Two of the leading organizations in Florida’s united education choice movement are joining forces to expand access to learning opportunities at charter schools across the state.
The collaboration between Charter Schools USA and Step Up For Students will give Florida’s education choice scholarship students access to individual classes at 62 charter school campuses.
“By opening its campuses across the state for scholarship students, Charter Schools USA is helping set the pace for education innovation,” said Gretchen Schoenhaar, CEO of Step Up For Students. “Working with charter schools in a united movement expands access to flexible, quality learning options for Florida families.”
Florida’s 500,000 K-12 scholarship students are allowed to use their scholarships to purchase individual classes and other services from charter schools and school districts. More than 100,000 of those students use scholarships that allow them to fully customize their child’s education without attending a private school full time.
By the time school starts in August, one in three of the state’s 67 school districts and five charter school networks will offer flexible learning opportunities to scholarship students.
“We are thrilled to work with Step Up on this groundbreaking opportunity to further expand school choice,” said Dr. Eddie Ruiz, the Florida State Superintendent of Charter Schools USA. “By giving parents, especially those who teach their children at home, easy opportunities to access higher level educational opportunities while maintaining their customized scholarship option, we are providing ultimate flexibility. Schooling in the future will be all about flexible options, and this allows us to be on the forefront of this exciting endeavor.”
Keith Jacobs, Step Up’s assistant director of provider development, is a former charter school leader. He has made it his mission to collaborate with school districts and public charter schools to find creative ways to serve scholarship students.
“Charter schools began more than 30 years ago with a mission to bring much-needed innovations to education,” Jacobs said. “At Step Up, we are committed to supporting public schools across the state as they explore new opportunities to reach scholarship families. Charter Schools USA, with its proven ability to serve students across Florida, will supercharge these efforts.”
Education choice is the norm in Florida, where 3.5 million K-12 students attended schools or learning environments chosen by their families, a testament to decades of efforts by the state’s leaders to support a united movement to increase opportunities for students.
With the start of classes just weeks away, Florida’s top education officials finally got some good news about the progress of a charter school’s efforts to turn around a persistently struggling school in Escambia County.
With a long-delayed contract in hand, officials with Charter Schools USA told the state Board of Education they had hired nearly two-thirds of the staff they will need to welcome students to the newly rechristened Warrington Preparatory Academy.
They are now convening teachers for three weeks of training and culture-building before the first day of school.
“We truly believe that on the first day that students do come back, they are going to come into a welcoming environment that they deserve and that they can be successful in,” said Eddie Ruiz, the state superintendent for the charter management company, which operates 90 schools across five states and 60 in Florida.
Warrington Middle School struggled with low test scores for more than a decade and is now the latest school to be brought under new management by a charter school organization tasked with turning around its low performance.
After a months of stalled contract negotiations that drew threats from the state Board of Education members to launch an investigation and withhold district leaders’ salaries, the local school board approved the agreement for Charter Schools USA to take over Warrington on May 16.
The timing gave Charter Schools USA a tight window to hire staff, reassure parents, and enlist community supporters.
Ruiz, a top leader with the South Florida management company, was sent to the Panhandle community as a “boots on the ground” presence. He said the company has prioritized renovations, repainted the building inside and out, cleaned and waxed the floors, and refurbished the gym.
The company has also hired a new principal, curriculum specialist and social workers “right off the bat” and filled 47 of 72 open positions, Ruiz said.
Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. and state board members pressed Ruiz for a contingency plan in case some positions remain unfilled when school starts Aug. 10. On its website, the school touts a $12,000 salary premium for new teachers compared to the surrounding school district.
“People are coming from all over the state and from nearby states to be a part of the changes happening at Warrington Prep,” Ruiz said.
He added that the company immediately reached out to parents to let them know about the new school, which will house grades six through eight this year and later be converted to serve students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
“There was a lot of confusion as to what had happened,” Ruiz said. He said they expect to have at least 660 students when classes resume.
