Schools Of Hope

Florida lawmakers have big choices to make: How to handle charter takeovers through the Schools of Hope program and what to do with property taxes.

The state department of education is working on writing rules that could narrow the scope of the new law.

Lower birth rates and more financial incentives for parents who choose private or home school for their kids are chipping away at public school enrollment statewide.

The districts argued the plans were impractical, citing a variety of reasons for this, including a lack of available space to accommodate charter students and more.

Anastasios Kamoutsas was booed while talking with superintendents and school board members about the "co-location" of 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.