Jefferson County schools came under the management of Somerset Academy in 2017.
TALLAHASSEE -- Three students from rural, impoverished Jefferson County on Tuesday testified before Florida’s House Education Committee about dramatic improvements at their schools since 2017, when the local district relinquished control of its traditional public schools to a charter school operator.
Prior to the historic transformation, Jefferson County had been among the state’s lowest-performing districts for about a decade. More than half its high school students had been retained in a grade at least twice. In 2016, just 7 percent of its middle schoolers scored on grade level on state math assessments compared to 26 percent in the next-lowest performing district.
In 2017, the Jefferson County School Board voted unanimously to turn over management of its lone primary and secondary schools to Somerset Academy, based in South Florida. Although the state is home to dozens of charters that were converted from traditional public schools, never before had converted charters comprised an entire school system.
Ayana Bradley, a junior at the Jefferson County K-12 high school, told lawmakers Tuesday that before turnaround efforts, students were unmotivated, as many teachers dressed unprofessionally and seemed more interested in gossiping with students than educating them.
“There was no one there for us,” she said. “We had to learn to push ourselves, and some kids didn’t know how to do that. Sometimes they just wouldn’t come to school. Somerset taught us we have a chance at life.”
She added: “We’re not just numbers, we actually mean something. Now, people believe in us – that we can become better and mean something to someone.”
Ayana is now taking dual enrollment classes through Doral College. She wants to attend the University of Central Florida and become a nurse.
The schools’ turnaround was assisted by Academica, a charter school service and support organization in Miami, and Doral College President Doug Rodriguez, who has acted as a consultant since the charter takeover.
“The district had consistently low performance and it was under oversight of the Department of Education,” Rodriguez said. “The district had shrunk in size. There should be about 1,500 students in the district. In 2016-17, there were about 715 students. It’s grown as the school became more successful.”
Rodriguez described Jefferson County as a community with many needs. All students in the district are on a free and reduced-price meal program, and many families in the area do not have their own transportation.
Changes that spurred improvement included hiring new teachers, while retaining many with 25 or more years of experience; philanthropic and logistical support from Academica; and an investment of $5.1 million from Somerset Academy – money that came from loans and grants, Rodriguez said.
“And we changed the teachers’ pay scale,” he said. “We made them among the highest-paid teachers in the state, while they had previously been among the lowest.”
Principal Cory Oliver said major renovations to the schools’ campus have been instrumental in the district’s turnaround.
Students said they wanted a culinary arts program, so a state-of-the-art cooking lab was added, as were eight new portable classrooms, an arts building, a new band room, and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) lab.
The district has begun seeing academic gains.
In 2017-18, Jefferson County’s passing rate jumped 60 percent in math for grades 3-8. No other district in Florida came close to that rate of improvement. The previous year, Jefferson County was the state’s lowest-performing district in that category.
In 2017-18, six Jefferson County high school students were taking dual enrollment classes; this year, the number has grown to nearly 40. And this year, for the first time in a decade, two seniors have been accepted to the University of Florida.
Jamal Washington, an eighth-grader, told legislators that before the charter takeover, students didn’t have educators they could talk to about personal issues.
“There was no one to share our feeling or emotions with,” said Jamal, who wants to be an air-traffic controller. “Since Somerset came, everybody’s trying to get on track and graduate with their class. I want everybody to graduate with me.”
Freshman Alexis Arnold, an aspiring pediatrician, agreed.
“It’s now a contest of who gets the highest grades,” she said. “Everybody’s paying attention in class and nobody’s skipping anymore. You don’t see as many fights.”
Responding to a question from committee vice chair Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, Oliver said the decision to allow a charter school organization to take over the district wasn’t overwhelmingly popular.
“The school district is the No. 1 employer in the county,” he said. “That community bridge is something we’ll continue to work on. But we’re building a huge network of support, so people can see the changes and growth.”
Committee chairwoman Jennifer Sullivan, R-Mt. Dora, said she was moved by the students’ testimony.
“They are why we make sacrifices to be here,” she said. “This is the fruit of the good consequences of good policies that have been passed.”
One year into a historic charter school takeover, Jefferson County, Fla. has come a long way. But it's got a long way to go.
Last year, the state approved an unprecedented turnaround effort in the high-poverty rural school district. The county's lone primary and secondary schools became Jefferson County K-12, run by the South Florida charter operator Somerset Academy. At the time, leaders cautioned it could take years to improve Florida's lowest-performing school system.
Recent results on the Florida Standards Assessment and math end-of-course exams show signs of progress — but also underscore the magnitude of the task.
Jefferson County's overall pass rate on state reading tests jumped by 25 percent from a year earlier. Only one other district, rural Liberty County, made a similar improvement.
Jefferson County improved its passing rate on the Florida Standards Assessment. Statewide passing rates remained largely flat. Source: Florida Department of Education.