State board members praised Ruiz and the company’s efforts so far but expressed a desire to continue monitoring the situation closely. They asked for another update in October and indicated they would be watching with interest when the school reports students’ fall and winter progress monitoring test results.
Board member Ryan Petty called the update “fantastic news” and recalled the concern he felt during a fact-finding visit to Warrington Middle School.
“I cannot get those images out of my head,” he said. “(Students) deserve better than they were receiving at that point.”
When the doors of the former Warrington Middle School open in August, students will enter a new School of Hope.
Members of the State Board of Education unanimously approved Renaissance Charter School’s application to be a School of Hope operator in Escambia County, the westernmost county of the Florida Panhandle. Renaissance, a non-profit organization, is managed by Charter Schools USA, a for-profit company based in Fort Lauderdale that serves 100 charter schools across the United States.
The approval came a week after the Escambia County School Board approved a contract with Charter Schools USA and Renaissance to take over operations at Warrington Middle School, which has struggled academically for more than a decade and has not received a state grade higher than a D during that time.
The designation, allowed by a law passed in 2017, includes several conditions that allow charter operators to be named Schools of Hope. Those include charter schools that are approved to take over struggling district schools that are in the state turnaround process. It also gives the charter operators access to additional state funding.
The most recent designation in this category was granted to Somerset Academy, Inc., which took over the Jefferson County School District in 2017 after the district’s long string of failing state grades. After its five-year contract ended, Somerset turned the schools back over to district officials.
“This is not just a name; it’s just not a designation with bragging rights,” said Adam Emerson executive director of the Florida department of Education’s Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice. “It also does come with some significant resources, startup resources, that can get help get them off the ground for a successful start this fall because the first day of school is only a few months away.”
Emerson said the state education department would take an active role in helping Renaissance Charter School as it reopens the former Warrington Middle campus and will provide updates at each monthly state Board of Education meeting.
“This has been the bane of our existence for quite some time,” board member Monesia Brown said. She pointed out that the district’s messaging during the contract negotiation process had been primarily negative and asked that future communications from the state reassure parents that “this is an investment to make sure their children get the quality of education they deserve.”
The approval of the contract between the Escambia County School District and Charter Schools USA marked the end of two months of tense negotiations over the school’s future enrollment policies, fees and long-term lease issues.
District leaders also faced the wrath of state officials and board members who criticized them for failing to make progress in reaching an agreement with the charter organization.
In a surprise move shortly after voting to approve the contract, the Escambia County School Board fired the superintendent.
Emerson said now that the contract has been signed, the community is coming together, and that a recent meeting “struck a collaborative tone to move forward.”
Broward: The school board here chose three external candidates as finalists for the superintendent position. Of the seven semifinalists, the board advanced Peter Licata, Sito Narcisse and Luis Solano. Internal candidate Valeria Wanza was not included in the board's picks. Miami Herald.
Brevard: Three poetry collections were the first books to be officially barred for the next eight years from the shelves of Brevard Public Schools libraries and classrooms. More books may be joining their ranks later this summer. The book committee is comprised of five board-appointed members. Florida Today.
Sarasota: The school board here ranked Terrence Connor, an administrator for Hillsborough County schools, as its top choice to be the district's next superintendent. Search firm representatives from McPherson & Jacobson presented six short-list candidates to School Board members. The Board narrowed their ranking to four candidates: Connor, Josiah Phillips, Charles Van Zant and Allison Foster, the current interim administrator. The board will conduct private interviews with each of the four candidates this week and meet again on Monday morning for a public workshop. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Daily Sun.
Pinellas: A former legislative staffer for Chris Latvala has filed to run for the Pinellas County School Board seat held by Carol Cook, who hasn't decided whether to run for reelection after having served on the board since 2000. Katie Blaxberg of Clearwater has worked as a teacher and real estate agent in addition to working for Latvala. Tampa Bay Times.
Escambia: Conditions considered alarming inside Warrington Middle School are proving how challenging it will be for Charter Schools USA to revamp the campus in a matter of months. Dr. Eddie Ruiz, who oversees all 65 Florida schools under Charter Schools USA, says the current conditions are unacceptable. The first steps: Hiring a principal and qualified teachers. WEAR.
