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About Sherri Ackerman

Sherri Ackerman is a former correspondent for the Tampa Bay Times and reporter for The Tampa Tribune, writing about everything from cops and courts to social services and education. She grew up in Indiana and moved to Tampa as a teenager, graduating from Brandon High School and, later, from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications/news editing. Sherri is the associate editor for redefinED. Reach her at sackerman@sufs.org or (813) 579-5922

. Also, follow her on Twitter @redefinEDonline and on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/redefinedonline.

Author Archive | Sherri Ackerman

Teacher finds freedom, fresh perspective in virtual school

By Sherri Ackerman on May 20, 2013

Wife and mother Carlene Meloy left the Pinellas County school district nine years ago for a teaching job with Florida Virtual. There were some tradeoffs, but after four years "I don't think I would ever go back.''

Wife and mother Carlene Meloy left the Pinellas County school district nine years ago for a teaching job with Florida Virtual Schools. There were some trade-offs, but after four years “I don’t think I would ever go back.”

When Carlene Meloy answers her front door on a recent weekday afternoon, she looks like any other stay-at-home mom in blue jeans and a T-shirt.

Husband Chris is away at work. In a few hours, their two kids will be home from school. Until then, a barefoot Meloy juggles laundry and dinner with her other job as a teacher at Florida Virtual School.

“I can grocery shop in the morning,’’ she said, and be back in front of her computer in time for a 1 p.m. high school leadership class. If her daughter, Camryn, needs to go to the community center for a theater class, “I can use the Wi-Fi’’ to stay connected to students.

It’s that flexibility that convinced Meloy, 38, to leave the local school district four years ago and work for the nation’s largest online education program.

Meloy is among a growing number of educators across the country that has discovered school choice is an opportunity not only for parents and students, but for teachers, too. No longer are their options defined by school boards or unions – or traditional school calendars.

Today, teachers willing to embrace choice and, maybe, take a bit of a risk, can find satisfying careers in charter schools, private schools and online education. The bonus: a job that gives them more of a say in customizing lesson plans, including ones that adhere to personal religious beliefs; and access to cutting-edge technology that, to some extent, allows them to set their own schedules.

“Now that I look back, I realize I felt stuck,’’ Meloy said of her old job, where she often had to rush from her fourth-grade classroom to take her son, Cole, to baseball practice. “I really do not have the stress that I did in a brick-and-mortar school.’’ Continue Reading →

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redefinED: Charter schools in Texas, voucher funding in Louisiana, school choice in South Carolina & more

By Sherri Ackerman on May 20, 2013

Texas: House lawmakers approve a plan to expand charter schools statewide (Associated Press).

Pennsylvania: The state’s director of open records says charter schools are the No. 1 violator of the law (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Philadelphia public school officials recommend closing Discovery Charter School due to a dispute over enrollment caps and other concerns (NewsWorks). The School Reform Commission approved the renewal of five charter school contracts, with all agreeing to abide by a new enrollment cap (The Notebook).

Louisiana: State Superintendent John White warns of the fallout from the recent Supreme Court ruling on voucher funding, revealing the state needs to find an extra $29 million for the current school year (Times-Picayune). White also contends that the ruling will result in a $12 million refund for the public school system (Shreveport Times). More from Education Week. Charter Schools USA and National Heritage Academies look to build four charter schools in the Lafayette Parish (The Advertiser). The education department received applications for more than 100 charter schools (Times-Picayune).

Ohio: Lawmakers introduce a bill that would require Columbus schools’ property-tax dollars be shared with charters, and give the mayor the power to sponsor charter schools (Columbus Dispatch).

Maine: Democrats push bills that impose a moratorium on virtual charter schools and require charter schools function as nonprofit organizations (Bangor Daily News). More from the Kennebec Journal. The Education Committee votes along party lines to reject virtual schools (Portland Press Herald). Gov. Paul LePage wants to allow colleges and universities to authorize charter schools (Maine Public Broadcasting Network).

Florida: A magnet elementary school is considering becoming a charter school to save arts and music classes from district budget cuts (redefinED). A bill that won approval on the last day of the legislative session will open up public school funding to private virtual schools (Tampa Bay Times). Duval County Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says he miscalculated the impact that funding for charter schools would have on next year’s school budget (First Coast News). Continue Reading →

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Florida magnet school considers going charter

By Sherri Ackerman on May 16, 2013

There are endless reasons why parents consider charter schools, but here’s a fresh one from Florida: The local school district is neck-deep in financial problems.

