Renovations Announced For a Palestine Charter School

PALESTINE – The University of Texas at Tyler will invest around $600,000 to make safety renovations to the Innovation Academy STEM charter school facility in Palestine. School officials made the announcement Monday night at a town hall meeting in Palestine to parents of students attending the school. There had been some concern the school may have to close. The Innovation Academy closed its primary Palestine building last summer after the state fire marshal flagged safety concerns. A short-term facility solution was using Mathis Hall on UT Tyler’s extension campus in Palestine, which allowed classes to continue this academic year. The renovations will begin soon as possible. No date has been set on completion. The charter school has over 200 students from second through 11th grades.

The university will pay for the renovations by using the Innovation Academy’s rainy-day fund. The fund serves as reserves for the three Innovation Academy campuses in Palestine, Tyler and Longview. Using the rainy-day funds wasn’t their first choice, but school officials said it ended up being the only realistic option.