Suzanne Legg had a problem.

She had co-founded her county’s first charter school. Classes had barely begun, and already student behavior was causing serious issues.

As a first-time charter school leader, Legg was unsure of the best solution. Swallowing her pride and bracing for a dressing down, she called the only place she knew had experts: the Pasco County School District. A staffer soon showed up. His positive attitude surprised her.

“He didn’t talk down to me, even though he could have,” Legg said about that day 23 years ago. “He didn’t tell me everything I was doing wrong, even though he could have. He helped me solve the issue.”

That staff member was Ray Gadd, then assistant superintendent for the school district, which now serves more than 80,000 students just north of Tampa.

Now deputy superintendent, Gadd has been the driving force behind partnerships with three local charters to help the district to absorb rapid growth caused by a housing boom. U.S. Census figures show that Pasco’s population, 464,697 in 2010, grew to 561,891 in 2020. The county administrator compared the growth to the equivalent of “a good-sized city.”

Depending on the project, the deals have included donations of land and impact fees for construction, in addition to the state-required sharing of capital project dollars.

The charter schools, all locally owned and managed, benefit because they are established in the region and eager to expand. The community benefits because the schools offer specialty programs that range from the arts, to specialized programs for students with unique needs, to the advanced high school Cambridge Program. The school district benefits because the state places fewer regulations on charter school buildings, which often lowers construction costs.

“It’s an experiment in innovation.” Gadd said, adding that working with locally run charters allows for “eyeball to eyeball” communication, which still goes a long way in a rapidly growing suburban community that still shows its small-town roots.

“We want to have positive relationships with charters, especially those we know and like,” he said. That includes Dayspring Academy, the same school co-founded by Legg and her husband, former state Sen. John Legg, where Gadd showed up to share his guidance after the first campus opened in 2000.

The district recently gave Dayspring $25 million in impact fees to build a 50,000-square-foot PreK-5 school near the district’s innovation school, which opened this year for students in grades six through 12. School districts charge impact fees to developers to accommodate growth. Dayspring’s new school is set to open next year. The campus will include athletic fields to be shared with the district innovation school. It will be Dayspring’s sixth campus in Pasco County and the first in its center, joining five other campuses on the county’s west side.

Under Pasco’s agreements with charter schools, the charter builds and manages the school, though a “step in” clause allows the district to operate the facility as a public school should the charter school close.

Pasco also has used impact fees to aid Pepin Academies, a school that serves students with unique abilities, to build a $15 million charter school on the campus of Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation high school which opened in 2022 in the county’s also fast-growing east-central region. Pepin, which serves students in kindergarten through 12^th grade, already has a campus on the county’s west side and two more in neighboring Hillsborough County. The Pepin campus is set to open in August 2025.

In its latest deal with a charter school, Pasco school board members agreed to sell 20 of its 76 acres to Patel Foundation for Global Understanding for $10 to build a 1,000-student charter high school to open by 2025. The vote wasn’t unanimous, but the majority said the move made good business sense and aligned with its commitment to partner with successful local charters.

Where other districts are battling charters or limiting their growth, Pasco is actively courting them and handing over money from a funding source that state law doesn't require it to share. Battles over buildings and funding for them can be especially contentious.

The Los Angeles Unified School District is drafting new policies that limit charter schools from co-locating on campuses that serve “vulnerable” students after parents and teachers at district-run schools complained that sharing space with charters resulted in the loss of valuable space for music, food pantries, counseling and therapies. California law requires districts to share space with charter schools but leaves the details to the districts.

In the Hoosier State, Indianapolis Public Schools leaders are asking a court to affirm their claim of exemption from a state law that requires districts to sell or lease underused or closed buildings to charter schools for $1.

And in Florida, Palm Beach County school board members last week approved a $1.1 million settlement that ended a years-long dispute about whether the county’s 49 charter schools should receive more than $40 million collected from a 2018 referendum that voters approved for school safety initiatives and higher teacher salaries. In the settlement, the school board agreed to make two years’ worth of retroactive payments to charter schools.

