Crumbs for Title 1: The Westin Cookie Scandal
Lee County paid the Westin Cape Coral $76,500 from a grant for students with disabilities at 27 Title I schools. The same grant amendment that raised the hotel budget also cut teacher pay for student intervention.
By Ali Olivo and Amber Cebull · October 20, 2026
The cookies were free. The hotel was $76,500.
On October 20, someone sent us a photo of cookies stamped with the Westin Cape Coral logo and the Lee County School District logo. They were brought to an event at Riverdale High School. Board member Debbie Jordan said she was at Riverdale at the same time.
We posted the photo along with a caption implying the District paid for the cookies. Two hours later we learned the cookies were donated by the Westin's general manager, and we corrected the record.
I made an assumption because of the logo... You ever see Office Space? He gets his jump to conclusions mat out. That was me today.
Amber
Our apology to the baker
The cookies were made by a small business. Amber sent the baker this note:
First, allow me to apologize for any shade you received about our cookie post - it was NOT meant to bring you any kind of grief. We are huge proponents of small business and that is NOT how I wanted that post to go. I did jump to conclusions based on a gut instinct - and our platform isn't for that. We typically (when I'm not being overzealous because of constantly getting messages about irresponsible spending) are very diligent about our fact checks. So, I do apologize.
Amber, in a note to the baker
I hope you do know that I didn't mean to give you negative publicity, which is why we originally cropped your name off (not to not credit your work). I myself am a sourdough baker and I know that it's hard, grueling work to get those things out.
Amber
We didn't mean to cause the baker any strife. We support her and other local bakers. The cookies were a masterpiece, and we look forward to working with her and placing an order for custom cookies soon.
The correction answered one question but raised another: why were the Westin and the district sharing a logo on a cookie? So we went looking. What we found is that the cookies were donated by the Westin for an event at a high school (go community) and a few months ago, the district paid the Westin $76,500 out of a school-improvement grant for 27 struggling Title I schools.
The district did pay for those cookies. They paid $76,000.
Amber
(The cookies themselves were donated. Amber's point is that the district's spending with the hotel ran to roughly $76,000.)
The grant was for students with disabilities at 27 Title I schools
To understand why that payment matters, you have to start with what the grant money is intended for. The Comprehensive Support Grant (CSG) is a Florida Department of Education grant for Title I schools in comprehensive support and improvement. Lee County's award was $1,994,386.80 (TAPS 26A487).
Lee qualified because of one group of students. The district's application says students with disabilities at 27 schools "performed below 41% for 6 consecutive years" on the federal index. The grant's stated goal was to take that from 27 schools below 41% to zero by July 31, 2026.
I'm getting really emotional because I'm getting really f*** mad right now.
Amber
They already knew that they were in a deficit and that they were going to struggle and that that building is aging and that infrastructure is aging and those children are struggling.
Amber
What the grant is allowed to pay for
A grant with a goal that specific comes with rules about how it can be spent. The Florida Department of Education's Bureau of School Improvement created the grant. The application Lee signed states its purpose: "These funds will be used to directly support the improvement of outcomes in district schools with underperforming subgroup(s) that have performed below 41% for 6 consecutive years."
In November 2025, FLDOE told district leaders what the money is for. Its slide, "Investing CSG Funds for Student Impact," lists four uses:
- Professional learning activities
- Certification stipends
- Recruitment and retention incentives
- Targeted supports for underperforming subgroups
Lee also signed assurances that the money would supplement what the schools already get, never replace it; that schools would use evidence-based instructional programs; and that every funded school would be carrying out an improvement plan.
To be clear, a teacher training fits the first use, so the Summit itself was an allowed expense. We are not suggesting otherwise. The application also cites a Federal Award Notification and federal program guidance. If federal rules apply, renting a venue for a conference is allowed when the cost is "necessary and reasonable" and "managed to minimize costs." A cost is reasonable if it does not exceed what "a prudent person would incur under the circumstances." Whether $76,500 for three days of meeting rooms meets that standard is the question we think parents should be asking.
The Westin contract went on the agenda four hours before the vote
That question starts with how the contract was approved. The district's original grant budget set aside $60,000 for a "local hotel (TBD)" to host a three-day teacher training called the Learner's Summit. Three months later the board approved $76,500 for the Westin.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2025 | Original CSG budget: $60,000 for a local hotel, venue to be decided |
| Mar 10, 2026, 2:02 PM | Westin rental agreement for $76,500 added to that evening's 6 PM board agenda, labeled "GOOD CAUSE" |
| Mar 10, 2026, evening | Passed on the consent agenda with no discussion |
| Mar 16, 2026 | Superintendent Denise Carlin signs Amendment 1, adding an $18,500 "Hotel Facility Fee Increase" |
| May 12, 2026 | Amendment 1 goes to the board |
| Jun 3 to 5, 2026 | Learner's Summit at the Westin Cape Coral |
In other words, the budget caught up with the contract after the board had already approved it.
