- March 20, 2025
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As Sarasota's school board convened Feb. 18, it approved contracts for three of the county's existing charter schools, while also approving the district's selected science textbooks.
The school board approved contracts with two existing Sarasota-based charter schools, Dreamers Academy and Sarasota Military Academy.
It also renewed a contract for Island Village Montessori School in Venice.
Charter schools are public schools that operate independently, under a performance contract with the district known as a "charter."
Dreamers Academy was approved for a contract amendment that allows an expansion from a K-5 to a K-8 school, beginning with 6th grade in the 2025-2026 school year.
The school is centered on a program of dual-language immersion, alternating instruction in English and Spanish.
During a Jan. 7 board workshop, district staff said despite a grade decrease from an "A" grade during the 2022-2023 school year, to a C in the 2023-2024 year, the school was working to increase scores, having voluntarily submitted to an impact review.
"It was such a joy to interact with that team, to feel their vision and passion to know that they're going to create great pathways and continue to advance performance so that that opportunity is of the highest quality in our district," said Deputy Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer Rachael O'Dea.
The board also renewed its contract with Sarasota Military Academy, a JROTC-based school currently serving nearly 1,000 students.
The school has maintained a grade of B over the last two years, rising above a C from 2021 to 2022 and a B from 2018 to 2019.
"We walk the walk and talk the talk. Not only do we expect this of our cadets but we expect this of our staff as well, and holding them to high expectations," said CEO Christina Bowman, the school's CEO.
She said when the school was previously an "A" school, it had held a focus on the basics and on literacy in every content area, something the school's current multifaceted plan would return to.
The contract for Island Village Montessori School in Venice was also renewed. The school serves kindergarten through eighth grade using a Montessori-based instructional approach.
"These three schools that we will be voting on today actually capture the essence of what school choice is meant to be, so I'm delighted to be able to approve all three of them," said board member Tom Edwards.
The board also approved the district's selection of science textbooks across all grades.
Book brands included McGraw Hill, Discovery, Savvas, National Geographic Cengage, Pasco Scientific and Kiddom.
During a Jan. 14 meeting, the requirement that the board adopt state-specific versions of books had drawn concern from the public.
"If you want to prepare students to be at the forefront globally in things like biotechnology, biomedical research, they need a much more rigorous background than with censored books and a censored curriculum," said Robin Williams on Jan. 18.
On Jan. 14 meeting, board member Liz Barker had expressed shared concerns, while noting the review committee, on which she served, performed "hours, and hours, and hours of painstaking reviewing and rating textbooks."
