Warrington Middle remains in limbo
Charter Schools USA wants changes to the school board’s approved agreements regarding the company’s takeover of Warrington Middle School.
Why this matters: The Florida Department of Education has mandated the Escambia County School District either sign over the historically low-performing middle school to a charter school operator or close it. Charter USA is the only company that applied, and time is running out.
- Charter USA requested to operate without paying any administrative fees to the district. The district countered with a gradual fee scale that moved to 4% in the fourth year. request that Charter USA pay 2% in the first two years, 3% in its third year, and 4% in the fourth year and beyond. Charter USA had insisted on paying no fees.
- New legislation allows charter schools to receive capital funds for building construction renovations. The district proposed increasing funds 20% annually until hitting the 100% threshold by the fifth year. Charter USA wants 100% to be paid by the second year.
- The district wanted Charter USA to hold 200 seats per sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade level for students who live in the attendance zone. Charter USA added details about K-5 students, which has clouded the issue.
Dig Deeper:
Fate of WMS still uncertain
By Tom St. Myer
The first day of school for 2023-24 is only about three months away, and the fate of Warrington Middle School is still uncertain.
Charter Schools USA rejected the agreements presented by Superintendent Tim Smith that the Escambia County School Board approved last week by a narrow 3-2 vote. Smith told Inweekly that Charter USA rejected three components of the agreement.
Charter USA requested to operate without paying any administrative fees to the district to facilitate Warrington Middle. The school district responded with a request that Charter USA pay 2% in the first two years, 3% in its third year, and 4% in the fourth year and beyond. School officials noted that the magnet school Beulah Academy of Science pays 4%. Charter USA rejected that proposal and insisted on zero fees.
The second point of contention concerns discretionary capital funds for building construction renovations. Legislation for charter schools to receive a portion of the millage rate paid by taxpayers is pending approval from Gov. Ron DeSantis. The school district anticipated the governor signing the legislation into law and proposed increasing the amount by 20% each year until hitting the 100% threshold by the fifth year. Charter USA is countering that 100% be paid by the second year.
“Where we differ is the charter company wants to not have anything the first year but then have 100% beginning the second year,” Smith said. “So that’s a pretty big difference in funds.”
The final point of contention is over the attendance zone. The school district requested that Charter USA promise 200 seats per grade level to middle school students who live in the attendance zone. Charter USA added details about K-5 students. The education management organization plans to turn Warrington into a K-12 magnet school eventually.
“They added some language, and we’re just trying to get clarification on it. It’s about kindergarten through fifth-grade students who have choiced into the eventually K-12 model that they would build,” Smith said. “The K-five students, regardless, would go to the middle school. So that new language was added, and we’re trying to get clarification from them if that means does that impact the 200 students per grade level.”
Next up for the school district is to present the Charter USA counter to the school board. The next scheduled meeting for the school board is a special workshop on Thursday, followed by a regular workshop on Friday and a regular meeting next Tuesday.
School board members referenced a Plan B throughout its emergency meeting on May 1. That plan entails DOE shutting down Warrington Middle for a year and the school district then taking control back and opening a K-8 or 6-8 magnet school. The school district has already put measures in place in case of closure. Those measures include determining where to rezone the current Warrington Middle School students and planning bus routes from Warrington to Bailey and Workman middle schools.
Any future decisions of that magnitude fall on the shoulders of the DOE, not the school district. The agreement states DOE will remain involved with Warrington through its first seven years as a charter.
School Board Chair Paul Fetsko and board member David Williams voted down the agreement at the emergency meeting, and Kevin Adams teetered before ultimately siding with Patty Hightower and Bill Slayton.
“I have to look in the mirror every morning,” Fetsko said. “I can’t tell you the number of teachers, administrators, people in the school who have begged me. I have had a larger number than I ever expected, and every one of them said, ‘no vote, no vote, no vote.’”
The Florida State Board of Education and DOE ordered that Warrington either close or transition to a charter school by the 2023-24 school year. The order came after Warrington earned yet another D this past school. Warrington last earned a C in the 2010-11 school year. Charter USA was the only operator interested in taking on the middle school.
