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Panel supports charter school
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer
When the Hernando County School Board rejected his charter school proposal in January, applicant Nevin Seifert made a bold prediction. "Tallahassee is going to cram it down their throat," Seifert said, "because they've made some outlandish requests that no public schools require." On Wednesday, the state Charter School Appeals Commission -- a new panel of five charter school officials and five school district officials -- unanimously agreed. "The appeals commission was not able to find any good-cause reason for denial," said Alex Penn Williams, executive director of the state Department of Education's independent education division. The applicants had "good evidence" to refute each reason for denial offered by the School Board, Williams said. So the commission recommended that the state Board of Education overturn the local board action and approve Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology as Hernando County's first charter school. If the state Board of Education follows the commission's recommendation when it meets March 18, the local School Board will have no recourse. It would have to allow the charter school to operate, despite its concerns that the school lacks an adequate financial plan. The school boards in Lake and Osceola counties face a similar situation: The commission also recommended overturning their charter school decisions. This is a new frontier for charter school governance. In the past, the state board rulings were not binding. Most districts took the advice anyway, said Cathy Wooley-Brown, executive director of the Florida Charter School Resource Center at the University of South Florida. "Then there were a number that didn't," Wooley-Brown said, naming Polk and Duval counties as examples. State education leaders did not want to waste the time and effort they put into their reviews, she said. So they asked for and received the power to make their decisions final. Without the check and balance, Wooley-Brown said, "it would just kill the whole movement." Statutes give charter schools broad leeway to operate outside many of the restrictions that are placed on the mainstream school system. They must, however, meet state and local health, safety and civil rights requirements. They also must achieve education standards set by the state. Hernando School Board members worried about the erosion of local control. "I'm not crazy about them doing it as a rule, over-ruling our decisions," board member Robert Wiggins said. "It's not a trend I think is good." Sarasota County school officials, who fought for and won backing of their charter denial to the Ranch School Inc., shared that sentiment. "We believe that they still should be local decisions," district spokeswoman Sheila Weiss said. But when it comes to charter schools, Wiggins seemed willing to make an exception. He and Jim Malcolm voted to approve the Gulf Coast Academy, a specialty middle school for about 100 students to be located in Spring Hill. "I think school boards view them as competition," Wiggins said. "They look at the lost money. I think charter schools are a state initiative, not a county initiative, so the state has the right to review if a charter school is going to meet the state guidelines." Even those who opposed the Gulf Coast Academy pledged to help Seifert and his business partner, Joe Gatti. They did not expect the state Board of Education to overturn a unanimous appeals commission recommendation. "I still have the concerns that, financially, some of the things they were looking at might not work," board Chairman John Druzbick said. "Obviously, the appeals board feels they can. So we go on with it. I'm not against charter schools. I want it to work. That's the main thing." Superintendent Wendy Tellone, who recommended the School Board deny the charter, said her staff will assist the charter school in its financial planning and in other areas. "I feel very strongly that we're going to work very professionally," Tellone said. "We're going to try to make this a success with them." Support from the district will be key, said Vickie Marble, director of advocacy and strategic partnerships for the Florida Consortium of Charter Schools. Past disputes about the proposal must be set aside, she said. "It's just a Herculean task to get a charter school open as a mom and pop," said Marble, who helped create and run three charter schools in Manatee County. "I hope they get all the assistance they need." Gatti and Seifert were traveling from Tallahassee to Hernando County and could not be reached for comment. -- Jeffrey S. Solochek covers education in Hernando County and can be reached at 754-6115. Send e-mail to solochek@sptimes.com
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