Jefferson County's passing rate jumped by a whopping 60 percent in math for grades 3-8. No other district came close to that rate of improvement, but no district had as far to climb. Last year, Jefferson was Florida's lowest-performing district in this category. This year, it narrowly surpassed DeSoto County to claim the second-lowest passing rate in the state. (more…)
Florida lawmakers have mounting concerns about the finances of a rural district that recently converted its long-struggling public schools into the state's first all-charter system.
In recent weeks, state House committees have heard multiple perspectives on Somerset Academy in Jefferson County.
Community representatives said the charter network worked to earn their trust. Students said they're happy with a new culinary lab. Somerset officials highlighted the new teacher pay plan, the most generous in the state.
But there are complications. And many of them have to do with the finances of the school district, now staffed with a skeleton crew.
House Education Appropriations Chairman Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah, had representatives from Somerset and its management company, Academica, take questions at the end of a committee hearing this week.
They described a tricky transition. They said the charter schools have taken out multi-million-dollar loans while they wait for federal funds. They've poured millions of dollars into capital expenses, from technology upgrades to new buses. And they've overdrawn accounts when the district was slow to hand over state funds.
In the years leading up to the charter takeover, the Jefferson County district hemorrhaged hundreds of students and millions in funding. It went through two rounds of emergency state intervention. Several committee members asked why the district wasn't doing more to help the charter schools manage the transition. (more…)
Two Florida charter school networks are pushing to take advantage of a new state law that will give them direct control over federal education funding for their students, the state's school choice director told a House panel today.
A new state law gives more charter schools the ability authority to form "local education agencies."
Adam Miller of the Florida Department of Education told the House K-12 Innovation Subcommittee that the three Somerset Academy charter schools in Jefferson County and the Orlando-area UCP charter school network are both applying for LEA status.
The Somerset schools are leading a first-of-its-kind turnaround effort. They now run the only public schools in rural Jefferson County. The UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) schools focus on Central Florida students with special needs. (more…)
Christian Steen testifies before the Florida House Education Committee.
Christian Steen told a Florida House panel about the changes at his school this year.
Students have new uniforms. A new culinary arts program has them thinking about job skills. The new principal, Cory Oliver, has boosted morale.
"He's able to connect with the kids, and now everything is running smoothly," Steen said. "The students are more focused in class, and now there's not much skipping."
"There's still the same knuckleheads," he added with a chuckle. "But everybody else is on-point. They're focused and moving forward."
Steen is a senior at Jefferson County's only high school. Located just a half hour's drive east of the state capital, it has long been one of the highest-poverty, lowest-scoring schools in the state. Steen said, like many of his classmates, he had contemplated moving to a neighboring district or letting his mother teach him at home.
That's changed. The tiny North Florida district is in the first year of an unprecedented takeover by Somerset Academy, a charter management organization based in South Florida.
The new charters include an elementary school, a middle school and a high school. They're on a single campus. They accept all the students who live in the county, and currently enroll nearly 700 students.
Jefferson's first-of-its-kind turnaround effort got attention today from the House Education Committee. It likely won't be unique for long. A new state law overhauled the state's process for school turnarounds. Low-scoring schools have to improve more quickly before consequences kick in. Jefferson-style charter conversions are now more likely. An early batch will likely come before the state Board of Education when it meets next week in Jacksonville.
The Jefferson County School Board approved the Somerset conversion in a unanimous vote this spring. The charter school organization officially took over July 1. It re-hired many district teachers and brought in others from Georgia and Jacksonville. It drew expertise from sister charter organizations that, like Somerset, are tied to the management company Academica: Pinecrest Academy, Doral Academy and Mater Academy. (more…)
Six Florida charter schools could face closure under state letter grades released today.
State law requires charter schools to shut down if they receive consecutive F's. It creates several safe harbors for charters that target disadvantaged students. They can apply for an extra year to raise their grades if they predominantly serve children assigned to low-performing district schools, or out-perform nearby alternatives.
The six "double F" charter schools are:
Meanwhile, some charters were among the state's best performers.
The Sharing and Caring Learning School in Gainesville rose to an A. It serves low-income children of color almost exclusively, state records show.
The rural McIntosh Area School also rose to an A. It remains among the best high-poverty charters in the state.
Another top rural charter, Franklin County's ABC School, regained its A rating after slipping to C last year.
RCMA Wimauma Academy, a Hillsborough charter school that caters to children of migrant workers, raised its grade to a B and received high marks for math achievement.
This year's school grades may be watched even more closely than usual. Gov. Rick Scott signed sweeping education legislation that raises the stakes. Public schools that languish for three or more years with D or F grades will have to either close, convert to charters or become district-managed charters with independent oversight boards. (more…)
Jefferson County school board members unanimously approve charter applications by Somerset Academy.
MONTICELLO, Fla. - After a 5-0 Tuesday night vote, the Jefferson County School Board brought Florida's smallest school district into uncharted territory.
It's now poised to start negotiations with Somerset Academy, which could soon lead a conversion into Florida's first all-charter school system.
The board approved a trio of charter school applications. If contract negotiations go smoothly, Somerset will operate an elementary, middle and high school, housed on a single campus and led by a single principal.
