TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Around 450 children who were supposed to start classes at Tallahassee Classical School in the fall, will have to wait another year.
The charter school had planned to open a temporary location next semester while their permanent campus is being built, but on Friday they announced a delay.
"We're bummed it's, you know, not a 'this year' thing. But I'm not going anywhere. I really like the vision for the school," said Priscilla West, Tallahassee mom of two.
West enrolled her two children to start classes at Tallahassee Classical School next fall. She's disappointed about waiting another year, but there's still excitement over how the charter school will help her little ones grow.
"For me it's all about the curriculum and the teaching methods. It's all very traditional, old school if you will," said West. "This type of education is exactly what I wanted for my own children."
A plan put on hold after the charter school's efforts to find a temporary facility fell through. The permanent campus still needs to be built.
"We are really sad that we have not been able to find a suitable location for this fall. We wanted to start off a really good, solid footing and the options that we were looking at were not going to be able to help us meet that goal," said Jana Sayler, Co-Founder of Tallahassee Classical School.
Sayler says they worked hard to find the right building with enough classrooms, but bumped into traffic, zoning, and other issues.
"We are, of course, really frustrated. Deeply frustrated," said Sayler. "We very much wanted this, not only for everyone in Tallahassee, but for our own families and for our own children."
The charter school will be built on a 14-acre parcel off Blair Stone Road. It will open for students K-8 in fall 2020 and plans to add a new grade level each year until 12th is included.
Parents learned about the changes Friday morning. Some are demanding refunds after the last minute change in schooling plans.
One writing on Facebook - "So parents who had made plans to send their kids here next year now have to scramble to enroll in the schools they are zoned for...."
West on the other hand is staying positive about the school's future.
"This will be better in the long run, I think having the facility built. And saying 'hey this is our new school, you know, welcome.' It's going to be great, it's going to be really wonderful," said West.
Tallahassee Classical School will not open in the fall as planned and will instead open in August 2020, school officials announced Friday.
They say the opening is being delayed because there is no temporary location available to educate the students in while their permanent facility is under construction.
"We understand how disappointing this is for you, and we share in your disappointment. We appreciate the tremendous support we’ve received throughout this process, and we won’t stop until we are able to walk through the doors of our new school together," wrote Jana Sayler and Adrienne Campbell, who serve on the Tallahassee Classical School Board.
For parents who's kids were looking to attend the school this year, officials say you do not need to re-enroll your child with TCS for the 2020-21 school year and say that, if applicable, your child will maintain their enrollment status in that school for the 2019-20 school year.
Officials are also encouraging parents to reach out to the school’s enrollment office to discuss plans for the 2019-20 school year.
"Our team is committed to opening a high-quality program that will become a fixture of our community. Thank you for your steadfast support as we focus on 2020, and please let us know if you have any questions," officials wrote.