Contrast these disputes with Pasco, where leaders support school choice and offer a variety of magnet schools in addition to collaborating with local charter schools. The county school board chairwoman, Megan Harding, is a former Dayspring student who returned to teach. School district leaders, including Gadd and Superintendent Browning, have endorsed Legg in his bid to succeed Browning, who plans to retire from his elected post in 2024. (Legg serves on the governance board for Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog.)

Longtime Pasco politician Mike Fasano, a former state House member and senator who now serves as county tax collector, credits the district’s comfort level with local charters as a part of its political culture, which, despite the county’s rapid development, has remained more like that of a small community. Mom-and-pop charter schools, he said, have local boards as opposed to those with corporate boards that make decisions from afar.

“If you have an issue, you get to deal with people you might know from your church or your local Rotary Club,” he said. “It might even be your neighbor.”

Florida law considers charters part of the state’s program of public education and also uses their counts their performance in districts’ accountability ratings on key metrics such as graduation rates. Under new legislation passed last year, the state is phasing in a new formula that requires charters to receive an equal share of districts’ per pupil property tax funding.

Still, local charter school leaders say that when it comes to translating the principles enshrined in Florida policy into practice, Gadd is ahead of the curve.

“He sees this like, ‘They’re all our kids,’” Suzanne Legg said.

Around the state: Leon High recently wrapped up its annual Positively Post-It Week, Pasco county students could be expelled for fighting, and Casey DeSantis, wife of Gov. Ron DeSantis, is spearheading a campaign to bring awareness to Florida's school children about the effects of drug and substance abuse. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state's districts, private schools, and colleges and universities.

Broward: A school board seat vacated by Rosalind Osgood has yet to be filled, and Gov. Ron DeSantis' office is not guaranteed to pick one of the four candidates. The appointed term expires in November, with an election scheduled for Aug. 23 and a runoff on Nov. 8, if needed. South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Hillsborough: The school district here is closer to evening out enrollment at its more than 200 campuses. The school board on Tuesday agreed to hire a consulting firm that will spend a year examining school boundaries and looking at socioeconomic diversity and efficiency. The school will also identify under-used schools for "repurposing." Tampa Bay Times.

Pinellas: The Pinellas County school district's chief academic officer, Kevin Hendrick, is among the most mentioned names to replace retiring superintendent Mike Grego, The Largo High graduate has worked in the district office for the past five years. Tampa Bay Times.

Brevard: A school board meeting on Tuesday night grew tense as members discussed changes to district library book policies after a request from a conservative parent's group to remove 19 titles from high school and middle school libraries. Moms for Liberty formed a library book committee to read books and ask the district to remove works that contain material they think is unfit for minors from school libraries. Florida Today.

Pasco: Superintendent Kurt Browning instructed principals here to recommend expulsion of children involved in fights and other "serious misbehaviors." Browning addressed parents and school administrators in a video message this week. School districts across the state and the nation have reported an increase in student misbehavior this year, with experts saying part of the problem is that children did not interact with others for long periods of time during the pandemic and didn't return to classrooms with the same self-control they had in the past. Tampa Bay Times.  ABC Action News.

Manatee: The school district superintendent here is being disciplined for inflating graduation rates, and the NAACP is calling for her resignation. Cynthia Saunders was accused of directing her staff to improperly code dropout students between 2014-16. The Education Practices Commission accepted a settlement agreement between Saunders and the Florida Department of Education to resolve the pending case in an order that was dated March 8.

Leon: Leon High recently wrapped up its annual Positively Post-It Week. Sticky notes blanketed the school in a variety of colors. Leon has done this at least half a dozen times over the years, with school organizations and clubs lining the walls with positive affirmations. Students also made friendship bracelets and painted their faces. WFSU.

St. Johns: School administrators here are contemplating how to create an attendance zone for the district's newest K-8 school. Known as "School NN," it won't open until the 2023-24 school year, and will be located in the Shearwater development off County Road 210. St. Augustine Record.

Early literacy: Miss Lakeland 2022, Lindsey Franxman, promoted early literacy by reading to children this week. Lakeland Ledger.

Anti-drug campaign: Casey DeSantis, wife of Gov. Ron DeSantis, is spearheading a campaign to bring awareness to the effects of drug and substance abuse to Florida's school children. A website was launched this week to expand resources to help schools, teachers and parents deter kids from drug use. Florida Phoenix.