Citrus: The Historic Hernando School recently received a historic marker dedication that was provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution Fort Cooper chapter. The school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, and is the oldest historic public building in Hernando, Florida. The land on which the building stands was obtained through a U.S. government land grant that was awarded to Edward Croft in 1885. Citrus County Chronicle.
COVID class: Some have called the current graduation classes of seniors the "class of COVID" since they were freshmen when the pandemic began and were seniors when the public health emergency formally ended in May. The pandemic brought unprecedented upheaval, dominating their high school experiences. Orlando Sentinel.
State study: Hot-button topics were not included on the state's news voluntary health survey for teens. The Florida-specific youth survey, or FSYS, replaced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's youth risk behavior survey, or YRBS. The YRBS is a bi-annual voluntary student questionnaire that has been used to chart and compare risky behaviors among U.S. teens. Last year, Manny Diaz, the state's education commissioner, asked school districts to stop participating in the CDC survey. Now, with the help of researchers from the University of South Florida, Florida’s Department of Education (FDOE) put together its own youth survey. ABC Action News.
Free meals: More states are lined up to serve free school meals to children. New York is one of many states where legislators are trying to make school breakfasts and lunches available to some — if not all — students, at no charge. Six states recently implemented state-sponsored universal free meal programs in schools, which are California, Colorado, Main, Massachusetts, Nevada and Vermont. About 20 states have considered bills this year that would make free school meals permanent, the Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center reports. During the pandemic, the federal government paid to make school breakfasts and lunches free for all students. Orlando Sentinel. Meanwhile, in Bay County, summertime for some kids means not knowing where they will get their next meal. That prompted school officials to offer two meals a day for anyone under 18. “They must go through the front office with their guardian or parent and they must eat on-site,” said Bay District School’s Community Engagement Specialist Stephanie Werchan. “Otherwise, they are welcome to come through, get a healthy meal, and not go hungry over the summer.” WMBB.
Theatre list: The Educational Theatre Association released its top 10 lists of plays and musicals performed in high schools during the 2022-2023 school year. More than 2,300 private and public high school teachers across the United States participated. NPR.
University and college news: A potential class action lawsuit that alleges state discrimination against Florida A&M University, a historically Black public university, is moving forward. The six plaintiffs, who are students, argue that the state has failed to meet its funding obligations to FAMU, and has maintained a "segregated system of higher education." WUSF. An attempt by Bethune-Cookman University to obtain an order that would force its former alumni association to stop using the name of the school's founder was rejected by an appeals court recently. The dispute was part of a larger lawsuit that the university brought against the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune National Alumni Association, formerly known as the National Alumni Association of Bethune-Cookman University. The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Opinions on schools: Experts recommend equipping students with essential knowledge and skills to address mental health in the classroom and to mitigate increased rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts among young people. Schools have yet to adapt to this reality by creating spaces in the classroom to discuss mental health and wellness. Alison Malmon, The 74th.
With the clock ticking on a state-imposed 48-hour deadline and the threat of withheld salaries hanging over their heads, Escambia County School Board members on Tuesday approved a contract with a charter school operator to take over a struggling middle school.
Board members voted 4 to 1 in favor of the contract, which allows Charter Schools USA to assume operations in the upcoming school year at Warrington Middle School, which has never received a state grade higher than a D for the past decade.
Board members who voted in favor of the measure were clear they did so reluctantly.
“I really hurt today,” board member Patty Hightower said. “We have never equivocated on the fact that we have never been successful at Warrington Middle School. But it’s not because of the people who work there. The people have given their blood, sweat and tears to work with these students. It’s not because they didn’t try. It’s not because they are incompetent.”
However, she added, “Charter schools are public schools. Some of the things they are asking for in this agreement are normal charter school requests. I’m willing to give Charter Schools USA a chance, and so I will be voting to support the agreement.”
The other three board members who voted with her said they thought they had no choice given the state’s ultimatum and that it was better than closing the school and busing all the students to other middle schools.
