A proposal for a charter school at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., won't get the local school district superintendent's approval. But the Hillsborough County School Board still could grant the charter.
Hillsborough Schools Superintendent MaryEllen Elia
The board meets Tuesday morning to review seven charter school applications, all of which have received district staff recommendations for approval except the one calling for an 875-student K-12 school on the military base that serves as U.S. Central Command.
The district already runs an elementary school on the base. One of the concerns for charter supporters is that there is no on-site middle school option for military families who live on base or work there.
Superintendent MaryEllen Elia and her staff cited issues with the charter application, filed by the Florida Charter Education Foundation in August, particularly about who would serve on a local governing board. Such a board, which includes members with ties to the community where the school will be located, is required by state statute.
The foundation, a not-for-profit based in Fort Lauderdale, has stated it would have a local governing council with local members. It also intends to contract with Charter Schools USA to manage the school. But it's not clear, district officials said, which entity would oversee day-to-day operations such as managing the budget.
Hillsborough officials notified charter organizers last week that they tentatively were recommending denial. But that decision could be reversed, they said, if they received more information on the makeup of the charter school’s governing board. Richard Page, vice present of development for Charter Schools USA, said the groups already talked about the governing setup last month, and that it's similar to ones used by other charter schools throughout the state.
"We are puzzled by the timing and the process when we felt like it was clear,'' Page told redefinED last week.
Both sides met Monday morning to discuss the district's concerns. Elia was out-of-town, but spoke with staff later and, late Monday, upheld the original recommendation of denial.
“Clearly Hillsborough County district staff is not interested in helping military families at MacDill Air Force Base by providing a charter school option for students on base,'' Ken Haiko, chairman of the Florida Charter Educational Foundation, said later in an email to redefinED. "The concerns provided in our meeting and the documents posted online are ludicrous and demonstrate the district’s weak arguments against the charter.''
The proposal now goes before the school board, which in Florida is the authorizer of charter schools in its district. If the board denies the application, organizers vow they will appeal to the state Board of Education.
"As we wait for the school board’s vote tomorrow, we’d like to make it clear that the Florida Educational Foundation is not willing to give up on the needs of military families at MacDill AFB,'' Haiko said. "We have never backed down from a challenge and don’t intend to leave these families with no options.”
Elia has said she believes the district can better meet the needs of military families. She even offered to expand a district-run middle school into a K-8 to serve MacDill. But charter supporters, including the base commander, Col. Scott DeThomas, say the needs are too great and really call for an independent school on base that can cater to soldiers and their families with counseling and programs that recognize the difficulties that come with the duty.
“I really respect the district’s position,’’ DeThomas recently told redefinED. “But, unfortunately, at this time we need to do more for our military families.’’
