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District To Review School's Contract

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By RONNIE BLAIR

rblair@tampatrib.com

Published: December 19, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - A charter school has withdrawn its application to have its charter fall under the jurisdiction of the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission rather than the Pasco County School Board.

Athenian Academy of Pasco's board voted to withdraw the application Dec. 10, and the Pasco school board learned of the decision this week.

That means the process of renewing the school's contract with the school board will now begin in earnest.

The school's application had been approved in November by the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission, which was created by the state Legislature to give charter schools an alternative way of getting their contracts approved.

School boards always had the sole authority to contract with charter schools.

Now they do again. Florida's First District Court of Appeal ruled Dec. 2 that the commission was unconstitutional because the Florida constitution says only school boards have the authority to operate public schools.

Assistant Superintendent Renalia DuBose told the school board Tuesday that Athenian Academy has now asked the district to continue with the school's contract renewal.

The district plans to do that, she said. Work on the contract should have started in November, DuBose said, and the district will be about two months behind by the time the contract renewal process can begin after the winter break.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218.

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