Charter schools eager to make use of sales tax dollars

Sara Geary, the head of schools at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy since May, said learning is about becoming a part of a community and a part of the world.

Her goal is to keep the “bright-eyed curiosity and passion flowing” that she sees in kindergarteners all the way through them becoming high schoolers. 

“That's the kind of environment that we work toward, educating the whole child and growing them to their best version of themselves,” Geary said. “Whether it's charter or traditional, it’s different how they do it. With a charter, because we are privately organized and run, we can have a little bit more freedom in how we do it.” 

Despite charters having their own school boards as they function aside from the School District of Manatee County, charters are still considered public schools and are part of the district. Beginning in August 2023, charter schools in Manatee County did not receive funds from the half penny sales tax. 

On June 24, the school board voted to give a percentage of the tax back to charter schools. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, charter schools will receive 50% of their proportionate share of the sales tax. In each of the following years, the percentage will increase to 60%, 80% and 100% percent. 

School board member Chad Choate said approximately $4.5 million will be distributed among the 17 charter schools in Manatee County for the 2025-2026 school year. The amount each school gets will depend on its enrollment. 

With the half penny tax funds now being shared, Geary has a few ideas on ways in which to utilize the funds. 

“We want to create some outdoor classrooms here,” Geary said. “We want to expand the opportunities for our kids to experience nature in a different way and we want to expand some of our health and wellness opportunities outside.” 

Patty Scerbo, a mother to two students at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, said it is unfortunate that charters operate "behind the scenes" and slip through the cracks when it comes to funding. Scerbo hopes the money will go toward improvements such as creating a football team at the high school. Right now they only have flag football. 

“When I first heard about it, I was happy to hear that our voice was definitely being heard, and somebody was out there speaking on our behalf,” Scerbo said.

“I was proud to see (the charter school) community unite, stick together, and be consistent,” School Board Member Charlie Kennedy said. “Nobody was screaming and yelling and it was always a respectful ask.” 

Greyhawk Landing resident Sarah Taylor has three children who attend Rowlett Academy and was one of the parents to attend a school board meeting to voice her concerns.

Her children were originally zoned for B. D. Gullett Elementary School and if they had chosen to attend that school, they would have been rezoned in 2021 to Freedom Elementary School. She said there would have been a lot of displacement so they chose to be a charter school family. In doing so, she said her children's school deserves the same funds as other public schools. 

“I don't understand why we wouldn't have access to the same funds, because we're still needing to have the resources for our facilities, technology essentials and improvements to the schools, just like all the other schools,” Taylor said. “It just doesn't make sense.”  

Photo by Madison Bierl

Taylor said the school district employees and board have a lot to manage and she is glad that they're looking at ways to make the situation right.

“At the end of the day, something's better than nothing, but it's also frustrating that we have to settle for half (this year),” Taylor said. 

At the June 24 school board meeting, when the vote to share with charters was approved, Kennedy made the argument to speed up the process. He wanted to expedite the plan to be 50%, 80%, 100% out of “basic fairness.”

“I made my arguments, and I tried to state my case, and the board majority didn't support that and that's okay,” Kennedy said.

Dana Ulstead, who lives in Lorraine Lakes and has a child at Manatee School for the Arts, said she wishes charters were at 100 percent now and speeding up the process would be advantageous to everyone, but she also understands things take time and patience. 

“Everyone has an honest intention, that's my hope,” Ulstead said. "I hope our board members are working for us. A lot gets lost in translation, but I'm happy they're bringing it back.” 

“Whether a student is attending a public or a public charter school, the school board voted to approve the charters to operate in Manatee County,” School Board Member Cindy Spray said. “Our voters passed the half penny sales tax with the support of the charter community, all without asking what building the student was going to be sitting in.”

Steve Zickafoose, senior director of school improvement at Manatee School for the Arts, was heavily involved in attending board meetings. Zickafoose said the charter community had a presence at every school board meeting beginning on Feb.14. 

“Parents might feel some money was left on the table for the charter schools, but I think we have to focus on the positive,” Kennedy said. “Getting this done was quite a lift and, I understand the frustration, but I think we did some good work in the end.” 

“I do think giving back is a huge part of the community and how we can build it, no matter where it's built,” Ulstead said. “I believe it, I live by it and I think kids are our future.” 

Zickafoose said he is truly grateful to the school board for listening and acknowledging that charter students are public school students. 

“Whether they attend a district school or a charter, they deserve to be treated equitably," Zickafoose said. “It’s not perfect yet but it’s progress. It happened because people showed up and stood together.”