Charters want free access to Manatee schools. But can the district stop them?
After receiving notices from charter schools ready to take over Manatee County school facilities, the district could be powerless to block their requests.
When the new “Schools of Hope” state law went into effect earlier this month, two large charter school companies quickly moved to target two Manatee County properties — Lincoln Memorial Academy and the Sara Scott Harllee Center. But Florida’s new law could make it difficult for local officials to push back against charter operators.
The “Schools of Hope” law allows charter school companies to take over unused or underperforming public school facilities, based on attendance and testing data. While the charter schools use the space for their purposes, the public school district bears the expense of providing cafeteria services, transportation and utilities.
The School District of Manatee County received early notices from the Miami-based Mater Academy Inc. in October, before the new Schools of Hope laws went into effect on Nov. 11.
Then, the day the law became effective, Mater Academy Inc. resubmitted notices along with another company, Somerset Academy Inc. Both companies are subsidiaries of Academica, a major for-profit charter school conglomerate that operates non-profit academies.
As of Nov. 17, Mater Academy and Somerset Academy submitted a combined 367 notices to districts throughout the state, according to the Florida Policy Institute.
Manatee campuses targeted under Schools of Hope law
Once a school district receives notice, it triggers a response timeline dictated by the statute. According to a spokesperson for the School District of Manatee County, district administrators are working on a response.
“The School District of Manatee County is preparing its response in a timely manner to the notification letters received from Schools of Hope on November 11,” an emailed statement to the Bradenton Herald said. “We will continue to keep the community informed as we move through this.”
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While the school district did not disclose exactly how it plans to respond to the Schools of Hope notices, there are some possibilities in the statute.
The law states the school district must enter a performance-based agreement within 60 days of receiving the notice. Failure to do so requires the school district to reduce administrative fees for charter schools in the district.
If an agreement is not made within 60 days, both parties can appeal to the State Board of Education to help find a resolution.
That means the school district has until mid-January to make these agreements.
However, the school district can also provide an alternative facility to the Hope Operator.
Manatee plans charter response
The statute allows the school district to propose an alternative facility, taking into consideration the estimated School of Hope enrollment and proximity to student population.
“The Hope Operator is not required to accept the alternate facility,” the statute reads. “Without objection during twenty (20) calendar days from the date of submission, the choice is final.”
The statute goes on to say that “a district may only object to a School of Hope Building Notice due to material impracticability. Should two Hope Operators submit SOH Building Notices for the same space, the Department shall award the space to the first Hope Operator to submit their Building Notice.”
There is no provided definition of “material impracticability” in the statute.
When Hope Operators look at underused facilities for “co-location,” the charter schools analyze classroom numbers, student stations, number of students, capacity for shared spaces and floorplans, among other data.
The School Board of Manatee County discussed the Schools of Hope letters back in October when the district received the first letters from Mater Academy Inc.
At the time, Superintendent Laurie Breslin said the district would highlight programs offered at these facilities that are not noted in blueprint numbers. For example, the district recently opened the Soar Lab in the Sara Scott Harllee Center, which is aimed to boost early literacy and development.
What are the charter school plans?
Mater Academy Inc. and Somerset Academy Inc. submitted nearly-identical notices to the school district on Nov. 11, but Somerset is not listed as one of the designated Hope Operators on the Florida Department of Education’s website.
Both companies’ plans are the same for Lincoln Memorial Middle School in Palmetto and the Sara Scott Harllee Center in Bradenton.
If the charter school “co-location” is successful, plans for Lincoln Middle would be a K-8 charter school for 963 students. Sara Scott Harllee Center could become a charter school for up to 782 students in grades 6-12.
Academica’s website states the company submitted “hundreds” of letters to districts but only plans to open a handful of schools for the 2027-2028 school year.
“We are committed to working with parents, schools, and districts to provide the best educational option for Florida students,” the website states. “We will rescind notices for locations that will not be used once we determine in which schools we will colocate.”
