Sarasota School Board denies for-profit charter application for school near Wellen Park

Amid chants from protesters outside, the Sarasota County School Board unanimously denied a plan for a new for-profit charter school at its meeting Tuesday.

With the vote, the for-profit College Preparatory Academy at Wellen Park will not move forward. Charter Schools USA, the Fort Lauderdale-based company responsible for the application, now has the option to appeal the board's decision to the Florida State Board of Education.

The application narrowly met the standards set by the state, according to the district's review. However, School Board members expressed concerns about the school's for-profit status, its ability to meet the district's academic expectations, as well as that it would be redundant with the district's plans to build a school in Wellen Park.

"This is not the caliber of school that belongs in our district," board member Tom Edwards said. "We've heard from our community pretty resoundingly."

During public comment, most speakers mentioned the for-profit charter school application – and almost all asked for the board to vote to deny it.

"It is incumbent upon this board to represent the interests of the citizens here, our tax dollars and appropriate oversight, to deny this application," Cathy Antunes said. "Our governor has put in place a panel to circumvent your board, and that's wrong."

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Starting July 1 under a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the charter school application process will be removed from district hands and given to the state.

Before the meeting, a protest of about 20 people outside the district building included signs that read "Kids first, not profits" and "Corporate charter schools suck our public school tax dollars." Organized by Support our Schools, protesters were encouraged to wear red shirts.

Paulina Testerman, the 45-year-old outreach coordinator for Support our Schools, said for-profit charter schools don't have the best interests of students in mind.

"We are losing millions of dollars to charter schools that are not meeting the needs of our students," she said. "I think that when (parents) realize the amenities, the qualifications that these charter schools are skipping for their students, they would understand better that traditional public school is a better choice."

The board has already moved forward with plans to build its own school in Wellen Park. The $120 million high school is expected to be completed by the 2026-27 school year and will hold 2,000 students. Construction is set to begin in 2023-24.

Board member Bridget Ziegler said she was worried about the academics of the proposed charter school, as well as the redundancy of building another school  in the Wellen Park area.

"I'm pro-school choice," Ziegler said. "That's not to mean I'm all-in for every single charter school. It's just I want options that make sense."

Shirley Brown, who represents District 4, said one factor in her decision to vote against the application came down to transparency and accountability. She also said the charter school's proposed budget left much to be desired, in regard to how it handled student transportation.

"I really have concerns about how responsible they will be to the parents of the students ... let alone to the public that is funding them, our taxpayers, or us, the board," Brown said.

Board members also raised questions surrounding financial liability if the school were to fail. The district could have found itself responsible for the charter school's property and debt, according to the board's attorney.

If Charter Schools USA were to appeal the board's decision and win, the district would be responsible for paying the company's legal fees, which according to the attorney could total $500,000.

The charter school planned to have 615 K-8 students in its first year, and was projected to have 765 students by its fifth year, according to the district's final review. Board members expressed concern that opening a charter school so close to another new school would set it up to fail.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota School Board denies for-profit charter school application