghope.org.

About Building Hope

Building Hope is a non-profit foundation created to support public charter schools. Since 2003, Building Hope has grown the capacity of charter schools nationwide by providing facilities, financial, and operational services, so schools can focus more time and resources on educating students. Building Hope has supported 300 charter school projects and 150,000 students in 20 states and the District of Columbia, by providing more than $363 million in direct loans, credit enhancements, and equity investments to support $1.9 billion in school construction.

Contacts

Elizabeth McKinnon

ShinePR for Building Hope

elizabeth@shinepr.com

Martha Holler

ShinePR for Building Hope

PR@buildinghope.org