Schools Of Hope

The groups — including the United Teachers of Dade, NAACP Miami-Dade Branch, the Miami-Dade County Council of PTA/PTSA, and others — oppose the "co-location" efforts, which they argue threaten the financial stability and local control of the public education system.

From schools to student aid, historic escapes to outdoor adventures, this "Florida Matters Live & Local" runs the gamut of the serious and the surprising.

A new law in Florida expands Schools of Hope, allowing charters to set up inside any public school with unused space, rent-free. The public school would pay many costs for the charter, like food, transport, security and utilities.

Academica, which operates charters, says on its website that it plans to open only a "handful" of schools in 2027-28 and will rescind notices for other locations after it determines those co-locations.

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.

The strategic plan, which Superintendent Terry Connor plans to present on Tuesday, involves expanding programs in schools with the most vacant seats, razing or reconfiguring some campus buildings and more.