Karen Carpenter

Rowlett Magnet Elementary, a popular A-rated school in Bradenton, is caught in a districtwide crisis that has resulted in a spending freeze until July and threatens to leave administrators little choice but to drop programs to cut costs.

Instead of losing classes devoted to drama, film-making and music, Rowlett’s leaders are vying for a shot at running the school independent from the Manatee County school district.

“I really can’t say that I blame them for wanting to leave,’’ school board Chairwoman Karen Carpenter told redefinED this week. “They want some determination over their future.’’

Many of the district’s problems appear to be self-inflicted. Superintendent Tim McGonegal resigned last fall as questions mounted over accounting errors that led to a $3.4 million budget deficit. A scathing audit later concluded a lack of oversight was part of the problem. A citizens’ advisory group pointed to dysfunction on the school board.

Florida is no stranger to charter conversions, with 20 district schools making the leap since the first one in Lake County in 1997. If its charter application is approved, Rowlett would become the first conversion school in Manatee, though, where 4,500 of the district’s more than 44,000 students attend one of 12 charter schools.

The school is in an “exploratory and fact-finding phase’’ right now to determine if the conversion is a viable option, according to a prepared statement from the Manatee County school district.

Conversions aren’t easy. Teachers and parents have to vote on the switch, with a majority of parents taking part in the vote. Support must come from a majority of teachers and a majority of parents.

The school’s advisory committee chairwoman has already asked in writing – as required by law - for Rowlett’s principal to start the balloting process. The vote is set for this month. Continue Reading →

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Report: Many charter schools do without

By Sherri Ackerman on May 15, 2013

Here’s something important about charter schools that mostly is overlooked: When it comes to facilities, they tend to be pretty modest.

Many have smaller classrooms than traditional public schools. And many don’t have libraries, or computer labs or adequate kitchens.

A new survey of charter schools in 10 states highlights what charters face in terms of facilities – and why, perhaps, charter advocates in states like Florida are seeking recurring sources of money for those needs.

Put together by the Charter School Facilities Initiative, a joint effort by the Colorado League of Charter Schools and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the survey did not include Florida. But there’s little doubt that many charter operators in the Sunshine State will identify with the findings:

In each of the surveyed states, at least 60 percent of the charter classrooms were considerably smaller than those in district schools.
Fewer than 50 percent have a kitchen that allows the school to prepare meals on site and qualify for free, federally-funded meal programs.
Many middle and high school charters don’t have access to gyms. In Tennessee, 53.3 percent of them don’t have access. In Indiana, it’s 50 percent.
In almost every state, a majority of charter schools don’t have at least one specialized instructional place, such as a library, computer lab or music classroom. In Indiana, 71.4 percent of charters lack a library. In New Jersey, 60.6 percent don’t have a computer lab. In Texas, 56.2 percent don’t have an art or music room.
Charters, on average, spend more than 10 percent of their operating budgets on facilities instead of using the money for hiring additional teachers or purchasing curricular materials. Continue Reading →

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redefinED: Vouchers in Louisiana, charters in New Mexico, virtual ed in Virginia & more

By Sherri Ackerman on May 13, 2013

Louisiana: Supreme Court rules that the funding method for the state’s expanded voucher program is unconstitutional (The Advocate). Gov. Bobby Jindal calls the ruling a victory because it didn’t dissolve the overall voucher program (The Times-Picayune). More from the Washington Post and Education Week.

North Carolina: The Senate approves a bill that creates a charter school oversight board (Associated Press). Another bill aims to provide funding for school innovation programs that link schools and districts with businesses, community colleges and universities (News & Observer). A low-performing charter school pays its top administrator $187,000 a year and his wife, $120,000 (WCNC). Researcher finds charter schools are more racially segregated than public schools (WCNC).

Washington, D.C.: Demand for charter school seats seems to be highest for early-childhood programs and for schools rated high-performing (Washington Post). Education Chancellor Kaya Henderson introduces a new hybrid school that calls for a charter school to run a traditional school (Washington Post).

Oklahoma: Congressman Tom Cole introduces legislation to allow homeschool families a tax deduction for certain expenses (Associated Press).

South Carolina: The state receives 18 charter school applications for the 2014-15 school year (The State).

