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Board OKs Charter School Contract

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By RONNIE BLAIR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 10, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - The Pasco County School Board has approved a contract with a new charter school despite concerns that the school has enrolled more students than the Department of Education might provide funding for if the state puts a cap on spending.

Imagine Charter School of Land O' Lakes plans to open in August with 424 students, about 150 more than planned in the school's original application to the school district.

"For me, this is frustrating because we are trying to build a budget in a bad budget year," Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said.

The school board approved a five-year contract with Imagine on Tuesday in a unanimous vote, even though board members also expressed worries about how to pay for the extra students if the state freezes spending based on projected enrollment numbers.

The state doles out money to school districts on a per-student basis, and the initial allocations are based on enrollment projections submitted by the districts. Pasco projected Imagine would have 276 students, the number the charter school cited in its application.

As school district officials worked on the details of a contract with the charter school, they learned Imagine had enrolled 424 students, which is the capacity of the facility it is using.

The discrepancy in the numbers shouldn't be a problem if a freeze doesn't happen. The state conducts an official student count in October and funding is adjusted to match the actual enrollment.

"The concern is if DOE caps us before then," Fiorentino said.

School board attorney Dennis Alfonso said the board can't impose restrictions on a charter school's enrollment except through the contract, but Imagine had enrolled the students before a contract was ready for the school board's vote.

The board could have taken the case to mediation, but district officials were skeptical they would have won a favorable decision from a mediator.

Alfonso said if the cap comes to be, then the school district might have to develop a formula to determine how much funding to give Imagine.

Margarida Wainraich, an Imagine parent who attended the board meeting, said she understands the concerns about a possible cap, but said decisions shouldn't be based on what might come about in the future.

"They are worried about something that hasn't happened yet," said Wainraich, who has two daughters who will be attending Imagine.

Wainraich, who said she is helping establish a PTO at Imagine, said she thinks the board treated the school fairly, though.

"We have tried to establish a good working relationship with them," she said.

Imagine plans to have a permanent location on Morgan Road, west of U.S. 41, but has experienced delays as the project works its way through the county development review process. In the meantime, the school is leasing temporary facilities at the Ballantrae Professional Center off State Road 54, about three miles west of U.S. 41.

The school plans to offer kindergarten through sixth grade its first year. It plans to add seventh and eighth grades later.

Charter schools are public schools that are run by private groups or individuals. They are free from some rules that traditional public schools must follow and are supposed to be innovative in providing students with an education.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

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