School board closing two Hillsborough charter schools

Two Hillsborough County charter schools will close because of poor student performance, and the school district is installing its own principal at a third charter school over which it recently took control.

The Hillsborough County school district is terminating Anderson Elementary Academy's contract four years early and elected not to renew Carl Sagan Academy's contract, which expired June 30.

Charter schools use public money and are free to students but are run privately.

The school district sent both schools letters in April outlining concerns, mostly about low standardized test scores and student performance. Officials worried about Anderson's financial management and how it served special-needs students - a concern echoed at Carl Sagan.

Anderson was founded in 2003 and enrolled about 124 students. The founder and chairwoman of the school's board, Loretta Anderson, said in a July 10 letter to the district that the school had appreciated the opportunity to partner with the school district.

Carl Sagan's board did not agree completely with the school district's decision to close the school, its chairman wrote in a letter today. Nevertheless, the board voted on Monday not to request a contract extension. Founded in 2005 and serving about 70 middle school students, Carl Sagan brought in a new principal in the past school year who was making headway, chairman Sheldon Busansky wrote.

"The community and children served by Carl Sagan Academy were properly served and deserve all the special attention and resources that the district can afford," Busansky said in his letter. "(Principal) Felita Lott has shown this board and the community surrounding the school the kind of thoughtful, intelligent and firm leadership that should be prized in the Hillsborough County school district."

Last month, the school board agreed to take over the Metropolitan Ministries charter school, running it as a traditional school in partnership with the social service agency. The school serves about 80 homeless and at-risk children, but low test scores also put its future as a charter school in jeopardy.

As part of the change, the board named Todd Connolly, assistant principal at Folsom Elementary, as the new principal, effective July 27. Connolly started teaching in Hillsborough County in 1996. Thom Laux had been serving as principal and previously was offered a contract, but he decided not to return.

Low test scores prompted a leadership change at Middleton High School, too.

Today, the board approved transferring Principal Carl Green from Middleton to become the principal at Brandon High, where he used to be assistant principal. Marie Whelan, assistant principal for Middleton's magnet curriculum, will swap jobs with Gaither Principal George Fekete.

A new principal for Middleton has not yet been named.

Green had a strong commitment to Middleton, said school board member Doretha Edgecomb. He took Middleton to the next level and reminded Hillsborough of the school's history and legacy of achievement.

Superintendent MaryEllen Elia said she wanted to publicly thank Green for his hard work and progress Middleton made academically.

"I know he'll do a great job at Brandon," Elia said. "He is a dedicated professional, and for him, it's all about the students."

Middleton had been under a state watch list since last year because of its grades, which required the district to develop improvement plans. Recent test scores showed the lowest-performing students were making gains, but the jumps were not enough to raise the school's overall grade -- its sixth D in a row.

Franklin Middle Magnet also was on the watch list last year but raised its grade from a D to a C. That puts it on probationary status, where it must continue to improve. The district is transferring its principal, Joseph Brown, to an A-rated school facing a different set of challenges.

Brown is going to Walker Middle School to replace Kathleen Hoffman, who had been considering retirement and submitted her resignation in June.

Hoffman, who has overseen Walker Middle for three years, was in charge of the school when allegations surfaced in May that a 13-year-old boy had been bullied by classmates for weeks and then raped in a school locker room.

Hoffman's resignation had nothing to do with the assault, school district spokesman Stephen Hegarty said.

Brown has served as Franklin Middle Magnet's principal since 2006 and was Monroe Middle School's principal for four years prior. He has worked for the district since 1989.

"At each school, he has moved that school forward academically," Elia said. "He will do a tremendous job at Walker Middle School."

Other appointments today included naming Carolyn Hill, who retired in 2008 as Sheehy Elementary's principal, to lead Just Elementary. Just's principal, Tricia McManus, has been promoted to a district-level staff development position.

Dodi Davenport will take over at Lake Magdalene Elementary for Darlene Choe, who retired. Davenport has been assistant principal at Roland Park K-8 since 2004.