They're bad at budgeting, Amber.
Ali
$76,500 bought three days of meeting rooms
So what did the district get for that money? The Westin contract is for function space only, for a 700-person general session plus breakouts.
| Line | Math | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Main ballroom | 3 days x $12,000 | $36,000 |
| Breakout rooms | 21 room-days x $1,200 | $25,200 |
| Service charge | 25% | $15,300 |
| Total | $76,500 |
Guest rooms were separate. Attendees and speakers paid for their own rooms at the hotel's group rate, plus a resort fee.
We were told by sources that in the past the district has used one of its many school locations or administrative buildings to host these kinds of trainings.
We asked a local corporate and wedding event planner, who asked not to be named, to look at the contract:
Nearly $80,000 in site fees for a three day event is beyond excessive. I understand they were using a lot of the venue's spaces, but it's June, and they only have so many spaces. I would expect these fees to be half of this number, if not less. Also, this venue often waives site fees, and replaces them with food and beverage minimums.
Local corporate and wedding event planner
Food and beverage not being included in the contract is not normal, and I'm not sure what the reason would be. Perhaps there is a valid reason as to why it's not included, but as far as what I normally see with these types of contracts, it doesn't make sense to me, and seems off. Hosting an all day conference, at the very least, lunch would be included (but typically breakfast as well). If they are providing food and beverage for an event, typically there would be a commitment as far as a minimum number that they will spend per day. If that number is zero, typically it would be included in the contract as a concession that the food and beverage minimum is being waived by the site fee. Again, perhaps there's a valid reason the contract was done this way or an important component that we are missing here, but what I'm looking at now just doesn't make sense.
Local corporate and wedding event planner
And the hotel was only one line of the Summit. Amendment 1 also added:
- $231,188 to pay teachers their normal hourly rate to attend the Summit over the summer, plus $50,122 in retirement and FICA
- $27,925 for audiovisual equipment
- $13,700 to Priority Marketing for registration software, an event app and signage
- $6,000 more for keynote speakers
Paying teachers for that time is fair. The Summit was in June, when teachers are off contract, and the district paid them what they normally earn to be there.
The speaker packets name Brian Mendler ($13,000, June 3 to 4) and Chris and Nik Nikic of Team Nikic ($10,000, June 5).
Who ran the Summit
The district wrote about the Summit on its own website on June 11:
This summer, for the first time, the district transformed professional development into a full three-day summit experience, fully funded through a generous grant that made immersive, focused learning possible for more than 650 educators from across the district.
School District of Lee County, "Three Days. Over 650 Teachers. One Summit." June 11, 2026
The theme was the climb. Whether navigating the complex topography of IEPs, scaling the cliffs of behavioral escalation, or using new digital tools to scout the path ahead, every session was designed to make the climb more manageable for teachers and their students.
School District of Lee County, "Three Days. Over 650 Teachers. One Summit." June 11, 2026
Sessions on trauma-informed practices, dyslexia, behavioral strategies, AI-assisted instruction, and IEP navigation drew packed rooms and passionate feedback.
School District of Lee County, "Three Days. Over 650 Teachers. One Summit." June 11, 2026
A source who works closely with the district on teacher trainings and resources confirmed that Dr. Colleen Timm, Chief of Schools, and Nathan Shaker, Chief Academic Officer, were in charge of the event, and that it was a professional development event.
A teacher who asked to remain anonymous said the teachers at the Summit were given AI prompts.
Another teacher who attended wrote to us after our post:
There was a heavy focus on ESE material but also a BIG push for AI. A lot of teachers chose not to go to the AI trainings (woohoo).
A teacher who attended the Summit
To pay for it, they cut teacher pay for student intervention
Those additions had to be offset somewhere in the grant. Amendment 1 moved $660,068.75 around inside the grant. These are the lines it removed:
| Removed | Amount |
|---|---|
| Supplemental pay for teachers doing targeted student intervention | $205,457, about $250,000 with benefits |
| Bailey Group comprehensive instructional review | $280,000 |
| Math intervention tracking system | $41,091, plus benefits |
| Summit supplies | $19,071 |
Teacher pay for targeted intervention is the fourth use on FLDOE's list, support aimed at the students the grant was written for. FLDOE's own report on the 2025-26 grant says districts used it "to expand professional learning opportunities for school staff and provide targeted tutoring and academic interventions for students." Lee raised the hotel line and cut the intervention line.