Florida: Private schools that accept tax credit scholarships look to improve parent engagement (redefinED). Digital learning bill calls for study of course-choice options (redefinED). Legislators approve bill that allows online learning companies better access to public funding (Miami Herald). Continue Reading →

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National survey shows mothers support school choice

By Sherri Ackerman on May 10, 2013

A new poll finds that mothers of school-aged children aren’t happy with the direction of K-12 public education nationwide, and they are more likely to favor nontraditional options – like charter schools, private schools and the use of vouchers.

Virginia Walden Ford

The telephone survey was commissioned by the Friedman Foundation and board member Virginia Walden Ford called attention to the findings about mothers: “No one knows better than a mom what education works best for their child, and mothers are crying out for more choices across our country.’’

Among the findings for moms with school-aged children:
• 61 percent said K-12 education has “gotten off the wrong track.’’
• 82 percent gave private schools an A or a B compared to 44 percent for public schools.
• 63 percent favored charter schools (once pollsters defined the schools), compared to 25 percent who opposed them.
• 69 percent supported tax-credit scholarships; 19 percent did not.
• 65 percent supported education savings accounts; 25 percent opposed the reform.
• 66 percent supported school vouchers (again, after they were given a definition of the program), compared to 26 percent who opposed them. School moms are more than twice as likely to agree (66 percent) with universal eligibility, but they mostly disagree (62 percent) when eligibility is limited to financial need.
• 54 percent favor a parent trigger policy compared to 38 percent who opposed the measure.

The survey also asked about education spending, with 65 percent of the moms saying per-student funding was too low and 35 percent believing public schools spent $4,000 or less per student. When they were informed that the national average was about $10,652 per student, the number of moms who thought the funding was too low dropped to 50 percent.

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What’s that charter school spending its money on? Go look

By Sherri Ackerman on May 10, 2013

Want to see that charter school’s budget or who sits on its governing board? How about its financial audits? Or whether it is owned by a management company?

Under a bill passed by lawmakers last week, every Florida charter school must maintain a website where it posts that information and then some, beginning in the 2013-14 school year.

Sen. John Legg

“That’s so parents, the media and the community can see how much money the charter is spending on administration, facilities, fees … and compare that with other schools,’’ said Sen. John Legg, R-Lutz. “If there’s something wrong, people can see that online.’’

The provision is one of the less publicized pieces of House Bill 7009, which is now awaiting Gov. Rick Scott’s signature.

Most of the attention on the bill has been focused on its calls for better financial oversight of charter schools. Among other changes, the legislation requires charter operators to file uniform monthly financial reports to school districts that will include balance sheets, revenue statements, expenditures and, new this session, changes in the fund balance.

“This is incredibly important,’’ said Legg, who filed an amendment detailing the procedure during the final week of session. The reports “are critical to bringing transparency to the process.’’

The bill also requires charter schools to get prior written approval from their district sponsors before spending more than $10,000, unless the expenditure was included in the school’s annual budget.

The tougher controls follow last year’s headlines surrounding a struggling Orlando charter school that paid its principal more than $800,000 before shutting down. The payment totaled twice as much as the school spent on its educational program that year, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Continue Reading →

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Florida private schools take parental engagement up a notch

By Sherri Ackerman on May 7, 2013

First-grade teacher Manal Ramadan explains to other educators how to get parents more involved at school. Ramadan, of American Youth Academy in north Tampa, was participating in Step Up For Students’ first Success Partners Celebration Showcase at Incarnation Catholic School.

Teacher Tiffany Smith-Sutton noticed right away the difference it made when parents came to their child’s school to bake cupcakes or learn about fractions during Family Math Night.

Homework came back on time. Test scores went up. Classroom behavior improved.

Tiffany Smith-Sutton of Bible Truth Ministries Academy talks about enticing parents to come to their child’s classroom.

“With their parents there, students are good,’’ said Smith-Sutton, a first-year preschool and kindergarten instructor at Bible Truth Ministries Academy in Tampa.

And parents grow more involved in their child’s education.

It’s that connection that Step Up For Students, the nonprofit that oversees Florida’s tax credit scholarships, hopes to replicate in all 1,300 schools it works with through a free program designed to strengthen the bond between schools and families.

Success Partners started in 2011 with 10 private schools in Tampa that accept tax credit scholarships. The idea was to let each school come up with a way to forge better relationships with parents that meets their specific needs.

