Same company, different school?

Because of budget cuts, the Pinellas County School Board wants to end its contract with Community Education Partners, the Nashville-based company that runs the Oak Park alternative school in Pinellas Park. But CEP has quickly offered up Plan B: A new charter school.

In a May 9 letter, CEP chief executive Randle Richardson says the company would like to open a charter school dropout prevention program in Pinellas that he says would save the district money and "demonstrate innovative leadership." "The Board can demonstrate that even in hard times it is not turning its back on students with the greatest needs," Richardson writes. "It can save money and save kids."

To save money, district officials are looking to redesign their alternative programs, including moving some of them to the fairly new building that houses Oak Park. The board briefly discussed the CEP charter idea at its workshop last Thursday, but took no action. It would need to expedite approval of a CEP application in order for the company to set up a charter by next school year.

CEP runs a handful of alternative schools around the country, including some in Orange County. An affiliate of CEP, Advanced Learning Systems of Tampa, is also developing dropout-prevention charters in Lee and Broward counties, according to this recent Fort Myers News-Press story.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Comments

[Teacher]

Does this mean all those terrible beasts currently being held at Oak Park will be returning to our schools? God help us.

I know that a real teacher did not call our students "terrible beasts." There is no God that will help such a beast as a teacher who would insult living, breathing children in that manner.

[minnie]

Teaching needs to go on in this school.It is a holding cell and students need to be reformed while they learn.We are still responsible for their education.PCS does not need a charter school for dropout prevention since it is not a need for the district- the charter should not be granted.minnieforschoolboard.com

We have no holding cells for students. The school picks its own students and the parents and students sign a contract to be there.

Anyone not in the business of HELPING CHILDREN needs to get out of the schools.

I thought the minnieforschoolboard was a joke!

The right wing nuts are finally leaving. We have hope that we can finally teach science in science class and "prayerful" solutions are a thing of the past. Now we've got minnie mouse calling children beasts and praying we "rid" ourselves of them?

Wake me up after the Renaissance. If I hang around here too long I'm likely to be burned at the stake!

[debbie]

CEP is not only for discipline, it is also there to help students bring grades and credits back up. Back off teacher my daughter is not a beast, Go get a new job if you are burned out.

"Back off"? Sounds a bit beastie to me debbie. Hope your daughter knows better.