The same amendment also added $192,000 for 1,000 Gemini Pro AI licenses at $192 each. Teachers would learn to use them at the Summit.
The state said no. Amendment 2, signed June 16 and brought to the board July 21, records the licenses as "intended for FY27, therefore denied." It also dropped a $100,000 Cardonex master-schedule audit and $218,750 for ESI, an ESE teacher recruiting firm. ESI "could only provide 3 certified ESE teachers." Recruiting is the third use on FLDOE's list.
There is one bright spot. Part of that money, about $187,000 of the $513,750 moved, went to a backlog of 4,000 open special education evaluation consents. Those are students waiting to be evaluated for services.
There are kids that are waiting to go through the process to receive services, so they're just out there not receiving accommodations.
Ali
The contract came before the deficit went public. The payments came after.
The timing adds another layer. The Board approved the Westin contract about five weeks before the district's $92 million deficit became public. The deposits, the hotel increase and the Summit itself came after it.
| Date | The Westin and the grant | The district budget |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 2026 | Board approves the $76,500 Westin contract | |
| Mar 16 | Superintendent signs the $18,500 hotel increase | |
| Mar 20 | First deposit due: $38,250 | |
| Apr 14 | CFO Sarah Cox tells the Board "the most recent forecast is more than $92 million deficit" | |
| Apr 20 | Second deposit due: $38,250 | |
| May 1 | Superintendent Carlin calls earlier budgets "irresponsible spending that had not been adjusted for years" | |
| May 12 | Hotel increase goes to the Board | |
| May | 457 staff not renewed, including 275 teachers | |
| May 20 | Final balance due | |
| Jun 3 to 5 | Learner's Summit at the Westin |
Deposit dates are from the Westin agreement. The April 14 date is inferred: the Lehigh Acres Citizen reported on Thursday, April 16 that the Board was briefed "Tuesday."
Cox called $92 million "the most recent forecast," so there were earlier ones. We have not found when the district first projected a deficit. We are requesting its budget forecasts from January through March 2026.
We want to be precise about what this timeline does and does not show. Grant money is restricted to the grant's purpose, so the hotel money could not have covered the operating deficit or saved those teaching jobs. What the timeline shows is that inside the same grant, the district cut intervention pay for students while it raised the hotel line, in the same months it was laying off teachers.
Parents keep writing to us about Fort Myers Middle
Behind these numbers are real schools, and one comes up more than any other. Fort Myers Middle is a Title I school. Of all the messages parents send us, the broken air conditioning there comes up again and again.
It's bad, guys.
Ali
We don't yet know if Fort Myers Middle is one of the 27 schools this grant was written for. The district hasn't published the list. In 2026, 34% of its students read at grade level and 43% were at grade level in math.
How every Title I school in Lee County scored in 2026
Fort Myers Middle is not an outlier. At 28 of Lee County's 52 graded Title I schools, fewer than half the students read at grade level. At 18 of them, fewer than half are at grade level in math.
The average Title I school has 49% of students reading at grade level and 53% at grade level in math. At the county's 45 other graded schools, the averages are 66% and 64%.
