Charter schools eye space in Tampa Bay public schools
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Charter school operators are seeking to share building space with dozens of public schools in Tampa Bay.
Why it matters: It's the latest charter school expansion that public education advocates worry will come at the expense of traditional schools.
- Under the state law setting the framework for campus colocation, school districts foot the bill for custodial, food and other services.
Driving the news: Three charter companies — Mater, Somerset and BridgePrep academies — are eyeing roughly 60 Pinellas and Hillsborough county schools, according to letters of intent obtained by Axios.
- Pasco, Polk, Sarasota and Manatee counties have also received letters from the same operators seeking space in local schools, per data from the nonpartisan Florida Policy Institute (FPI).
- Pinellas officials recently kicked off a series of public meetings to discuss declining enrollment, which has made the district vulnerable to such requests. Three more are scheduled for Dec. 2, 4 and 9.
Catch up quick: Passed as part of a sweeping education package earlier this year, the campus-sharing law allows certain charters to move into schools with low enrollment.
- It expands Florida's Schools of Hope program, created in 2017 to urge high-performing charters to open in communities with low-performing traditional public schools.
- Charter schools are publicly funded but often privately run, some by for-profit companies.
The big picture: Charter operators have sent nearly 700 letters of intent to 22 school districts across Florida, according to FPI, which called the policy "a new unfunded mandate on Florida's public schools."
- The letters refer to at least 450 schools, with some named in notices from multiple operators.
What they're saying: Hillsborough district officials "have concerns about the potential impact on our students, staff and communities," spokesperson Tanya Arja said in a statement.
- She noted that no schools will be impacted until at least the 2027-28 school year and that district leaders "will object to any request that is based on incorrect assumptions or presents material impracticability."
Some school board members went further.
- Hillsborough board member Nadia Combs called the approach an "attack on education," per the Tampa Bay Times, while Sarasota school board member Tom Edwards told WUSF it was "no better than a grift."
- It also poses a safety issue, Combs said, with schools running on different schedules on the same campus.
The other side: Academica, the for-profit company that oversees Somerset and Mater, said it didn't intend to colocate in all of the schools for which company leaders sent notices.
- "At most, we will open a handful of schools for the 2027-28 school year," reads a statement on its website.
- "This is not about replacing or displacing existing schools," it says. "It is about working together to expand public access to underutilized school facilities and creating new educational opportunities for families."
What's next: State Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, filed a bill this month seeking to undo the colocation provision of state law.
- It so far has no companion in the House. The lawmaking session begins in January.