The charter school expansion law fuels local upheaval.
The same Suncoast lawmakers who voted earlier this year to let charter schools move into underused public campuses have stayed quiet as a Miami-based charter operator’s early push to occupy local schools set off confusion and concern among parents and educators.
Mater Academy, one of Florida’s largest charter school networks, filed notices last week to co-locate inside five Sarasota and Manatee county schools — part of a broader wave of early filings across the state that districts say were submitted prematurely. According to officials, charter operators must wait until Nov. 11 to submit a notice.
The filings were made under Florida’s “Schools of Hope” law, which allows charter operators to move into existing public schools with unused space, regardless of academic performance. When that happens, districts must continue paying for utilities, busing, custodial services and even meals for the new charter students — all at no cost to the charter operator…