Charter school companies target Manatee school facilities under new state law
.jpeg "Mater Academy Inc. and Somerset Academy Inc. sent notices to the School District of Manatee County on Tuesday, hoping to leverage the state’s “Schools of Hope” law to use the schools as “co-location” sites. One of the organization's targets is Lincoln Memorial Middle School in Palmetto.")
Two charter school companies submitted letters to the School District of Manatee County indicating interest in taking over district facilities under a new state law.
On Tuesday, Florida’s “Schools of Hope” law went into effect, which allows charter school companies to “co-locate” in unused or underperforming public school facilities. The School District of Manatee County received letters from two companies vying for the same spaces.
Both companies are interested in using Lincoln Memorial Middle School and the Sara Scott Harllee Center as “co-location” sites and transforming them into charter schools.
If the facilities are chosen as viable sites, a charter school company could occupy the space while the School District of Manatee County would be responsible for providing cafeteria services, utilities, busing and custodial services.
Charter companies eye Manatee school facilities
Miami-based Mater Academy Inc. sent new letters to the school district on Tuesday after it previously sent letters in early October. District officials called the letters premature since the legislation had not gone into effect at that time.
Somerset Academy Inc. also filed letters of interest for the same schools. There are only six “designated hope operators,” according to the Florida Department of Education, and Somerset Academy Inc. is not listed.
However, both Mater Academy Inc. and Somerset Academy Inc. are subsidiaries of Academica, a major for-profit company that also operates non-profit charter school companies.
The letters sent by Mater and Somerset are nearly identical aside from the logo on the masthead. The companies are proposing turning Lincoln Memorial Middle into a K-8 school for 963 students, and would make the Sara Scott Harllee Center a school for grades 6-12 and up to 782 students.
A pop-up on Academica’s website says the company sent “hundreds” of letters to districts across the state and will work with public schools with the intent of opening some charter schools for the 2027-2028 school year.
“We have sent hundreds of letters because hundreds of the districts’ facilities are under-enrolled. 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,” the statement says.
“We are committed to working with parents, schools, and districts to provide the best educational option for Florida students. We will rescind notices for locations that will not be used once we determine in which schools we will colocate.”
School District prepares to respond
In an email to parents and a statement to the Bradenton Herald, the School District of Manatee County said it will respond to the letters appropriately.
“It is important to note that these letters are notifications of interest — not confirmation that a School of Hope will open at these sites. The District has not met with representatives from the charter operators, nor are any meetings scheduled at this time,” the statement said.
The district said it will also emphasize current programs at the schools that could preclude a charter school’s use.
The district clarified that the Schools of Hope program uses the Florida Inventory of School Houses statistics, which does not include uses like pre-kindergarten, Exceptional Student Education and non-student district programs.
For example, the Sara Scott Harllee Center has several different uses, including the new Soar Lab which helps boost early childhood development and literacy rates.
The school district is also in the process of rezoning its school attendance zones, which will start to go into effect next school year and address capacity concerns.
“The School District of Manatee County is preparing a timely response to these notifications in accordance with Florida Statutes,” the district’s statement said. “The District supports parental choice, and our priority remains providing a productive learning environment and the highest quality education for every student in Manatee County.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
