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School Board May Block Charter School

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By RONNIE BLAIR

rblair@tampatrib.com

Published: November 13, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - A proposed charter school that would target high school dropouts may have to delay its plans.

The Pasco County School Board is scheduled to vote on the charter school's application Tuesday, and the school district staff is recommending the board turn down the proposal from Fort Lauderdale-based Mavericks in Education.

The school management company's application raised a number of concerns, said Nancy Scowcroft, the district's charter school supervisor.

One of the district's chief worries is that it appears the school's governing board would have minimal oversight over the school's finances, she said. Mavericks in Education largely would control the purse strings.

The district staff also saw no indication there would be an arms-length relationship between the management company and the school's governing board, raising additional questions about how much oversight the board would have.

In addition, budget numbers submitted by the company weren't realistic and included miscalculations, Snowcroft said.

Mark Thimming, president and chief executive officer for Mavericks in Education, said Wednesday he hasn't had a chance to review all the concerns raised by the school district staff, but he expressed disappointment the school board might reject the application.

Not allowing the school to open would be a "missed opportunity" for the community to serve students who have dropped out, he said.

"This is a school for kids who have left the school system," Thimming said. "It's about bringing these kids back into public education."

If the board does vote to deny the application, Mavericks in Education will make the necessary revisions and resubmit it next year, Thimming said.

"We'll come back and get it right," he said.

Among the district staff's other concerns:

•The company didn't identify a core intensive reading program for students who score at the lowest level on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, as required by state law.

•The company didn't provide a physical education requirement for graduation, another must under state law.

•The proposal didn't identify the continuing services that would be provided for special-needs students, a federal requirement.

•The school projected it would serve 400 students in its first year, 500 in its second year and 550 in its third, but Scowcroft said there are doubts about whether those numbers could be met.

Pasco isn't the only school district targeted by Mavericks in Education. The company submitted identical applications to about 10 districts across the state, Thimming said.

Pinellas County has approved the proposed school there, but Hernando County rejected the company's application. Thimming said his company plans to appeal the Hernando decision.

Charter schools are public schools but are operated by private groups or individuals.

Pasco County has five charter schools: Dayspring Academy, Athenian Academy of Pasco, Imagine School at Land O' Lakes, Countryside Montessori Elementary and Academy at the Farm.

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