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Charters' Founders On Tour

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By RONNIE BLAIR rblair@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 21, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - The co-founders of Imagine Schools visited their sole charter school in Pasco County on Tuesday as part of their effort to encourage teachers and students.

Dennis and Eileen Bakke planned to visit several of their organization's charter schools along Florida's west coast, including a stop for today's groundbreaking at a new school in Sarasota. A couple of months ago, they visited Imagine schools in the Orlando area.

"We want to go to every one of our schools and remind people that Imagine is bigger than one individual and one school," Dennis Bakke said.

Alan Olkes, executive vice president of Imagine, and Fred Damianos, a regional vice president, accompanied the Bakkes on Tuesday.

Imagine operates 18 schools in Florida. The Arlington, Va.-based group has more than 70 schools in 12 states and Washington.

Imagine School at Land O' Lakes opened in August and serves about 400 students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

The Land O' Lakes school is in the Ballantrae Professional Center off State Road 54, about three miles west of U.S. 41.

One of Imagine's philosophies is to place more responsibility in the hands of teachers, getting them involved making decisions, because they know best what goes on in the classroom, Dennis Bakke said.

"It's not a top-down organization at all," he said.

"We are saying, 'Teachers, you are on the front line,' " Eileen Bakke said. "We want you involved in the decisions."

Each school adapts to the needs of its community.

"People ask, 'What's your curriculum?' " Dennis Bakke said. "Every one of them is different."

Ultimately, though, parents are the key, he said.

"I've realized the parents are still in charge of the education of their children," Bakke said. "We are only helpers. I want all our teachers and principals to remember that. It's a kind of humility we need to have."

Imagine is one of five charter schools in Pasco County. Charter schools are public schools but are operated by private groups or individuals who sign contracts with local school boards.

School districts don't always welcome charter schools, and the Bakkes have found that starting a charter school differs from state to state and school district to school districts.

In the Bakkes' view, traditional public schools need to realize that friendly competition can make all the schools better.

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

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