A Miami-based charter school operator has made a formal request to co-locate rent-free on the campuses of 27 Broward schools, initiating what one state legislator described as a “land grab” that could hurt public schools.

Roberto C. Blanch, president of Miami-based Mater Academy, sent 27 letters to Superintendent Howard Hepburn on Wednesday informing him that the charter school provider wants to open charters known as “Schools of Hope” on various campuses starting in August 2027.

Broward isn’t the only district that received letters. Sarasota and Hillsborough and several others have received similar requests by Mater, according to State Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston, who fought against the state law that makes it easier for providers to share space with traditional schools.

“This is a power grab, a real estate grab for charter school companies, and now this one company has submitted applications across the state,” Bartleman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Thursday. “You’re going to be able to co-locate your business with no expenses, and it’s the children who are in the traditional public schools that are going to be impacted because they are going to be paying for it.”

Mater also wants to operate at Everglades City School in Collier County, according to a letter the provider erroneously sent to Broward. The Miami-Dade School District received an email from Mater referencing an attachment “that supposedly referred to what they were proposing,” but the email didn’t actually have an attachment, district spokesman Elmo Lugo told the Sun Sentinel.

Bartleman said that in the past, if a charter school wanted to locate on a traditional school campus, the district could charge $600 per student for expenses. The new law only allows districts to collect some capital dollars that charter schools might receive from the state. “And that’s not enough,” she said.

Schools of Hope is a program created in 2017 to encourage charter schools to operate near low-performing district-run schools. Mater operates three such Schools of Hope in Miami-Dade County.

But this year, the program was dramatically expanded to allow approved Schools of Hope providers to operate rent-free on the same campuses as district schools if there is room. Mater is one of six operators approved by the state to run Schools of Hope.

The law even allows charter schools to open on the campuses of certain high-performing schools that are within five miles of schools designated by the state as “persistently low-performing” based on several years of poor student achievement. A School of Hope can also operate within an “opportunity zone,” a federal distinction given to regions considered economically distressed.

Bartleman said the expansion onto existing school campuses wasn’t even initially heard by the Florida Senate, but got added to a giant bill and approved “in the dead of night” on the last day of the legislative session.

“That’s what I’m so angry about. This bill was not ready,” she said.

It’s unclear whether Mater’s request is even focused on serving students who attend low-performing schools. The company sent proposals to co-locate on three school campuses in Sarasota County, but that district doesn’t have any schools on the state’s “persistently low-performing” list.

Broward has six schools on the low-performing list, far fewer than the number of Schools of Hope that Mater is seeking to operate. And only two — Walker Elementary in Fort Lauderdale and Tedder Elementary in Deerfield Beach — are part of Mater’s proposal.

The other four such schools are Robert C. Markham Elementary in Pompano Beach, Royal Palm Elementary in Lauderhill, Charles Drew Elementary in Pompano Beach and Lloyd Estates Elementary in Oakland Park. Lloyd Estates is near James Rickards Middle School, which is going through an $82 million replacement due to a 2021 roof collapse. Mater has requested to operate on Rickards’ campus.

Some of the schools he listed in the proposal are neither low-performing nor low-enrolled. These include the district’s three A-rated technical colleges, Atlantic in Coconut Creek, McFatter in Davie and Sheridan in Fort Lauderdale. Broward officials say these programs have a waiting list, so the district is looking to expand to more locations.

“We are currently analyzing which schools might potentially qualify under the criteria,” John Sullivan, chief of staff and communications for the district, told the Sun Sentinel. “However, we already know that several schools will not be eligible, either because they do not meet one of the rule’s criteria or because they lack available space, being fully utilized for special needs, alternative education, or workforce education programs.”

Blanch’s letter to the Broward superintendent said that any district objection “must be based on material impracticability and made within the statutory timeline after receipt of this Notice. The district may propose an alternate underused/vacant/surplus facility; however, acceptance remains at the operator’s discretion. Absent a timely objection, our selection becomes final and we will promptly execute the required Shared Facility Plan and Mutual Management Plan.”

Blanch released a statement to the Sun Sentinel after 7 p.m. Thursday saying Mater Academy’s planned expansion is a way to provide more choice for families.

