ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Nadia Bellande, whose son currently attends Orange Center Elementary, says she\u2019s seen firsthand how the school supports students. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been in a situation where I moved him to different schools. They didn\u2019t have any patience for my kid. Here it\u2019s been like a breath of fresh air because there are teachers here who are truly taking the time to understand your child,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
She plans to enroll her younger son once he\u2019s old enough.<\/p>\n
[EXCLUSIVE:Become a News 6 Insider (it\u2019s FREE)<\/a>| PINIT!Share your photos<\/a>]<\/p>\n Another parent, Saleema Simmons, pulled her son out of the school in 2018, feeling he wasn\u2019t supported. But after enrolling her daughter this year, she says she\u2019s seen dramatic improvements. <\/p>\n \u201cMy daughter has been there this year since the beginning of the school year. I can see a totally different change. It\u2019s a totally different school,\u201d Simmons said.<\/p>\n Parents point to new staff and the involvement of Lift Orlando as major contributors to that change. Now they\u2019ll have the chance to vote on whether to convert Orange Center Elementary into a charter school.<\/p>\n Lift Orlando President Eddy Moratin emphasized that the school would remain rooted in its community. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s still in every way a tuition-free public school, which operates with the school zone in mind like a public school would,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Unlike a typical charter or Schools of Hope, this model would allow OCPS and Lift Orlando to operate as partners, keeping the school public while expanding support services for students \u2014 from academics to social services.<\/p>\n Principal Erin Albert says the partnership would bring a new governance structure while keeping OCPS resources in place.<\/p>\n \u201cNSI will be the entity that runs the school. That will be the governance. Working through Lift Orlando and the board NSI creates, they will work with OCPS. A partnership like this means it will be the OCPS building, and I\u2019ll have access to OCPS resources and assets,\u201d Albert explained.<\/p>\n Lift Orlando said the conversion could allow the school to grow by roughly 300 students and expand into a K\u20138. <\/p>\n Bellande supports the move, saying, \u201cThey\u2019re putting our kids first, making sure they have a spot here. Then they\u2019re opening the doors for others who get to come in. I am ecstatic for it. I love it. I cannot wait for it to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Simmons said she\u2019s hopeful, too. <\/p>\n \u201cKnowing that I will be able to see this and be at the start of it \u2014 it helps everyone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n