| School | Reading | Math | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Creek Charter School of Bonita Springs (charter) | 32% | 31% | C |
| Fort Myers Middle School | 34% | 43% | C |
| Harlem Heights Community Charter School (charter) | 35% | 37% | C |
| Franklin Park Elementary School | 37% | 49% | C |
| James Stephens Community School | 37% | 41% | C |
| Manatee Elementary School | 39% | 53% | C |
| South Fort Myers High School | 39% | 28% | C |
| Dunbar High School | 40% | 42% | C |
| East Lee County High School | 40% | 19% | C |
| Tice Elementary School | 40% | 58% | C |
| Edgewood Academy | 41% | 53% | C |
| Colonial Elementary School | 42% | 52% | C |
| G. Weaver Hipps Elementary School | 42% | 45% | C |
| Orange River Elementary School | 43% | 53% | C |
| Island Coast High School | 44% | 32% | C |
| Oak Hammock Middle School | 44% | 48% | C |
| Sunshine Elementary School | 45% | 52% | C |
| Varsity Lakes Middle School | 45% | 43% | C |
| Bonita Springs Elementary School | 46% | 48% | C |
| Tortuga Preserve Elementary School | 46% | 49% | B |
| Amanecer Elementary School | 47% | 58% | C |
| Heritage Charter Academy of Cape Coral (charter) | 47% | 51% | C |
| Lemuel Teal Middle School | 47% | 49% | C |
| Allen Park Elementary School | 48% | 50% | C |
| Lehigh Elementary School | 48% | 50% | C |
| Veterans Park Academy for the Arts | 48% | 47% | C |
| Orangewood Elementary School | 49% | 49% | B |
| Tropic Isles Elementary School | 49% | 57% | B |
| Harns Marsh Elementary School | 50% | 53% | B |
| Harns Marsh Middle School | 50% | 58% | A |
| Lehigh Acres Middle School | 50% | 50% | C |
| River Hall Elementary School | 50% | 63% | B |
| Skyline Elementary School | 51% | 60% | C |
| Hector A. Cafferata Jr. K-8 School | 52% | 50% | B |
| Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School | 52% | 59% | B |
| North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts | 53% | 54% | C |
| Caloosa Middle School | 54% | 58% | B |
| Lehigh Senior High School | 54% | 28% | C |
| Villas Elementary School | 54% | 63% | B |
| Bonita Springs Middle Center for the Arts | 55% | 57% | B |
| Spring Creek Elementary School | 55% | 80% | B |
| Mirror Lakes Elementary School | 56% | 65% | B |
| Patriot Elementary School | 56% | 56% | C |
| Ray V. Pottorf Elementary School | 56% | 59% | B |
| J. Colin English Elementary School | 57% | 61% | A |
| Dr. Carrie D. Robinson Littleton Elementary School | 59% | 57% | B |
| San Carlos Park Elementary School | 60% | 65% | A |
| Fort Myers Beach Elementary School | 62% | 62% | B |
| Caloosa Elementary School | 64% | 71% | B |
| Hancock Creek Elementary School | 64% | 66% | A |
| Pine Island Elementary School | 65% | 76% | A |
| Diplomat Elementary School | 66% | 79% | A |
Source: FLDOE School Grades 2026 (cdn.fldoe.org/file/18534/SchoolGrades26.xlsx). "At grade level" is FLDOE's achievement measure: the share of students scoring Level 3 or above on the state test. High school math is the Algebra 1 and Geometry end-of-course exams. Averages are per school, not weighted by enrollment. Ungraded schools are not listed.
What we're requesting
Those numbers are why we want to know exactly which schools this grant was meant to help, and how the money was spent. We're filing a public records request for:
- The 27 schools named in the Comprehensive Support Grant
- The state's request for applications and the district's signed assurances
- Every Westin invoice and payment for the Learner's Summit
- The district's budget forecasts from January through March 2026
- Attendance and sign-in records for the Summit
- Reading and math results for students with disabilities at each of the 27 schools
We will update this piece when the district responds.
The documents
The contract and the grant pages this piece is built on, exactly as the district posted them on BoardDocs. Read them yourself.
- Westin Cape Coral rental agreement March 10, 2026 Board meeting, consent item J-4. Room rates, the 25% service charge and the deposit schedule.
- Comprehensive Support Grant application Attached to the same March 10 item. The grant's purpose, Lee's signed assurances and the original $60,000 hotel line.
- Grant Amendment 1, signed May 12, 2026 Board meeting. The $18,500 hotel increase and the cut to intervention pay.
Sources
The district's own description of the Summit is from its news page, "Three Days. Over 650 Teachers. One Summit." posted June 11, 2026: https://www.leeschools.net/news/june_2026/three_days_650_teachers_one_summit
Board documents are from Lee County School Board meeting packets on BoardDocs: the March 10, 2026 meeting, item DREJWG4F1DDC (the Westin Cape Coral Resort group sales agreement and the Comprehensive Support Grant application); the May 12, 2026 meeting (Amendment 1, CSG, TAPS 26A487, signed by the superintendent March 16, 2026); and the July 21, 2026 meeting (Amendment 2, CSG, signed June 16, 2026). What the grant may fund is from FLDOE's presentation to district instructional leaders on November 6, 2025 and its 2026-27 School Year Information report. Federal cost rules are 2 CFR 200.404 and 200.432. Deficit figures are from the Lehigh Acres Citizen (April 16, 2026), WGCU (May 4, 2026) and the Fort Myers News-Press. School results are from FLDOE's School Grades 2026 file. Quotes are from the Parents for Transparency podcast episode "Westin Cookie Scandal: Crumbs for Title 1 Schools," recorded October 20, 2026.
Disclaimers
Opinion. This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are those of the authors, Ali Olivo and Amber Cebull, and are based on the facts and documents disclosed above. Readers are encouraged to review the source documents and reach their own conclusions.
