{"id":420919,"date":"2025-12-03T03:24:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T03:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/420919\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T03:24:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T03:24:22","slug":"duval-county-parents-voice-concerns-over-schools-of-hope-charter-expansion-our-school-board-is-too-quiet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/420919\/","title":{"rendered":"Duval County parents voice concerns over Schools of Hope charter expansion, \u2018our school board is too quiet\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. <\/strong> \u2013 Duval County parents are raising concerns about the expansion of Florida\u2019s Schools of Hope program,<\/a> which allows charter schools to co-locate with underutilized traditional public schools.<\/p>\n

The law permits charter operators to open schools inside existing public school buildings that have excess capacity, a move that some parents and advocates say threatens local public schools.<\/p>\n

Yasmina White, a Duval County public school parent and advocate, said, \u201cOur main concern is that our school board is too quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

White is seeking clarity from the school board on how they plan to respond to the Schools of Hope legislation ahead of the upcoming legislative session.<\/p>\n

Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier addressed the issue during a school board report Monday night. He said three organizations have sent letters of intent to operate charters within Duval County schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery important for the community to know that two of those organizations lacked the designation of a hope operator. So they weren\u2019t even eligible to participate at this time,\u201d Bernier said.<\/p>\n

While Bernier did not name the organization they are working with, Jacksonville Today reported in October<\/a> that Mater Academy plans to open charters inside 25 existing schools. The district\u2019s school choice office has been meeting with Mater Academy as recently as this week.<\/p>\n

Bernier emphasized, \u201cI think people need to realize is none of this is actionable until 2027. So it can\u2019t even happen next year. So there\u2019s time and there\u2019s space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the timeline, White worries that 2027 is approaching quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe law is in effect right now. These hope operators are moving quickly. Like Mater Academy, there\u2019s like a turn time that the district has to reply to them. Then they\u2019re supposed to get like maps of our schools and do a walkthrough with the district,\u201d White explained.<\/p>\n

District 3 Board Member Cindy Pearson has publicly shared her specific recommendations for the Schools of Hope legislation. She posted a message on Facebook nearly two weeks ago outlining her stance.<\/p>\n

White expressed concern that other school board members have not communicated their positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey could still be advocating for charter schools to be in there. And in my opinion, just because a school is a D or an F, that still doesn\u2019t warrant a co-location,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n

An attempt to interview Pearson was unsuccessful, but her Facebook post included an email sent to the Duval Delegation with suggestions such as:<\/p>\n