The state is home to dozens of charters converted from traditional public schools, but converted charters have never encompassed an entire school system. Somerset and the school district will have to hash out new arrangements for expulsions, transportation and employment terms for teachers.
Douglas Rodriguez, a consultant advising Somerset, said the charter organization plans to interview current Jefferson teachers and decide by next month which ones will stay. The charter group also plans an ambitious recruiting effort across North Florida and nationwide. A promised new pay schedule could boost a current teacher's salary by nearly $10,000. Rodriguez said the plan would help draw recruits to a rural community that lies just east of the state capital and two state universities.
"We are going to make the Jefferson County teachers the highest-paid teachers in the state of Florida," he said. (more…)
A struggling rural North Florida district could soon choose one of the state's largest charter school networks to lead an unprecedented turnaround effort.
Somerset Academy is the only organization still in the running to operate Jefferson County, Fla.'s public schools. The school board is set to vote on the charter group's application Tuesday.
Depending on the local board's vote, the state Board of Education might address the issue when it meets Wednesday in Tallahassee.
Somerset is a nonprofit network associated with the management company Academica. It runs a total of 50 schools serving nearly 17,600 students, according to its website.
The network would run a turnaround effort unlike any Florida has seen. The state Board of Education approved the move in response to more than a decade of academic and financial turmoil in Jefferson County schools.
Trump's visit: President Donald Trump visits St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando today to promote his support for broader school choice. St. Andrew is part of the Notre Dame Alliance for Catholic Education academies, a national network working to revitalize urban Catholic education. About 85 percent of the 340 students in the pre-K through eighth-grade school use tax credit scholarships. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the program. redefinED. WFTV. Politico Florida. Myrna Saint-Juste, who sent two children to St. Andrew Catholic School, and her son Marcus Millien, now a student at Bishop Moore High School, were asked to meet with President Trump today when he visits the school. She declined, but Marcus accepted. Orlando Sentinel.
Legislature and education: Legislators want to reduce testing, change the teacher bonuses program and improve the higher education system, among other things, during the legislative session that begins Tuesday. Here are previews of some of the issues being debated. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. Sun-Sentinel. The major players in the legislative session are profiled. Tallahassee Democrat.
Bills about teachers: Two bills filed by legislators would change the criteria by which teachers are eligible for bonuses from the state. A bill filed by Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, would lower the SAT and ACT test scores level a teacher would need to be eligible for the state's teacher bonus, and add several other tests that could be used. A bill filed by Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, would expand eligibility requirements to college GPA and to those graduates who commit to teaching in critical teacher shortage areas. Both would also allow school administrators to be eligible for bonuses. Gradebook. A bill introduced by Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando, would expand the path to teacher certification, including allowing charter schools to set up their own training programs that would have to be approved by the Florida Department of Education. Legislators want to make it easier to hire people who have expertise in a subject and can prove competency in the classroom but don't have an education degree. redefinED. Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, files a bill that would prohibit teacher retirements during the school year. Exceptions would be made for illnesses and disabilities. News Service of Florida.
Charter district: Three charter schools companies are competing to take over operations of the Jefferson County School District. They are: Somerset Academy Inc., which operates 16 charter schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties; Lake Wales Charter Schools Inc., which runs six schools in Polk County; and EdFutures, which runs two schools in Volusia County. Superintendent Marianne Arbulu said the school board could make its selection by next week. Politico Florida. (more…)
GAINESVILLE - Last week, the Florida Board of Education approved a plan that would consolidate the two public schools in Jefferson County, Fla. and convert them to a charter school.
As the board voted, Bill Brumfield, the newly elected school board chairman, breathed a sigh of relief.
Bill Brumfield, a school board member and former superintendent in Jefferson County, addresses the Florida Board of Education.
"Thank God," he said.
Thursday's vote ended months-long saga to win approval for a plan to turn around the struggling North Florida district.
And it sent one of the state's most impoverished and persistently struggling rural school systems down an uncharted course.
State board members remarked that Jefferson is preparing to launch a miniature version of the great experiment in New Orleans, in which the school district handed the operation of nearly all its public schools over to charter school providers in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans "is a model, potentially, that can offer some hope" about what can happen when charter schools work with a district to raise student achievement, board member Rebecca Fishman Lipsey said, "especially where there's high levels of poverty."
Right now, four charter school operators may be candidates for the job. They include a network associated with one of Florida's largest management companies, the organization that revitalized public schools in a small Central Florida town, and a mom-and-pop Palm Beach County charter school founded by a Jefferson County native.
Over the next two weeks, the district will court these organizations, and try to find one that's up to the task.
"We're turning over to a charter school to save the district, for the children's sake," Brumfield told the state board, which rejected three earlier, state-mandated turnaround plans, deciding the district couldn't get the job done on its own.
Brumfield said parents, many of whom he'd taught over four decades as an educator, were ready for a big change.
"They all want this. They want something new," he said. "They see Governor's Charter [Academy] over in Tallahassee, and they want something like that, but in their community."
Decades of struggle
Jefferson County's school system is an outlier in many ways. (more…)
