Academies of America was rejected again last week in its effort to open two charter schools in Hernando County.
With an 8-1 vote, the state Charter School Appeals Commission refused to overturn the School Board's decision denying the Ormond Beach-based company charters for a middle school and elementary school in Spring Hill, School Board chairwoman Sandra Nicholson said Monday.
The commission agreed with local officials, Nicholson said, that the company lacked sufficient community involvement and support in its applications. The company applied to open 10 schools in five Tampa-area counties, using the same basic information for each, and was turned down in all of them.
"They were very reasonable and understood our concerns," Nicholson said of the appeals commission.
Still ahead is the State Board of Education's review of the appeal. That meeting is set for this month.
