Three charter schools hope to open in Manatee County. Each has very different goals

Three would-be charter schools, each with their own visions and goals, are hoping to open in Manatee County by August 2022.

If approved, the schools would open in Palmetto, Lakewood Ranch and Samoset, while enrollment would be open to all students in Manatee County. The school district is now reviewing their applications, which were recently obtained by the Bradenton Herald through a public records request.

Charter schools are independent public schools that have a contract with the School District of Manatee County. While the district is responsible for holding the schools to their promises, the charter schools have their own governing boards and the freedom to carry out their own programs.

After reviewing the three applications submitted this year, a district committee will then make a recommendation to Superintendent Cynthia Saunders, suggesting either an approval or denial. In turn, Saunders will bring a recommendation to the school board, which makes the final decision.

“Districts have 90 days by statute to review, evaluate and approve or deny an application,” Frank Pistella, the director of district support, said in a prepared statement. “Since the reviews have not been completed, recommendations have yet to be made to the Superintendent.”

Visions Charter Academy

Dumaka Atkins, a former football coach and teacher at Sarasota’s Booker High School, is hoping to bring Visions Charter Academy to Palmetto.

His goal is to motivate students who are typically uninterested in school— the students who may become truant and drop out if someone failed to intervene. In order to meet his goal, however, Atkins may have to address a controversy from his past.

Atkins had a rocky departure from Booker High after he and two other employees were accused of giving credit to students who did little work in a remedial math course. One staff member resigned and the other faced discipline in 2019, according to reports from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Atkins resigned from his teaching position during the ongoing investigation, but he said the timing was coincidental, citing a new opportunity at Suncoast School for Innovative Studies.

He continues to work at the charter school as its dean of operations. And though Sarasota County Schools reported him to the Florida Department of Education, state officials declined to investigate the accusations, calling the district report “insufficient,” the Sarasota paper reported.

“I’ve done nothing but promote education with students since I got back to Sarasota County in 2010,” Atkins said in an interview with the Bradenton Herald on Thursday. “I wouldn’t put the reputation of myself, my family or anybody else in danger by doing something like that.”

The ultimate goal, he said, is to open a charter school and help students who often “fall between the cracks” in a traditional program.

In his application, Atkins said Visions Charter Academy would give students structure and purpose, helping them set goals in areas they find interesting. The academy would open to K-8 students and add a grade each year until it expands to a K-12 program.

And regardless of their grade, students would take part in the “3A” model: academics, arts and athletics.

“These three disciplines have something that interests every adolescent, that provides structure, comradery, fun, and will motivate them to succeed,” the application states.

Parent involvement would also be a key factor — and a requirement — when it comes to the governance and student success at Visions Charter Academy. According to the application, parents would have to volunteer a minimum of 20 hours per school year, or 30 hours for families with two or more children at the school.

Atkins planned to target families who “yearn for rigor, remediation and/or enrichment from their children’s schooling,” his application states.

Ideally, there would be a diverse group of students who enjoyed visual, performing or digital arts. According to Atkins’ estimate, the student population would be 48 percent Hispanic, 25 percent Black, 23 percent white and 2 percent Asian or biracial.

“Scholars will enter society as critical thinkers with the skills necessary to excel academically, artistically, and athletically while enhancing the world through their commitment to local and global service,” the application reads.

Manatee Acceleration Academy

Manatee County Acceleration Academy hopes to plant roots in West Samoset and open its doors to students who dropped out of high school, never started high school or who failed their recent courses.

The school would allow students to develop their own schedules and to learn both in person and online, a flexible model that allows students to finish high school while balancing work and family life.

According to the application, Manatee Acceleration Academy would likely serve a high percentage of Black and Hispanic students from low-income families, with many students falling between 18 to 21 years old.

“The guiding philosophy of Manatee County Acceleration Academy will be that all students, regardless of past academic performance or personal obstacles, are capable of graduating from high school and going on to success in college, trade school, military and the workplace,” the application states.

Citing an “alarming achievement gap between students of color and their white counterparts” in the area, the application promises to offer students a respectful, encouraging place for students to finish high school.

And though the school would be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, educators would also make themselves available by phone and teleconference during the evenings and weekends, further supporting the students and their work or family schedules.

“Manatee County Acceleration Academy will invite them into a quiet, light-filled ‘coffee shop’ environment with seating that allows for independent study, small group tutorials, and separate testing areas. Even the nomenclature is different; we call students Graduation Candidates to remind them of why they are working so hard.”

As for the physical campus, a possible location is the Desoto Junction Shopping Center, 3611 E. First St., the current location of dd’s Discounts, Dollar General Market and Sunshine Thrift Stores of Bradenton.

The application also includes a list of vacancies in the Bayshore Gardens Shopping Center, near Publix, Target and T.J. Maxx.

Compared to the price of other new charter schools, which are often built from the ground up, the initial cost of opening Manatee Acceleration Academy was relatively low. The application outlines about $112,500 in up-front costs and $7,000 to $10,000 per month to lease a commercial space.

Mark Graves, the president of Acceleration Academies in Chicago, signed the application in late January.

“Acceleration Academies is a national leader in re-engaging young adults not experiencing success in a traditional high school setting,” the application reads.

Lakewood Ranch Charter Academy

Southwest Charter Foundation runs more than half a dozen charter schools in Florida, including Manatee Charter School in Bradenton. Each campus is partnered with a national management company called Charter Schools USA.

If approved, their partnership would continue with the opening of Lakewood Ranch Charter Academy, a K-12 school focused on wellness and health sciences. The school would start with approximately 740 students in grades K-6 and ninth grade before adding another grade level each year, climbing to about 1,965 students in its fifth year, according to the application.

And every grade level would have programs inspired by a system called WISH: wellness, innovation, science and health.

“The framework draws on a diverse set of research into academics, physical and mental health, science and digital technologies, as well as an analysis of emerging trends in the health sciences field and future job skills,” the application states.

Though the location could change, Southwest Charter Foundation is eyeing CORE in Lakewood Ranch, a campus for life sciences research. The abbreviation stands for collaboration, opportunities, research and exploration.

CORE — which boasts parks, boardwalks and outdoor meeting spaces — would mesh well with Lakewood Ranch Charter Academy’s wellness program, the application continues.

“CORE has been planned for academic partners, world-class research facilities and the collaboration between new and emerging markets that focus on research, health and education,” it states.

The charter company was also exploring community partners and programs to help students earn industry certifications. Its plan outlines “experiential projects” for middle school students and internships or apprenticeships for high school students.

Lakewood Ranch Charter Academy would split those students between an “upper school” and a “lower school,” depending on their grade level, and the two buildings are expected to cost approximately $39 million combined.

“Upon approval of this charter application, we will undertake community engagement efforts that will help build our school identity, awareness of the WISH framework, and understanding of enrollment policies and procedures.”

This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 5:00 AM.