Charter School Report: Some Pass, Some Fail

By RONNIE BLAIR The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jul 5, 2007

LAND - O' LAKES - The charter school movement swept into Florida more than a decade ago, hailed by its proponents as a public school alternative that would add a boost of innovation to the state's education system.

Opponents, meanwhile, fretted that many charter schools would be built on a flimsy financial foundation that could lead to them closing, and that because the schools can sidestep some state rules, they would lack proper accountability.

So far, the charter school experience in the Tampa Bay area and elsewhere in the state indicates both sides were right.

"You see success stories, but also you see failures," said state Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, who helped start a charter school seven years ago in Pasco County. "We are trying to adjust the system to minimize the failures."

Charter schools are public schools funded by taxpayers but operated by private individuals, organizations or other public entities. They are free from government regulations other than testing, health and safety requirements.

Florida had 356 charter schools in 2006-07. They served more than 98,000 students, including 3,500 in Hillsborough County and 1,100 in Pasco.

By some measures, charter school students aren't much different from those in traditional schools, according to a November report by the Florida Department of Education.

For both, the male-female makeup was almost even as of 2006. Also, minorities made up 57 percent of the charter school population and 52 percent for traditional schools.

Charter school students are somewhat better off financially. About 47 percent of students in traditional public schools qualify for free or reduced-price meals, compared with 38 percent in charters.

Charter advocates say which type of school is better depends on a student's need.

"It all has to do with individual children and what you think their strengths and weaknesses are," said Jenna Hodgens, the district resource teacher for charter schools in Hillsborough and the parent of a charter school student.

Good Intentions, Varied Results

Not every charter school works out the way the founders envision.

In the first 10 years of charters in Florida - 1996 to 2006 - 78 shut down, according to the Department of Education report.

The report listed failing grades as one reason, but school administrators, lawmakers and school district officials say the success of a charter school often is less about academics than it is about management.

"A lot of very well-intentioned, good-hearted people start going down the track of charter schools because they believe in charter schools," Legg said. "Most people don't realize the business aspect of it."

Hodgens agreed finances often are the primary cause, but Hillsborough also has closed a few schools because student achievement didn't meet expectations. The school board terminated its charters with Central City Elementary School of Tampa and Richard Milburn Academy in the summer of 2006.

"We've seen more of the academic issues," Hodgens said.

For the most part, though, Hillsborough charter schools are performing well, Hodgens said. The county has 22, with three more set to open in 2007-08 school year.

Pinellas County has six and expects a seventh to open in August 2008.

Pasco County has four charter schools, after two shut their doors as the 2006-07 academic year ended.

The school closings capped a turbulent year in Pasco. Superintendent Heather Fiorentino criticized several schools for playing fast and loose with their contracts.

She said the schools increased their enrollment numbers and changed the scope of their charters without school board approval.

Pasco has been home to seven charters since the first one opened in 2000, and it can be seen as a microcosm of the movement's successes and failures.

Three of those schools - Deerwood Academy, The Language Academy and Richard Milburn Academy - have closed.

Three others - Dayspring Academy, Academy at the Farm and Countryside Montessori Charter School - earn mostly positive reviews from the school district. All three received A's last week when the state issued its annual school report card.

Pasco's seventh charter school - Athenian Academy of Pasco - just completed its first year. The school draws praise from most parents but also was one that incurred Fiorentino's wrath for not following its contract.

If school districts report mixed views of charter schools, the same can be said for the way the schools view the districts.

Suzanne Chase, Legg's wife and the administrator of Dayspring Academy, the charter school they helped found in Pasco, said her school has enjoyed an amicable relationship with Pasco.

"Whoever has been the supervisor of charter schools has helped us and been a resource," she said.

Richard Milburn Academy's chairman, Richard Munnelly, was less complimentary in a letter to the district in March announcing that the Massachusetts-based company's Pasco school would close.

"RMA finds it increasingly difficult and nearly impossible to operate an alternative charter high school in Pasco County where the relationship with the district is more punitive and adversarial than collaborative and supportive," Munnelly wrote.

The Pasco County School Board also drew complaints from parents and teachers at The Language Academy, who questioned whether the board truly supported charters and had done enough to help the financially troubled school.

Failed School Leaves Bitter Taste

Board Chairwoman Marge Whaley agreed that, to some parents, the board may appear antagonistic toward charter schools. She said that's not the case.

"I am not opposed to charter schools," Whaley said. "I am opposed to mismanagement of charter schools."

In August, an auditor declared The Language Academy to be in a state of financial emergency because of a $156,000 deficit.

For some district officials and school board members, it was reminiscent of Deerwood Academy, which closed in 2003 because of financial problems and low enrollment.

In the case of Deerwood, though, a former employee was charged with stealing more than $80,000 from the school.

The Pasco school board's approach to charter schools changed after Deerwood.

Board members asked more questions of charter applicants. District staff scoured charter school proposals for potential pitfalls.

"Deerwood left a very nasty taste in our mouths," Whaley said.

She said charter school problems elsewhere in the state probably would have caused the Pasco board to become more circumspect of applicants anyway, though.

Chase said she can't blame school boards for carefully vetting applications.

"I think it's wise of the school board to say, 'Are you ready?' when a charter school applies," she said.

More Charters Expected

For the past decade, school boards have provided the primary oversight for charter schools and were the only governmental bodies that could contract with a charter.

Last year, though, the Legislature created an independent statewide commission that can sponsor charter schools and authorize municipalities, state universities, community colleges and other entities as co-sponsors.

Not all school boards want to share or give up their authority. The legislation allows the boards to retain sole authority, and Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas are among more than 40 districts that have sought to do so.

The state Board of Education hasn't decided whether it will honor their requests.

Whaley said handing over responsibility to the commission would be the easy way out.

"And it's tempting," she said.

Pasco board members, though, considered how much time and effort their district staff spends monitoring a handful of charter schools.

Multiply that by all the counties in Florida, and the school board was unconvinced the commission could provide proper supervision.

"We don't think the state is going to hire enough people to manage charter schools," Whaley said.

Despite the occasional misfire, the charter school movement appears well entrenched in Florida.

"I still remain cautiously optimistic when a charter school comes to us," Whaley said. "I'm willing to listen."

Legg said he expects the number of charter schools will continue to grow incrementally as they respond to needs traditional public schools aren't addressing.

"Charter schools would not exist if parents did not want to send their children there," he said.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.