Deny Charter Schools USA’s Classical Academy Application
Support Our Schools Q&A Fact Sheet
Deny Charter Schools USA’s Classical Academy Application!
Recently, Charter Schools USA (CSUSA), opened the College Preparatory Academy at Wellen Park. Less than five months later, this same for-profit charter school management company wants to open a “classical” charter school in north Sarasota. CSUSA has pulled millions and millions of dollars out of public education, literally into the pockets of CSUSA’s founder and CEO, Jonathan Hage.
On March 5 the Sarasota County School Board will vote to accept or deny the application for the Sarasota Classical Preparatory Academy. This Q&A aims to explain why this application should be denied.
What is the Sarasota Classical Preparatory Academy? The Sarasota Classical Preparatory Academy (SCPA) is a proposed K-12 charter school that, if approved, will be managed by CSUSA. At full enrollment, the school plans to educate 1,310 students. It will likely be situated at the site of the current privately run Classical Academy of Sarasota, on Fruitville Road, west of I-75. (The existing private classical school plans to move to Bee Ridge Road but is experiencing roadblocks.) The charter is held by a nonprofit, essentially a front organization for CSUSA, called the Florida Charter Educational Foundation that was incorporated by it. It serves as a rubber stamp and flow-through mechanism for draining funds and fees from the charter school into the CSUSA’s financial empire. By their own admission their “marketing” saw the popularity of classical schools. While they have no new educational programs, they will “overlay” a few “classical school” ideas onto their same old “base” program.
Why Should the School Board Deny the SCPA Application? Here is a list of the significant concerns about the SCPA, many of which have been identified by the Sarasota district’s Charter Review Committee whose job it is to analyze the pros and cons of the application and report this information to the Sarasota School Board to use in consideration of their vote. The major concerns include:
Location: It is situated less than 0.5 mile from an existing elementary school, Tatum Ridge, and the district’s future Waterside Elementary School. The location defies good planning.
Student Enrollment Projections: The application projects 80-100 kindergarten students in its first year, but there are less than 100 kindergarten-age students living within a 6-mile radius of the school. Of the 615 total students projected for Year 1 of the Wellen Park Academy, there are only 259 students enrolled, or 42% of their expected enrollment. That is absurdly off the mark and financially unsustainable.
Demographics: The applicant claims to almost meet district averages for the percentage of students receiving Free and Reduced Lunch and the percentage of students who are minorities. Their data was off about 15% given the affluence of the school neighborhood. Lower-income students won’t be able to get there without bussing, which won’t be provided. CSUSA wants to cherry-pick affluent students who are likely to get higher state test scores and make their school seem better than it really is.
Curriculum: The mishmash curriculum will please neither supporters of classical education nor its critics. According to district curriculum experts, it will be hard to align it to Florida standards.
Education Model: Like Hillsdale College, CSUSA’s curriculum focus will be what classical educators call the Trivium, Latin for “the three ways” of learning based on the stages of Grammar (K-5), Logic (6-8) and Rhetoric (9-12). The K-5 pedagogical model stresses “repetition and memorization” –definitely not a “best practice” for education. It makes a big point of teaching “virtue,” but it doesn’t say how this will be measured and it may conflict with different personal and family beliefs.
Staffing: CSUSA hires all staff from principal to secretary. Based on a review of several CSUSA schools, teachers are paid less than their counterparts at public schools. 40%+ of teachers aren't certified in the subject assigned with many lacking any certification. Mandated class size limits for the proposed school will be exceeded based on teacher hiring data provided.
Exceptional Student Education (Special Education): CSUSA has a poor track record with special needs students. IEP dates are often ignored, and services aren’t provided. An audit of the Clay Charter Academy, part of the same network, revealed gross negligence with ESE students frequently not assigned case managers. Their proposed school will only have 4 ESE teachers even with 1200 students!
Governance: Board meetings are virtual, yet parents can only view the meeting at the charter school. There is no local representation at the meeting other than the principal, despite CSUSA’s claim to hold at least two meetings per year in Sarasota County with parent representatives attending. All 12 schools in the Florida Charter Educational Foundation, attend the same short meeting.
Management: The current organization shows a “solid line from charter company (CSUSA) to principal” (hired by CSUSA). CSUSA has total control of its schools. See below for more details.
What is CSUSA? It’s the 2nd largest for-profit charter school management operation in the country, currently claiming 162 K-12 schools in 5 states. CEO Hage has perfected his for-profit model over the past 25 years initially with the help of good friend Gov. Jeb Bush, who put Florida in the lead for school privatization. Hage operates in 5 charter school-friendly states with weak conflict of interest laws like Florida. Hage puts his schools into networks led by nonprofit organizations set up by himself that serve as CSUSA front operations. The proposed school would be under the Florida Charter Educational Foundation but in reality, it would be run by CSUSA. The Foundation’s address is that of CSUSA. Since most of the CSUSA-related companies servicing with CSUSA-managed schools are for-profit Limited Liability Companies, there is no transparency and accountability.
How does the CSUSA pull money out of the schools and into the for-profit companies? CSUSA’s grift boils down to management and other service fees and the targeted use of the many companies in its ever-growing financial empire. Here are some examples:
Fees: Fees flow from the school through the nonprofit straight to CSUSA. In Louisiana, a management fee is 15% of the budget while in Florida it is 5%. But in Florida, there are 4 other fees—including a 4% fee for curriculum services and a 3% fee for personnel management taking millions from budgets.
For-Profit Empire: CSUSA makes money through their corporate affiliates, owned by Hage. Hage owns close to 200 interlocking LLCs ranging from land development to technology and building services. Property ownership is done through Red Apple Development, LLC which sets up separate Red Apple LLCs for each school. The Wellen Park Academy, for example, has an LLC called “Red Apple at North Port ELC, LLC'' and the proposed SCPA already has one called “Red Apple at Fruitville LLC.” Hage owns all of them. Then either the national construction company, Ryan Services, or Red Apple Development, LLC takes out the initial mortgage to build the school using subsidized bonds. Red Apple uses individual Red Apples or the Foundation to purchase the school, using subsidized bonds. The school then leases the building at high costs.
Is the Hage Empire in Financial Trouble? There are signs that not all is well in Red Apple land. Some of the schools are operating at a deficit and growing numbers are facing enrollment crises. CSUSA’s Manatee Charter School lost so many students that CSUSA suspended their fees, according to a recent audit. CSUSA has recently pivoted to building schools in affluent neighborhoods. But as Wellen Park demonstrates, that doesn’t always work given CSUSA’s track record and the fact that Sarasota schools are sought-after, especially those schools in affluent areas.
Will CSUSA’s presence harm Sarasota County Schools? Any form of school privatization is a major threat to public education. If CSUSA’s Wellen Park and SCPA reach their capacity of over 2100 students, Sarasota district could lose $25 million yearly from its budget which could translate to about 250 teachers being laid off. This could be further exacerbated by a contraction in the student population due to vouchers/ESAs and families leaving because of high housing costs, low pay, and a hostile environment due to culture war attacks.
How Can CSUSA be Stopped? Attend the March 5 rally at 5:00 pm before the Sarasota County School Board meeting at 6 pm, when the vote on the CSUSA application will be taken. Plan to speak at the Public Comment portion of the Board meeting.
Send letters to the editor at the Sarasota Herald Tribune: editor.letters@heraldtribune.com Email school board members: schoolboardmembers@sarasotacountyschools.net Let’s tell the Sarasota County School Board that we do not want another CSUSA substandard school managed by a for-profit corporation in Sarasota!