Two proposed charter schools that were rejected by their local school boards will get to make their cases to the Florida Board of Education.
A panel that vets charter school appeals has sided with one of the prospective charters, but not the other. The state board is set to have its say at its meeting next week in Tallahassee.
The Florida Charter School Appeal Commission voted unanimously to support Discovery High School in Polk County after finding the school board did not show the alleged flaws in the school's plans justified the rejection of its charter application.
The proposed charter school would grow out of the existing Discovery Academy of Lake Alfred, a Title I charter in Polk County. The middle school received a C rating from the state in 2013-14, while serving one of the highest proportions of low-income students of all the charters in the district.
The Winter Haven News Chief reported this summer that the new charter school proposal has the backing of Lake Alfred's mayor, who said the town has long yearned for its own high school.
A charter school sought by MacDill Air Force Base in Florida has lost the first round of an appeals process.
The Florida Charter School Appeal Commission on Monday sided with the Hillsborough County School District, which had denied an application for the proposed school. The case will now go before the state Board of Education, which is scheduled to make the final decision March 18.
"As we’ve known from the very beginning of this journey, building a charter school on a military base is a very complex process and this phase is just one more step in that process,'' said Colleen Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the applicant, Florida Charter Educational Foundation and its partner, Charter Schools USA.
"Although this advisory panel did not recommend overturning the district’s denial, the need for military families is well-documented and was reinforced again today,'' Reynolds said in a prepared statement. "Ultimately, the State Board of Education will determine whether or not the denial should be overturned and we are committed to continue the fight for military families who want this educational option available on base for their children. We will not give up on doing what’s right for students.''
The foundation applied in August for a charter to build an 875-student K-8 school that would provide a middle school option for military families who live on and off the base. MacDill Charter Academy also would help ease crowding at the district-run elementary school at MacDill, proponents said.
The Hillsborough County School Board denied the application in December, following a recommendation from Superintendent MaryEllen Elia. (more…)