Daylight Saving Time: As Congress considers making Daylight Saving Time permanent, sleep researchers agree that ending the biannual clock adjustment makes sense, but they disagree on how. Some say adolescents need more daylight in the morning and not the evening, for example. The 74th.

University and college news: Southern Living has recognized Leon County as one of the South's Best College Towns, marking the third time the county has been mentioned. Tallahassee ranked 13th among Southern Living's 20 Best College Towns. Leon County is home to three major educational institutions: Florida A&M University, Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College. Tallahassee Democrat.  President Christopher F. Roellke announced that Stetson University will be providing immediate relief for employees who were impacted by inflation and rising gas prices. The university is providing a dollar-per-hour increase for all eligible bi-weekly, non-exempt, full and part-time employees, and an across-the-board annual pay increase of $1,800 for eligible full-time, monthly, exempt employees. Flagler Live.  Florida's universities may be subject to stricter tenure reviews thanks to an amendment to a statewide bill. The provision would allow the Florida Board of Governors adopt a uniform standard post-tenure reviews that would be done every five years. It was added in the final days of this year's session to a bill that would also require the state's public universities to change accreditors every cycle. WUSF.

Opinions on schools: Doug Tuthill, president of Step Up for Students, interviewed Marty Leuken, co-author of a new study on the spending habits of families that use Florida's education savings account program for students with unique abilities.  Doug Tuthill, reimaginED.

Charter schools. Florida State College at Jacksonville prepares to close its charter school. Florida Times-Union. The Duval County School Board green lights a separate charter proposal. Times-Union. The school district in Pinellas County considers taking over a charter school for at-risk students. Tampa Bay Times. A second Pinellas charter school is set to close in June. Tampa Tribune. A municipal charter in Miami-Dade gets a new director. Miami Herald. A Sunshine State News columnist chides liberals for their stances on charter schools.

Common Core. While Florida is largely sticking with the standards, the political backlash against them is prompting some legislative changes. Associated Press. One example: A textbook bill that cleared a House panel Tuesday. Extra credit. That's not enough for opponents of the standards, who are calling "mayday" to their allies nationally. Sentinel School Zone.

Prayer. A family says their 5-year-old daughter was told not to pray in her Seminole County school. Orlando Sentinel. The incident stirs controversy. WKMG. Gradebook.

Dual enrollment. The Lee County School Board reaches a deal with local colleges to cover the costs. Fort Myers News-Press.

Student safety. The Hillsborough County School Board approves a settlement in the wake of a girl's death. Tampa Tribune. Tampa Bay Times.

Employees. The Pasco school board overturns an employees suspension. Tampa Tribune. Gradebook. A Vietnamese former employee alleges racial discrimination in a lawsuit against the Palm Beach County school district. Extra Credit.

Administration. The Walton school board prepares to appoint a new superintendent. Northwest Florida Daily News.

Teachers. Volusia County schools have more than 600 first-year teachers. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Transportation. The Hernando school board considers a "hub" model. Gradebook.

 

Tax credit scholarships. Revived legislation expanding the program clears a House-panel on a party-line vote. Florida Times-Union. Capitol News Service. News Service of Florida. Times/Herald. Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. WFSU. The legislation could extend scholarships to middle-class families. Sun-Sentinel. A Washington Post blogger seizes on inconsistent uses of the term "waiting list." Answer Sheet. A Palm Beach Post columnist likens the bill to a "zombie that won't die." The program is administered by Step Up for Students, which co-hosts this blog.

Charter schools. Hillsborough schools officials raise questions about the non-profit organizations that hired Charter Schools USA to run three charter schools in the county. Tampa Bay Times. Charter schools compete with school districts for limited construction funds in the state budget. Times/Herald.

Extracurricular activities. The Florida Times-Union writes up a bill that would expand access for students in school choice programs.

Testing. School administrators say they need more time before the state switches standardized tests. Tampa Tribune. Duval's superintendent pledges to pare back the number of tests given in the district next year. Florida Times-Union.

Teachers.  A Lee County Schools program aims to bring new teachers into high-need areas. Naples Daily News. Collier schools turn to recent retirees to make up for a substitute shortage. Naples Daily News. A recent statewide teacher of the year criticizes the use value-added scores to judge teachers, among other state education policies. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)