LeBron James' I Promise School to Cost District Taxpayers Around $8M Per Year
The I Promise School, which was opened by the LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron Public Schools, will reportedly eventually cost taxpayers approximately $8 million per year.
According to the Plain Dealer's Patrick O'Donnell, that figure will be "covered mostly by shifting students, teachers and money from other schools."
"The coverage made it look like the whole thing is his," Akron Public Schools district spokesman Mark Williamson told O'Donnell. "He did a lot, but taxpayers should know it's their investment too."
The LeBron James Family Foundation, it should be noted, plans to spend at least $2 million annually "when the school has grown to capacity."
The school for at-risk students, which opened last week, will also provide students with free uniforms, free breakfast, lunch and snacks, free transportation within two miles, free bicycles and helmets and access to a food pantry for their family.
Additionally, any student who graduates will have their college tuition guaranteed by the University of Akron.
"This school would not have happened without the partnership with LeBron James," district Treasurer Ryan Pendleton told O'Donnell.
