Charter Schools

Mater Academy and Somerset Academy notified the school district that they both intend to “co-locate” at Brookside Middle School and Emma E. Booker Elementary.

Dozens of schools across the greater Tampa Bay region are bracing for a second round of notices from School of Hope operators, which want to set up inside under-enrolled public schools.

Most at the meeting praised the superintendent for acting quickly to prevent Schools of Hope from moving into public schools with empty space.

The school board, which faces a $77 million shortfall. planned to house about 75 staff members in the rented space of an affiliated nonprofit. Instead, those employees will move into vacant district space.

The superintendent says school board officials are meeting with members of the their local legislative delegation and will travel to Tallahasse to talk privately. "We’re hopeful that they’ll listen,” he said.

Sarasota is one of several districts in the Tampa Bay region with low enrollment, and has public schools in danger of being taken over by charters.

An analysis shows some local charter schools have nearly the same percentage of underused space as traditional campuses. Plus, plenty of Bucs talk.

A Suncoast Searchlight analysis finds Sarasota County’s public and charter schools are nearly equally under capacity — operating at 82% and 84% utilization, respectively — challenging the premise of Florida’s new “Schools of Hope” law.

On "Florida Matters: Live & Local," hear about local cities that want to take charge of their electricity, a plan to thwart charter "Schools of Hope," and two more ways Tampa shines.

As Mater Academy seeks to co-locate inside Oak Park School — Sarasota County’s only K-12 school for students with special needs — the move raises critical questions about how charter schools serve (or fail to serve) children with disabilities.

In a letter to families, the district announced it was withdrawing the proposal following backlash from parents.

Booker Elementary and Booker Middle were included in the superintendent's plan to prevent a charter school from moving in because both are operating at less than half capacity.