Palm Beach County may be a new area of expansion for charter schools looking to share space on the campuses of traditional schools.
The Palm Beach County School District received 69 requests from three charter school providers expressing their intent to open “Schools of Hope” starting in the 2027-28 school year on 46 campuses in the county.
Schools of hope initially were created as alternatives to failing district-run schools, but the law was greatly expanded this year. The focus has now shifted to allowing charter schools to operate rent-free on campuses that have extra space due to declining enrollment.
Two providers making requests in Palm Beach County, Mater Academy and Somerset, are both owned by the giant charter company Academica. They provided an identical list of 14 campuses to share.
A third provider, BridgePrep Academy, made requests to operate on 41 schools, nine of which were also requested by the other two.
A state rule from the Department of Education says priority would go to the provider that asks first. The letters were all received Tuesday, but it’s unclear which ones arrived first.
Only Mater Academy is currently listed on the state Department of Education website as an approved schools of hope provider, although the state Board of Education is expected to add Somerset at a meeting scheduled for Thursday.
Somerset also is a former participant in the program. The state asked Somerset to take over the academically struggling Jefferson County’s only two schools in 2017, creating an all-charter district.
The effort didn’t show significant improvements, and Somerset pulled out of the county in 2022.
As for BridgePrep, the provider said in a letter to Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Michael Burke that it meets the state’s eligibility requirements for schools of hope. Bridgeprep operates about 20 charter schools throughout Florida, including in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.
“BridgePrep Academy, Inc. has demonstrated a consistent record of academic success and financial stability,” wrote Thomas Sutterfield, governing board chair for BridgePrep Academy. “We are presently awaiting administrative review by the Florida Department of Education.”
Although the application period for schools of hope only opened on Tuesday, Mater Academy made numerous requests in October to operate in districts including Broward, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough and Sarasota. Mater did not make any requests to Palm Beach County when it sent out its first batch of letters, school district officials said.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel has reached out to Broward and Miami-Dade to see if they received additional letters this week.
Mater’s requests last month created confusion throughout the state, as they included schools, such as vocational schools and special needs centers, that appeared underenrolled on a state list only because they use space differently than traditional schools.
They also included numerous A- and B-rated schools. Critics called Mater’s effort a “land grab” that would siphon resources from traditional public schools.
Related Articles
Broward legislators seek to blunt ‘Schools of Hope’ charter school law
DeSantis defends new law allowing charter schools to demand free space in public school buildings
Charter school operator seeks to co-locate on 27 Broward school campuses rent free
How charter schools may use new rules to share space with A-rated district-run schools
How a transformative change in charter school rules came back from the dead and became Florida law
State Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston, told Broward School Board members this week that she expects the state Legislature to make changes to the law this year to address some concerns from school districts.
Academica, Mater’s parent company, responded to criticism this week with a message on its website, saying its efforts to open schools of hope could “assist Florida School Districts in making better use of empty classrooms and revitalize underenrolled schools.”
The company said it’s working with school districts to find the best locations for these schools.
“We have sent hundreds of letters because hundreds of the districts’ facilities are under-enrolled,” the message said. “Our objective isn’t to provide programs in all those facilities — far from it. At most, we will open a handful of schools for the 2027-28 school year. We are committed to working with parents, schools, and districts to provide the best educational option for Florida students.”
Academica said the providers will rescind notices for locations that will not be used.
Here are the schools that Mater Academy, Somerset and BridgePrep have requested space for in Palm Beach County:
— Banyan Creek Elementary, Delray Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Beacon Cove Intermediate, Jupiter (Bridgeprep)
— Bear Lakes Middle, West Palm Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Belle Glade Elementary (Bridgeprep)
— Benoist Farms Elementary, West Palm Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Boca Raton Middle (Bridgeprep)
— Calusa Elementary, Boca Raton (Bridgeprep)
— Carver Middle, Delray Beach (all three providers)
— Christa McAuliffe Middle, Boynton Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Congress Middle, Boynton Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Crestwood Middle, Royal Palm Beach (all three providers)
— Diamond View Elementary, Greenacres (Bridgeprep)
— Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary, Palm Beach Gardens (Mater and Somerset)
— Freedom Shores Elementary, Boynton Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Grove Park Elementary, Palm Beach Gardens (Mater and Somerset)
— Howell L. Watkins Middle, Palm Beach Gardens (Bridgeprep)
— Indian Pines Elementary, Lake Worth Beach (all three providers)
— J.C. Mitchell Elementary, Boca Raton (Bridgeprep)
— Jeaga Middle, West Palm Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Jerry Thomas Elementary, Jupiter (Bridgeprep)
— John F. Kennedy Middle, Riviera Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Jupiter Middle (Bridgeprep)
— K. E. Cunningham/Canal Point Elementary, Canal Point (all three providers)
— Lake Shore Middle, Belle Glade (all three providers)
— Lake Worth Middle (Bridgeprep)
— Melaleuca Elementary, West Palm Beach (Mater and Somerset)
— Omni Middle, Boca Raton (Bridgeprep)
— Pahokee Elementary (Bridgeprep)
— Pahokee Middle-Senior (all three providers)
— Palm Springs Middle (Bridgeprep)
— Palmetto Elementary, West Palm Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Pine Grove Elementary, Delray Beach (Mater and Somerset)
— Pioneer Park Elementary, Belle Glade (all three providers)
— Plumosa School Of The Arts, Delray Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Green Elementary, Boynton Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Roosevelt Elementary, West Palm Beach (all three providers)
— Roosevelt Middle, West Palm Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Seminole Trails Elementary, West Palm Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Tradewinds Middle, Greenacres (Bridgeprep)
— Village Academy, Delray Beach (all three providers)
— Washington Elementary, Riviera Beach (Mater and Somerset)
— Watson B. Duncan Middle, Palm Beach Gardens (Bridgeprep)
— Wellington Landings Middle, Wellington (Bridgeprep)
— West Boynton Middle School (Bridgeprep)
— Westward Elementary, West Palm Beach (Bridgeprep)
— Woodlands Middle, Lake Worth Beach (Bridgeprep)
