Pasco: A charter first for Pasco

A charter first for Pasco

Teachers and parents - even homeschooling advocates - welcome the change Pasco's first charter school offers.

By KENT FISCHER

NEW PORT RICHEY -- Dozens of children lined up in the parking lot, nervously clutching their lunch boxes as their parents hovered nearby, snapping pictures and chatting excitedly.

Inside Dayspring Academy, Suzanne Chase made one last pass down the hall, asking teachers, "Are you ready, troops?"

A moment later the children filed through the door Monday morning and became the inaugural students of Pasco County's first charter school.

"Pasco is ready," said Chase, the school's principal and one of its chief organizers. "We saw an opportunity and realized this is the time to do it."

Charter schools are publicly financed, non-profit schools run by private groups under the auspices of local school boards. Charter schools receive the same per-pupil funding that traditional schools do, but local school boards have little say over their curriculum and teaching practices. There were 112 charter schools in Florida last school year enrolling about 25,000 students.

Dayspring has enrolled 132 students and is renting classroom space from the Cavalry Worship Center on Trouble Creek Road, although the school's three-year contract with the school district mandates that the school be non-sectarian.

In many ways, Dayspring's opening day was just like those of traditional public schools. Parents recorded the event with their cameras and camcorders, while children lugged backpacks and bookbags full of school supplies.

Unlike their other public school peers, the Dayspring students were clad in uniforms: white shirts, navy shorts and jumpers. Dayspring teachers and organizers also realize that, as the county's first charter school, the School Board, local media and others will be scrutinizing their progress this year.

"We've planned as best we could, but our success this year will probably come down to how flexible we can be as problems crop up," said John Legg, president of the school's board of directors.

Dayspring will emphasize the fine arts, offering students specialized instruction in dance, music and art. The school is planning theatrical productions, and its organizers have said they hope to build ties with Richey Suncoast Theatre, Ruth Eckerd Hall and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

For years, parents John and Angela Thurston had homeschooled their daughter, Amanda Johnson. On Monday, Amanda, a third-grader, joined the ranks of 45,000 other Pasco children attending public school, albeit in a slightly different environment than most others.

"I'm nervous because she's a very forward child," Angela Thurston said. "It will be interesting to see how she interacts with the other kids."

Like many of the families with children at Dayspring, the Thurstons heard about the school at Calvary Worship Center, where they attend church. They added that there is a strong contingent of students at Dayspring who had previously been homeschooled.

According to school district records, at least 50 of Dayspring's students have never attended a Pasco public school.

"We're just so excited," said parent Mona Giordano, who also attends church at Calvary Worship Center. Her son, 8-year-old Christopher, attended a local Christian school last year. "There's something extra in the air today."

Dayspring employs six full-time classroom teachers, five of whom taught in Pasco schools last year. Part-time teachers for music, art, gym and violin round out the faculty, which includes several teaching assistants.

Dayspring will receive about $590,000 from the school district this year to operate the school, which has one class of students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The school may add a sixth-grade class next year, said Chase, who used to run Calvary's choral program.

Third-grade teacher Gayle Barr came to Dayspring from Fox Hollow Elementary, where she taught special education. She said she is looking forward to smaller classes, as she will have 23 students this year, compared with the 28 she had at Fox Hollow last year.

"I felt that I just didn't have the time to teach the kids" last year, said Barr, who attends services at Calvary Worship Center. She also said that she hopes the school's curriculum will help teachers "build the morals and skills children need for life."

For years, parent Bill Strayer homeschooled his oldest daughter, Katie, 8. As he videotaped Katie's first day of public school, Strayer said he's enthusiastic about the 20 hours a year Dayspring requires its parents to volunteer at the school. He added that Katie is eager to learn how to play the piano.

"I think all the school systems are great -- public schools, private schools, home schools -- but charter schools offer you a different selection," Strayer said. "But here, they're going to have smaller classes and lots more hands-on activities. And we like the arts, too."

- Staff writer Kent Fischer covers education in Pasco County. He can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6241 or (800) 333-7505, ext. 6241. His e-mail address is kfischer@sptimes.com.