ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The superintendent of the St. Johns County School District spoke only to Action News Jax about the letter the district received from Mater Academy, the Miami-based charter school system that’s now looking to share a school with First Coast Technical College.
In September, the Florida Department of Education signed off on an expansion of its charter school rules to allow certain charter schools to “co-locate,” or move into, any public school in districts across Florida, for free, that have unused space within their buildings.
Mater Academy, which teaches K-12 students, has already sent dozens of other letters to school districts around Florida sharing its intentions to open charter schools inside some of their public schools, essentially putting two schools into one building. The state’s new rules point out that school districts are responsible for covering the cost of providing food, school safety, maintenance, and transportation for the students of a charter school that moves into a school building.
Dr. Brennan Asplen, the St. Johns County school superintendent, worries about the money this new charter school could cost the district.
“That will be a concern for us as far as revenue coming in versus expenses, especially with inflation,” Dr. Asplen said.
Asplen told Action News Jax the district loses around $9,100 for every student who leaves St. Johns County schools. Mater Academy is hoping to have 1,884 students by its fifth year on the First Coast Technical College campus, which adds up to more than $17 million not going to the school district, even though the charter would be using one of its buildings. Based on the district’s previous estimates, that adds up to close to one-third of the $68 million cost to open a new K-8 school.
Dr. Asplen isn’t expecting many schools within the district to end up having to share with charter schools, but the thought is still a concern.
“We are still opening schools, and we need to make sure that we service the students who are in our district,” Dr. Asplen said.
The Florida Department of Education’s new rules only apply to what it’s dubbed to be “schools of hope,” which it describes as charter schools that provide students in low-performing schools with a better learning opportunity. But those rules also state that these charter schools will be able to move into any school, regardless of performance, as long as enough space is there.
Mater Academy is intending to open in August 2027 on the First Coast Technical College campus. We reached out to the charter school system by phone and email and are awaiting a response.
Dr. Asplen said the district won’t consider Mater Academy’s letter until sometime after October 28th, when the Florida Department of Education’s new rules go into effect.
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