JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 The Duval County School Board has rejected requests from Miami-based Mater Academy to open charters in two Jacksonville schools under the \u201cSchools of Hope\u201d law.<\/p>\n
Merrill Road Elementary and Fort Caroline School of the Arts were targeted by the charter school company for possible co-location.<\/p>\n
Recent expansions to Florida\u2019s Schools of Hope program<\/a> allow a handful of charter operators to move into neighborhoods served by struggling traditional public schools.<\/p>\n The new rules compel districts to allow \u201cSchools of Hope\u201d to use district buildings rent-free, and to allow existing schools to share common areas and resources with the private operators.<\/p>\n Mater Academy initially sent requests for 25 DCPS schools but withdrew 23 of those.<\/p>\n On Thursday, the district alerted parents at Merrill Road Elementary and Fort Caroline School of the Arts that DCPS \u201cis formally rejecting Mater Academy\u2019s requests to co-locate\u201d in the schools.<\/p>\n The message to parents explained that after considering Mater Academy\u2019s request, the district found it would be \u201cmaterially impracticable\u201d to allow co-location at either school.<\/p>\n DCPS said Mater Academy has been informed of the district\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n The details of DCPS\u2019 rejections are below:<\/p>\n Merrill Road Elementary School<\/p>\n The School Board approved the merger of Don Brewer Elementary into Merrill Road Elementary beginning in the 2026\u20132027 school year as part of the Master Facility Plan. <\/p>\n Based on current and projected enrollments following this consolidation, the facility will not have adequate available space to accommodate an additional school, making co-location materially impracticable.<\/p>\n Fort Caroline School of the Arts<\/p>\n Fort Caroline School of the Arts is a dedicated arts magnet school, designed and modified to support specialized instruction in visual and performing arts. Sharing the space with an additional school would disrupt the delivery of its magnet program and facilities usage, making co-location materially impracticable.<\/p>\n Additionally, under section 1002.333(4)(a)7, F.S., the school is not located within a Persistently Low Performing School attendance zone nor in a Florida Opportunity Zone\u2014two criteria that trigger required co-location acceptance. This provides further grounds to deny the request<\/p>\n The \u201cSchools of Hope\u201d issue has raised many concerns from parents across the district, and earlier this week, the Duval County School Board voted 4-3 to add Schools of Hope to its legislative agenda.<\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Number of Duval County schools targeted as Schools of Hope down to 2: Jax Today<\/a> | \u2018That\u2019s unacceptable\u2019: Duval County parents push for school board action against \u2018Schools of Hope\u2019 law<\/a><\/p>\n