No allegation of illegality. Nothing in this piece alleges that any person, the School District of Lee County, the Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village, or any vendor or speaker named here violated any law, regulation or grant term. Our commentary concerns the district's spending priorities and the use of public funds, which are matters of public concern. Where a fact is inferred or unconfirmed, we say so.
Podcast quotes. Quoted remarks come from an unscripted podcast recording and reflect the speakers' personal reactions in conversation. They are opinion and rhetorical commentary, not statements of fact, and are published as spoken.
Not legal or financial advice. This piece is for public information and commentary only. It is not legal, financial or accounting advice.
No affiliation. Parents for Transparency is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the School District of Lee County, the Westin, Marriott International, Google or any other organization named here. Names and logos belong to their respective owners and are used only to identify them.
Corrections. We correct errors promptly and note the change at the top of the piece. If you believe anything here is inaccurate, contact info@parentsfortransparency.com with the specific statement and supporting documentation.
Disclosure. Parents for Transparency is a Florida limited liability company funded by reader memberships. The authors have pending public records requests with the School District of Lee County on related subjects.
Fact check
The dollar figures, dates and school results match the source documents.
Figures were checked on October 20, 2026 against the March 10, May 12 and July 21, 2026 board packets on BoardDocs and FLDOE's School Grades 2026 file. Corrections: info@parentsfortransparency.com
Checked October 20, 2026
Westin agreement: $76,500, added to the March 10 agenda at 2:02 PM, passed on consent
CONFIRMED. BoardDocs item DREJWG4F1DDC, labeled GOOD CAUSE, funded by CSG.
3 days x $12,000 + 21 breakout days x $1,200 = $61,200, plus a 25% service charge = $76,500
CONFIRMED. Westin group sales agreement function agenda; 700-person general session.
Original CSG budget: $60,000 for a local hotel (TBD); award $1,994,386.80, TAPS 26A487
CONFIRMED. CSG application attached to the March 10 item.
27 schools where students with disabilities "performed below 41% for 6 consecutive years"
CONFIRMED. Quoted from the district's CSG application.
Amendment 1, signed March 16: +$18,500 hotel facility fee increase, +$192,000 Gemini Pro licenses; removed $205,457 intervention pay, $280,000 Bailey review, $41,091 math tracking
CONFIRMED. Amendment 1 budget narrative (DOE 151), May 12 packet. Total realigned $660,068.75.
Amendment 2: Gemini licenses denied; $100,000 Cardonex and $218,750 ESI dropped; ESI could provide only 3 certified ESE teachers; 4,000 open consents
CONFIRMED. Amendment 2 (DOE 150/151), signed June 16, July 21 packet.
Speakers: Brian Mendler $13,000; Team Nikic $10,000
CONFIRMED. Speaker justification packets in the Amendment 1 attachment.
Fort Myers Middle: 34% ELA, 43% math, Title I; 52 graded Title I schools in Lee
CONFIRMED. FLDOE SchoolGrades26.xlsx, Lee rows with Title I = YES.
FLDOE's four allowed uses: professional learning, certification stipends, recruitment and retention incentives, targeted supports for underperforming subgroups
CONFIRMED. FLDOE General Session slides to the Florida Organization of Instructional Leaders, November 6, 2025, p. 122.
Deposits of $38,250 due March 20 and April 20, final balance May 20
CONFIRMED. Westin group sales agreement, advance payment schedule.
CFO: "the most recent forecast is more than $92 million deficit"
CONFIRMED as reported. Lehigh Acres Citizen, April 16, 2026. Meeting date April 14 is inferred from "Tuesday."
457 non-renewals including 275 teachers
CONFIRMED as reported. Fort Myers News-Press, May 2026.
The CSG is federal money
NOT CLAIMED. Likely ESEA funds, unconfirmed; the request for applications is not public.
About the authors
Ali Olivo Ali is a Fort Myers mom with two kids, 12 and 9. She has served on the Golden Apple Selection Committee for the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools and on the United Way Allocations Committee. She has more than 18 years of experience in corporate business, M&A, and law. She holds a B.A. from the University of Florida and a J.D. from Marquette University Law School.
Amber Cebull Amber is a Fort Myers native. Her two kids, 13 and 12, go to a public middle school in Lee County, Florida. She grew up in Lee County schools herself: Tanglewood Elementary, Allen Park Elementary, Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School's Gifted Program, Fort Myers High School's IB Program. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in Psychology. An entrepreneur for 15 years, she has owned multiple businesses in the Fort Myers area, including a marketing and business strategy consulting practice and a brewery in Downtown Fort Myers.