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Donations rescue academy, for now

By GINA PACE
Published December 20, 2006

LAND O'LAKES - In a dramatic last-ditch effort to keep the Language Academy's doors open, several anonymous donors provided $37,500 to keep the charter school afloat, school officials told the Pasco County School Board.

The financially troubled school faced a Jan. 1 closure. Instead, the School Board voted Tuesday to give the school until Jan. 16 to prove the money was in the bank and consisted of gifts, not loans.

The School Board had voted Oct. 3 to terminate the school's charter. But board members heard an appeal in November, and district officials have given the Language Academy multiple chances and extensions to come up with a plan for financial solvency.

The district staff had recommended last week that the school be shut down, noting the school faced a $36,000 shortage by year's end. The Language Academy also owes $137,600 to private collectors. Earlier this month, it repaid the $35,000 it owed the school district, which had overpaid the charter school based on an assumption that it had more students.

Sandra Ramos, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, told the board that the donations would not solve the Language Academy's financial problems but would let it keep the doors open longer.

"These plans seem to be made out of desperation at times," Ramos said. "The rollercoaster ride for students, parents, teachers and the school district must stop."

A student and numerous parents urged the board to give the school another chance.

The extension to Jan. 16 "will make a world of difference in our children's lives," said Diana DeVore Wildman, whose son, Daine, attends the school. "You have to realize you are talking about 85 kids being displaced in January."

Board Chairwoman Marge Whaley told the school's supporters that although it would be difficult to displace students, the district would need to be assured that the school would not operate at a loss.

"We cannot rule with our heart," she said. "We must rule within the Florida statutes."

Mark Stitt, president of the charter school's board, said he was confident the school would be able to satisfy the concerns.

"The money is there today," he said. "We just need to provide documentation."

In other news Tuesday

The School Board:

- Gave itself a 4 percent raise. The Florida School Boards Association recommended the raise. Lynne Webb, the president of the United School Employees of Pasco, argued School Board salaries should be frozen until they are the same as those of first-year teachers, who earn $35,300 a year. The board members' new salaries are $37,516. Newly elected board members Frank Parker and Allen Altman voted against it.

- Approved a merit pay plan. Pasco will participate in the state's merit pay plan for teachers, which would provide bonuses for the top quarter of Pasco teachers. The rewards, which are 5 percent of a teacher's salary, would be tied to student performance on standardized tests. The state has given Pasco County about $3.5-million to distribute for the Special Teachers Are Rewarded plan.

- Discussed state goals. State Rep. John Legg met with School Board members and the district staff to discuss 33 education goals from the state House of Representatives. Among the goals are to increase foreign language instruction in elementary schools, administer the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test later in the school year and increase career education training.

[Last modified December 20, 2006, 06:40:45]