“This is the best thing at the moment for the students in the Warrington zone,” board member Bill Slayton said. “We’ve been given 48 hours; that’s why I’m saying let’s give it to them. We have tried for 10 years or longer.”
The Escambia County School Board vote followed a contentious conference call earlier in the day of the state Board of Education, in which members leveled harsh criticism at the Escambia County district leadership. State board members voted unanimously in favor of Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr.’s recommendations, which were the following if the district failed to sign an agreement with Charter Schools USA within 48 hours.
Report the school district to the Florida Legislature for failing to comply with state law.
Withhold funding to the district equal to the salaries of the superintendent and school board members.
Require the district to provide the state Department of Education with daily progress reports on its negotiations with Charter Schools USA.
“You’ve been failing the children of Warrington Middle School for the past decade,” Diaz told Escambia School Superintendent Tim Smith and School Board Chairman Paul Fetsko, who represented the district on the call.
Diaz said he found the district’s recalcitrance in correcting the situation “shocking” that district had yet to reach an agreement with Charter Schools USA, which it chose last year to take over Warrington Middle School. “This is not a new issue.”
State board Vice Chairman Ryan Petty accused the school district leaders of being “incompetent and completely disingenuous” in their handling of the matter.
“It’s been well over a year, and while I understand there were critical issues during the negotiations, you have had over a year to get these things resolved, and you come in here telling us just now that in the last couple of days you’ve been unable to resolve this,” Petty said.
Smith said the district board held an emergency meeting Friday but did not receive any response from Charter Schools USA about its counteroffer until later in the day. He said there had been some confusion as to whether Warrington students would be guaranteed seats at the charter school. Charter Schools USA said in its counteroffer on May 5 that 200 students from the Warrington zone in sixth through eighth grades would be guaranteed seats when the charter opened this year.
School officials had said throughout the negotiation process that their biggest concern was that students living in the Warrington zone would have a neighborhood middle school.
Warrington Middle first entered the state’s turnaround process in 2012 under a district-managed plan. However, when test scores did not improve, the state gave the district until 2020-21 for Warrington to reach a state grade of at least a C. During that year, the state allowed schools to forgo reporting test scores because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the district did report scores in 2021-22, Warrington Middle remained at a D. The state board then ordered the district turn it over to a charter company by May 1. You can see a complete history and update of its turnaround plan here.
District officials began negotiating in November with Charter Schools USA, which serves 75,000 students in five states. The 26-year-old charter school operator was the only organization to express interest in taking over the Title 1 school, where 80% to 90% of its approximately 600 students live below the federal poverty line.
The parties appeared to be headed toward a May 1 deadline to forge an agreement. However, negotiations hit a snag when district leaders said at an April 13 school board meeting that Charter Schools USA had sent a list of conditions for it to make a long-term commitment to the school. Those included the charter company becoming a K-12 charter with open enrollment by 2026-27.
Other points of conflict had been the charter company’s request for 100% of the district’s 1.5 mil local taxes for capital projects and the district’s request that the charter school pay the district a 5% administrative fee; the charter company said they should not have to pay the fee.
On Tuesday night, Fetsko expressed his feelings about Diaz, the state Board of Education and Charter School USA.
“I have great disdain for the business practices of Charter Schools USA,” he said. “The commissioner showed himself to be a very unreasonable man. State board members showed themselves to be nothing but a bunch of magpies reporting what they’ve been told to say. At one time I had great respect for the Department of Education. That has changed.”
Though Fetsko said he would vote for the contract, he said the district should find a way to way to “make sure this never happens again.”
“Build a system of K-8 or something to cause our students to stay with us, to not choice into a charter and not leave what’s going on and show we can educate our own and we don’t need somebody being pushed upon us.”
Shortly after the vote to approve the contract with Charter Schools USA, the school board voted 3-2 to fire the superintendent, citing resignations, staff shortages, and a lack of communication regarding the contract with Charter Schools USA. Smith’s contract ends May 31. The board appointed an assistant superintendent as interim.
