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5 Charter Schools OK'd; Online Academy Rejected

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By MARILYN BROWN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 17, 2007

TAMPA - The Hillsborough County School Board approved five new charter schools Tuesday, including one that will change its name at a board member's request.

The board also turned down one charter school applicant, Life Skills Center, which could apply to a new state board for approval as a result of a vote by the state Board of Education in Tallahassee earlier in the day.
New charter schools approved for 2008-09 are: Imagine Charter School, to serve 276 students in kindergarten through sixth grade; Literacy Leadership Technology Charter High School, for 125 students in grades nine through 11; Tampa Charter School of Excellence, targeting 198 students in grades six through eight; and Advantage Academy of Hillsborough, to serve 246 students in kindergarten through fifth grades.

The Cloud of Glory School, which would serve 162 students in kindergarten through third grade, was approved after Felicia Wintons, its board president, agreed to change its name at the request of board member Candy Olson.

Cloud of Glory 'might chase a lot of people away,' Olson said. 'To me, it had a religious connotation.'

Wintons said she agreed and may rename it Taylor Peace Academy because it will focus on peace education and conflict resolution.

The Life Skills Center, a Web-based high school for at-risk students, was turned down because its application included no board of directors, said Jena Hodgens, the district's charter schools supervisor. The school was turned down in the past by the district and won an appeal to the state Board of Education in 2005, but was never able to work out a contract.

Meanwhile, in Tallahassee, the state Board of Education turned down Hillsborough's application to be the sole authority to approve charter schools in the district, opening another door for charters turned down by districts.

A 2005 law provides that charter approval and oversight may be provided by a separate, appointed state board.

Charter schools turned down by districts also may continue to appeal to the state Board of Education.

The five charters approved Tuesday must have contracts approved by the board. Charter schools are publicly funded but are run by private or other public entities.

In other action, the board accepted a report from outside consultants evaluating its controversial Voyages Elementary School mathematics program. University of South Florida associate professor Gladys Kersaint gave the program high marks for meeting 1996 state math standards but said there is not enough support for novice or inexperienced teachers.

The board heard rave reviews on the district's math test scores and on Voyages from 21 teachers, assistant principals and principals. They were not asked to speak, said Mike Grego, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, but were prompted by a recent editorial critical of Voyages in The Tampa Tribune.

The board also approved appointing Brent McBrien, assistant principal at Leto High School, as principal of Webb Middle School, effective Monday. He replaces Carmen Aguero, who retired.

Olson noted the board changed its night meetings to 3 p.m. and revamped the agenda to make meetings shorter, but 'it made them longer.' Tuesday's meeting was minutes shy of five hours. The groups and individuals waiting to be recognized or to present proclamations had left by then.

Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069 or mbrown@tampatrib.com.

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