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Board offers support for science academy
By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer INVERNESS -- The School Board unanimously reaffirmed its support for the Academy of Environmental Science this week. But significant questions about the charter school's future autonomy remain. The charter school's board, staff and students on Tuesday told the School Board about their accomplishments and their hopes for a successful renewal of their charter contract. But they did not negotiate with the board about unresolved contract issues. Instead, academy board President Bob Gill reaffirmed his board's position that it is solely responsible for operations of the academy. "What we are not is another district high school," he said. He referred school officials to the state's charter school laws, noting all the language that exempts charters from following most school district rules and sets the authority for decision making in the hands of the charter school's board. Gill said his board hopes to make sure the new five-year agreement with the district complies with the letter of that state law. Early this month, the academy board met to discuss changes in the contract language proposed by the school district. Members adamantly opposed the suggested changes that gave more authority and control to the school system. Specifically, they did not want the district to choose or evaluate their employees. They also wanted to be clear that the charter agreement was established with the School Board and not the school district. The school opened three years ago and provides intensive, hands-on science and English instruction for sophomores, juniors and seniors from the county's three high schools. The students attend their own school half a year and the academy half a year. The operation went along fairly smoothly until Pat Purcell retired in January as supervisor of the Marine Science Station, another environmental education program run by the district across the street from the academy. School officials decided to change the job description for the supervisor at the Marine Science Station, making that person the official overseer of the academy rather than the Crystal River High School principal who had been the supervisor. Academy Director Lisa Merritt and her board balked at the new arrangement, expressing concern that they were kept out of the loop on important information. On Tuesday, School Board attorney Richard "Spike" Fitzpatrick said he believes that, as long as the academy's teachers work for the school district, the superintendent will have to recommend them to the School Board and the district will have to supervise and evaluate them. Those are two of the large sticking points on the contract. In other activity: The board finalized pay-raise packages for teachers and blue-collar workers. Overall, each category of employees has been offered pay raise packages averaging 2 percent. Board members approved the ranking of properties for the new Renaissance Center and agreed to begin negotiating for the purchase of acreage beside the Citrus County Jail. Officials hope to relocate and expand the alternative school to the new site in Lecanto within the next three years. The board approved the 2002-03 Student Code of Conduct without significant changes from last year's version. The board has discussed changing prohibitions on possessing cell phones and contemplated removing paddling as a disciplinary alternative but those changes did not receive enough support.
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