Winter Springs charter school gets key approval to add middle school

Seminole County Public Schools has approved a new charter middle school in Winter Springs. 

Choices in Learning currently operates an elementary school nestled in Central Winds Park. With the Oct. 2 approval, the school will eventually open a middle school on the campus and become a Voluntary Pre-K through 8th grade campus. 

The building is planned to span 38,000-square-feet — a sizable expansion, but smaller than the elementary school — and would cost about $15 million to build. 

“Now our construction fence will go up spring break,” Principal Jordan Rodriguez told Oviedo Community News. “Construction will break ground July 2027, so that’s this summer, with an expected opening of August 2028.”

School board member wants to see more options for special-needs students

One area where Choices in Learning was criticized is that some of its special needs students have had to leave and go to public schools. 

“My hope and my belief is that there will be proactive interventions … and that these concerns can be resolved and support students with independent functioning and social regulation,” SCPS Board Chairperson Robin Dehlinger said. “Because I would hate for a student to be there and then have to find services someplace else. That’s really disruptive to families when changes in placement are needed.” 

Rodriguez said that about 7 to 8 percent of Choices in Learning students have special needs, including kids with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and speech-language issues. In the last four years, three students have had to transfer from Choices in Learning to a public school because the school couldn’t provide services those students needed. 

“When I was a public school principal within the district, if I had a student that had a severe need and needed a one-on-one, I could reach out to the district and see if that was feasible,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just us. We staff based on our budget. I don’t have the flexibility to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to allocate $70,000 total purchase for one teacher that will maintain a handful of students in the classroom. It’s not feasible.”

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Concerns raised about adding a new school as district enrollment declines

The approvals came as Seminole County Public Schools has lost more than 2,000 students from last year to the current school year. The district was facing a a $30 million budget deficit, tied mostly to that student enrollment decline cutting state funding, before laying off more than 300 teachers, staff and administrators. 

So far, that’s led to layoffs in the district, but not school closures. SCPS Board Member Autumn Garick called it “frustrating” that the charter is expanding at a time when SCPS is shrinking. 

“Yes, I do believe that Choices (in Learning) will be successful,” Garick said. “But it will be successful by the student body who is currently in their elementary school, rather than matriculating to our exceptional middle schools, will instead go to a charter school, further declining our choices within our traditional public schools.”  

But School Board Member Abby Sanchez said Choices in Learning is a better option than some of the other schools. 

“I’d much rather our students attend a charter program such as Choices in Learning than head to a private school that doesn’t have certified teachers, that doesn’t have support staff or homeschooling students,” Sanchez said. “To me this is a great option.”

In Florida, charter schools are tuition-free schools that operate under the authority of the public school system, with funding provided largely by the state.

They don’t have the same administrative burdens as public schools, according to the Florida Department of Education. Choices in Learning is run by a former SCPS principal and is an A-rated school. 

Seminole County Public Schools Superintendent Serita Beamon said the school board is limited on what it can judge the application on. 

“The law doesn’t allow for a review as to the necessity of another school in Seminole County. The review framework is very much prescriptive,” Beamon said. “It’s not about whether there’s another school needed. It’s about whether or not the recommendation is supportable based on the application and the review process.”

Ultimately, all four of the school board members present voted to approve the school.  

Abe Aboraya is a Report for America corps member.