School teachers and administrators took part in a year-long training to learn how to create their partnership plans. A key part is the Learning Compact, a web-based software application that introduces school leaders to new Common Core State Standards; state-of-the art learning and teaching strategies; and parent and student interventions.

Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog, added 17 more schools in the Tampa Bay area to the program in 2012-13. All but one of the schools came together last week to showcase what’s working and to inspire other educators to join the effort. The project will include more than 100 schools this fall.

“When parents are engaged in their children’s learning, children succeed,’’ said Carol Thomas, Step Up’s vice president for student learning and one of the creators of Success Partners. Continue Reading →

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redefinED roundup: Parent trigger in Florida, vouchers in Louisiana and Wisconsin, charter schools in D.C. and more

By Sherri Ackerman on May 6, 2013

Florida: Parent trigger fails again in the Senate with a 20-20 vote (Orlando Sentinel). Insiders say Gov. Rick Scott influenced some legislators to vote down the parent trigger bill (Sunshine State News). More from The Buzz. Florida Virtual School leaders say a funding shift that takes affect this summer already is having a negative impact on the program (redefinED). U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio visits Tampa and shares his plan for federal tax credit scholarships (redefinED). As private school enrollment declines, some operators are going charter (redefinED).

Louisiana: The state’s voucher program will grow by at least 3,000 more students next school year, bringing the total enrollment to nearly 8,000 (The Times-Picayune).

Connecticut: Gov. Dannel Malloy leads a rally of about 150 students, parents and teachers to protect education budget cuts (The Day). A House bill allows low-performing school districts with charter schools to count their test scores in exchange for support (The CT Mirror).

Washington, D.C.: About 22,000 students are on a wait list for public charter schools (Washington Examiner). Charter advocates ask district officials for uniform per-student funding (The Washington Post).

Arizona: The state is one of the nation’s leaders for school choice, ranking sixth in a report by the Center for Education Reform (The Arizona Republic).

Texas: The House approved a measure that will allow 10 new charter school operators in two years, with 10 additional charters each year up to a maximum of 275 (The Dallas Morning News). Continue Reading →

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Florida charter schools set to receive $91 million for construction

By Sherri Ackerman on May 3, 2013

It’s not everything they asked for, but charter school advocates anticipate getting $91 million in state funding next fiscal year for construction and maintenance projects.

House and Senate leaders agreed to the one-time allocation earlier this week and are expected to pass the measure before they vote on the new state budget by Friday – the final day of the legislative session.

The move marks a $36 million increase in funding for charter schools and comes close to the $100 million proposed earlier this year by the Florida House and Gov. Rick Scott, who still has to sign off on the budget.

Ralph Arza

“This funding is driven by the demand of the consumer,” said Ralph Arza, a former state legislator who lobbies for the Florida Charter School Alliance.

With more than 203,000 students enrolled in 579 Florida charter schools, parents are making their choice – and that’s creating a need for more charter funding, Arza said. But it’s not a one-time need.

“It’s an every-year need,’’ said Arza, who, along with other charter advocates in Florida, will continue to push for recurring funding in the state budget to help charters with capital outlay projects.

Charter schools are public schools that receive state money, but they operate independently from the districts. That means charters have separate school boards, and can pick their curriculum and teachers. But they can’t levy taxes, like their traditional counterparts, to pay for buildings and facility needs.

Arza called lawmakers “bold and courageous’’ for recognizing the need for more charter school dollars.

Robert Haag, president of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools, also praised the move. “We are proud of our Legislators believing in us,’’ he said.

The construction funding follows more good news: charter school teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, principals and other administrators are among the Florida public school workers eligible for the $480 million in raises called for in the 2013-14 budget.

The extra dollars mean at least $2,000 for teachers and other school personnel and as much as $3,500 for instructors rated “highly-effective.’’

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About Sherri Ackerman

Teacher finds freedom, fresh perspective in virtual school

redefinED: Charter schools in Texas, voucher funding in Louisiana, school choice in South Carolina & more

Florida magnet school considers going charter

Report: Many charter schools do without

redefinED: Vouchers in Louisiana, charters in New Mexico, virtual ed in Virginia & more

National survey shows mothers support school choice

What’s that charter school spending its money on? Go look

Florida private schools take parental engagement up a notch

redefinED roundup: Parent trigger in Florida, vouchers in Louisiana and Wisconsin, charter schools in D.C. and more

Florida charter schools set to receive $91 million for construction

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