The same Suncoast lawmakers who voted earlier this year to let charter schools move into underused public campuses have stayed quiet as a Miami-based charter operator’s early push to occupy local schools set off confusion and concern among parents and educators.
Mater Academy, one of Florida’s largest charter school networks, filed notices last week to co-locate inside five Sarasota and Manatee county schools — part of a broader wave of early filings across the state that districts say were submitted prematurely. According to officials, charter operators must wait until Nov. 11 to submit a notice.
The filings were made under Florida’s “Schools of Hope” law, which allows charter operators to move into existing public schools with unused space, regardless of academic performance. When that happens, districts must continue paying for utilities, busing, custodial services and even meals for the new charter students — all at no cost to the charter operator.
Suncoast Searchlight first reached out Friday to state legislators from Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties, continuing to call, text and email them and their aides through publication time this week. But nearly all either failed to return messages or declined to answer questions about the measure or its local implications.
Those who did respond offered little clarity.
State Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, said he’s heard from worried constituents but hasn’t yet met with district leaders to discuss the issue. “If there’s capacity and it’s under utilized — and another public [charter] school wants to move in — it’s something worth exploring,” he said. “I haven’t had a chance to dive into it yet.”
State Rep. Bill Conerly, R-Manatee, said he didn’t recall explicit debate about the provision during the legislative session but supports its intent. After learning of the recent filings, he reached out to Manatee County School Board Chair Chad Chote III for guidance. Conerly said Chote wasn’t opposed to the law but raised logistical questions about shared resources such as cafeterias and school resource officers. “It seems to me like the devil’s in the details,” Conerly said. “A lot of the details hadn’t been contemplated yet.”
The offices of State Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, and state Reps. Danny Nix Jr., R-Port Charlotte and Vanessa Oliver, R-Punta Gorda, responded to Suncoast Searchlight but said the legislators could not comment before deadline.
State Rep. James Buchanan, R-Osprey and state Sen. President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
State Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, also did not respond to repeated requests for comments but previously told Suncoast Searchlight that she had talked to Sarasota School Board Member Tom Edwards about his concerns with the Schools of Hope legislation and that she would try to do the best for her constituents.
State Rep. Will Robinson Jr., R-Bradenton, declined to comment.
David Cuillier, director of the Brechner Center for the Advancement of the First Amendment at the University of Florida, said the lawmakers lack of responses revealed a deficiency in their accountability and that voters should take note.
“It’s not a legal obligation, but it is a moral obligation,” Cuillier said. “It’s incumbent upon our elected officials to talk to us and to tell us why they decided the things they did.”
‘We’re trying something unconventional’
At least eight school districts throughout Florida received the premature notices last week from Mater Academy seeking to co-locate at nearly 100 public schools. In Sarasota, those schools are Emma E. Booker Elementary, Brookside Middle and Oak Park School, a K-12 campus for students with disabilities. In Manatee, the schools are Lincoln Memorial Middle and the Sara Scott Harllee Center, which hosts alternative school district programs.
Upon receipt of the official notices, school districts have 20 calendar days to respond. They can object to the filings based on “material impracticability” and suggest other underused facilities, however, the charter schools do not have to accept the suggestions.
A Suncoast Searchlight review showed a rapidly declining enrollment rate over the past decade at each of the schools selected by Mater Academy.
Conerly said he didn’t believe additional legislative action would be necessary to iron out details with charter schools co-locating inside existing county schools. The lawmaker pointed to expectations that charter schools would create competition in public education that will result in better options for his district's students.
“I feel like we're trying something that's unconventional, and I think that might be causing some of the consternation with some of those school board folks,” he said. “There's uncertainty associated with it, and I think if we focus on the fact that we're trying to provide the best opportunities for the students, that's very important.”
Mater Academy, a nonprofit charter founded in 1998, is linked to Academica, a major for-profit charter management company that works with more than 200 charter schools around the country, according to state business filings and information on Academica’s website.
Earlier this year, lawmakers introduced a bill that would have required surtax revenue shared with school districts to be redirected to charter schools, including Schools of Hope. The bill passed in the House, with only Democrats voting against it, according to Florida Politics.
However, the Senate declined to take up the bill as part of an education package. It was then kicked back to the House to be reworked. Failing to reach a budget deal, the bill was withdrawn from consideration on May 3 before the scheduled end of session.
Lawmakers were forced into an extended session to hash out the budget, where funding for the charter school measure was passed alongside the state education budget.
The House and Senate both proposed funding the program with non-recurring general revenue.
Florida Republicans have steered at least $320 million toward Schools of Hope since 2017 with the intention of enticing charters to open near struggling traditional public schools, according to POLITICO.
State lawmakers allocated $6 million dollars on Schools of Hope for the current year after not adding funds the last two sessions. POLITICO reported that the Florida Department of Education is asking the Legislature to kick in another $20 million for the program next year in a recent budget request.
Suncoast Searchlight reporters Alice Herman and Josh Salman contributed to this story.
This story was produced by Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom of the Community News Collaborative serving Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.