“In response to recent rule changes made by the Florida Legislature regarding the Schools of Hope Building Utilization program, Mater Academy submitted letters of interest in accordance with the updated rule,” the statement said. “For more than 25 years, Mater has been committed to expanding access to high-quality, tuition-free public education, and this pathway aligns directly with our mission and with the broader parental choice movement in Florida.

“Our goal through this process is to increase access for families and bring students back into the classroom,” the statement said. “We look forward to continuing to work with school districts across the state, as we have for decades, to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.”

Sullivan told School Board members in an email Wednesday afternoon that Mater is citing a Florida Board of Education rule that has not yet been adopted.

“However, we should anticipate receiving similar letters from Schools of Hope operators once the rule becomes effective,” Sullivan wrote.

The proposed rule from the Board of Education says if multiple providers seek to locate on the same school, the contract would be granted to the provider that asks first.

Wednesday’s letter came a day after the Broward School Board agreed to close at least six schools and close off educational spaces in many others that will remain open as part of an effort to deal with dwindling enrollment called “Redefining Broward County Public Schools.”

Board members say they plan to find other uses for these sites, such as office space for its employees or leased space for cities and community organizations. Several board members have said they are reluctant to give up space to charter schools, which could siphon off students and resources from district-run schools.

School Board member Adam Cervera, whom DeSantis appointed to the School Board this year, told the Sun Sentinel he doesn’t understand the reasons why Mater chose certain schools, including McFatter in his district. But he said he will support following state law.

“At the end of the day, it’s giving parents opportunities, giving these kids opportunities,” he said. “I know sometimes new things are scary. But on the flip side, hypothetically speaking, what if this charter school comes in and they do amazing work and have amazing programs and amazing kids. At the end of the day, if that’s what’s best for the kids.”

But the Schools of Hope request is creating a lot of uncertainty for some other board members.

“We will have to carefully review how we proceed,” Board Chairwoman Debbi Hixon told the Sun Sentinel. “This is all new and we have to see what we are required to do by law. I have big concerns about safety in this situation.”

School Board member Rebecca Thompson, who represents Pembroke Pines and Miramar, said principals and other educators have questions about how logistics and security works and whether older students would be allowed to attend a school on an elementary school campus.

“I think my main focus would be community education about what this means and how that’s going to be impacting our decisions going forward, especially with redefining,” Thompson said. “And I think it’s really important for the community to understand that once these Schools of Hope operators move in, we don’t have any control over what they do.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis touted the Schools of Hope program in a Sept. 25 news conference, where he announced plans for a major expansion into Miami of the New York-based Success Academy Charter Schools.

“I think Miami’s just the beginning,” DeSantis said at the news conference.

Here are the schools that Mater Academy has proposed sharing space with in Broward:

— Atlantic Technical High School, Coconut Creek
— Bright Horizons Center, Deerfield Beach
— Broward Estates Elementary, Lauderhill (now a pre-K)
— Charles Drew Resource Center, Pompano Beach
— Coral Springs Elementary
— Fairway Elementary, Miramar
— Hollywood Central Elementary (now a K-8)
— James Rickards Middle, Oakland Park
— Mary M. Bethune Elementary, Hollywood
— McFatter Technical College & High School, Davie
— McNicol Middle, Hollywood
— Miramar Elementary
— North Side Elementary, Fort Lauderdale
— Palm Cove Elementary, Pembroke Pines
— Panther Run Elementary, Pembroke Pines
— Parkway Middle, Lauderhill
— Pines Middle, Pembroke Pines (now a 6-12)
— Sheridan Technical High School, Fort Lauderdale
— Silver Lakes Elementary, Miramar
— Silver Shores Elementary, Miramar
— Tamarac Elementary
— Tedder Elementary, Deerfield Beach
— The Quest Center, Hollywood
— Thurgood Marshall Elementary, Fort Lauderdale
— Walker Elementary, Fort Lauderdale
— Whiddon-Rogers Education Center, Fort Lauderdale
— Wingate Oaks Center, Lauderhill

Originally Published: October 9, 2025 at 3:09 PM EDT