ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Action News Jax has learned that the St. Johns County School District is making moves to reduce the amount of available space within its schools to prevent charter schools from being able to move in for free.
We reported in September when the Florida Department of Education expanded its charter school rules to allow some charter schools, called “Schools of Hope,” to move into any public school that they want to, as long as there is enough available space in the building.
St. Johns County superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen tells Action News Jax that the school district is now looking to get rid of more of its portable classrooms, after already getting rid of 84 last school year, as part of a move to prevent charter schools from having enough space to move into any of the district’s schools. Asplen said the district is also trying to use all of its available classroom space in school buildings to keep charter schools out.
“We have to provide cleaning, utilities, everything without charging the charter school for being in there using our space,” Dr. Asplen said, “so that’s the only piece that I think right now we are very concerned about.”
Action News Jax told you in October when Mater Academy, one of the seven designated “Schools of Hope” operators in Florida, sent a letter to superintendent Asplen applying to move into First Coast Technical College, starting in the fall of 2027. Asplen said the district is objecting to the application, citing a lack of available resources for K-12 students at the building.
“Our adults are there during the day. They’re there at night. And so we really don’t have the space available in that particular school,” said Dr. Asplen.
Mater Academy is the same charter school operator who applied to move into 25 Duval County schools. The St. Johns County School District said more than 105 other schools in central Florida, alone, have received application letters from charter schools wanting to move into their schools.
The Florida Department of Education first started the “Schools of Hope” program as a way to provide better education options for students at consistently low-performing schools. But now that those charters can apply to move into any public school, some local parents are becoming worried about charter school students taking public school seats.
“It’s very unfair,” said Chris Farlow, a St. Johns County mother with two kids in the school district, “we cannot have any child left behind. We have to ensure that all of our children are educated because it’s the key to their success.”
The St. Johns County School District said it hasn’t received any other charter school applications, but Dr. Asplen told us he hopes state lawmakers will revisit the charter school expansion to avoid having to cover the cost of charter schools moving into the district’s space.
“You need to pay for what you utilize. And we think that’s very fair,” said Dr. Asplen.
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