Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas told school board members and superintendents from around the state on Thursday to get over their complaints about Schools of Hope seeking to co-locate in underused district buildings.
Then he suggested the state could look at shutting down “failing” school districts.
That’s when the boos started flying.
Kamoutsas’ lunchtime remarks riled attendees of the Florida School Boards Association’s winter conference in Tampa, the latest escalation of tension between the state’s top education official and local district leaders.
Kamoutsas — who had been invited to the conference but not confirmed as a speaker until Thursday — touted the strong student results of New York-based Success Academy, Florida’s latest Schools of Hope-approved charter school operator, and argued that local districts should want the same kind of outcome.
“That proven success is why Florida has committed to expanding the Schools of Hope model,” Kamoutsas said. “Let’s not forget Schools of Hope are subject to the same assessment program and grading system as the traditional public school. But these schools operate under a performance-based agreement with their sponsor, so if they fail to meet standards, they will be closed.”
Then came the boo line: “There’s not a school district in this state that could be shut down for failing to meet performance standards, though maybe we can talk about that with the Legislature this session.”
The crowd — who had previously heard the commissioner say some of them lacked leadership and conviction — erupted in anger, leaving the commissioner to repeatedly ask them to let him finish. A couple of attendees walked out of the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay ballroom where the meal was taking place.
After about 20 seconds, the group quieted down. Then Kamoutsas doubled down, telling them that he was not asking, but rather expecting them to innovate in any way possible to make the model succeed. Florida’s students don’t deserve failing public schools, he said.
“This is not the moment to protect the way things work,” Kamoutsas said. “This is the moment to put students first. We have a responsibility, a moral obligation to ensure that every child in Florida has access to a world-class education, not someday, not when it’s convenient, not after the funding gets negotiated. Now.”
And he would hold everyone accountable, he said, no matter how uncomfortable it might be.
After winding down, Kamoutsas hustled out of the room, stopping only briefly to chat and take photos with a couple of board members who sought him out. One apologized for the negative reaction in the room.
“It sounds like it was a hit,” Kamoutsas said.
Afterward, some in the audience said they took issue with the commissioner’s messaging.
“I think he doesn’t understand what the real problem is with Schools of Hope,” said Beverly Slough, a St. Johns County board member. “The real problem is they’re coming in without any financial support at all,” leaving operational expenses to districts. “They pay nothing.”
Others had problems with his approach, a mix of threats, warnings and insults.
“If you want to unite politically divided boards, he just did that,” said Heather Felton, a Manatee County board member. “He basically threatened us with the next legislative session.”
Orange County board member Stephanie Vanos said she was taken aback by the aggressiveness of the commissioner’s comments. Rather than trying to build relationships, she said, “he came in with a message that this is the way we are doing it and you better fall in line.”
“I support nonpartisanship,” said Caprice Edmond, chairperson of the Pinellas County board. “When we have people come in and make it divisive, that makes it problematic.”
At the same time, some attendees said they appreciated that Kamoutsas spoke at all.
“We don’t often get the opportunity to hear directly from him. That he chose to come and speak directly to us I think is valued,” said Allison Campbell, president-elect of the Florida School Boards Association.
And not everyone was worried about the Schools of Hope issue, which has seen a handful of charter operators lay stake to space in hundreds of campuses across Florida.
Saul Speights, vice chairperson of Hamilton County’s school board, said co-location isn’t a concern in his district. He did criticize the state’s attacks on public education, though.
Jeffrey S. Solochek and Divya Kumar are reporters covering education as members of the Tampa Bay Times Education Hub. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here.