LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - A charter school that was denied opening in Leon County has officially handed in it's application for appeal to the Florida Department of Education.
Last week, the leaders with the proposed Tallahassee Classical school announced they would apply for charter.
From there, it will go through a number of committees before being placed in front of the state board.
Leaders with the proposed school say that the classical school can offer different and more unique opportunities for students.
"Essentially it is reading through the great books of literature and the great works of history and teaching students to grabble with those big ideas that are in them," said Jana Sayler, Board Chair of Tallahassee Classical School. "That's not to stay that traditional public schools don't do that, but they just have a different focus then we plan to have."
The school is hosting a family fun night Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with live music and food trucks. They will be also be having a Q-and-A session with the founders.
LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - A charter school that was denied opening in Leon County is in the process of appealing to the State Board of Education.
Wednesday afternoon, leaders with the proposed Tallahassee Classical School announced they are finalizing the appeal.
From there, it will go through a number of committees before being placed in front of the state board.
Plato Academy, which was also shot down by the school board last month, will not continue its appeal.
The entire process can take as long as 90 days, and does not come cheap.
To help combat the cost of the appeal and connect with the community, Tallahassee Classical School founders are hosting a "Family Fun Night."
This event will be held at the Northside Community Center next Saturday beginning at 4:30 p.m.
The family friendly event will have live music, food trucks, and a bounce house for the kids.
All are welcome to come out for a good time, and learn a little more about classical education.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - The Leon County School Board rejects two proposed charter schools. The administrations for both schools plan to appeal to the state board of education.
Two weeks ago, the charter applications for Tallahassee Classical School and Plato Academy came up for a vote at the school board meeting. After hours of listening to public comment, the school board opted to table the vote.
"We were interested in getting just a little more information about what the charter schools were all about," says Joy Bowen, a Leon County School Board member for district 5. "What it meant to us in terms of dollars, diminishing dollars, resources for our classrooms, resources for our teachers."
Tuesday night, both charter applications were back on the agenda. Although Plato Academy’s Tampa principal wasn’t too worried about the vote, Tallahassee Classical School Co-founders were nervous.
“It's the last opportunity for Leon County School Board to vote to approve our charter," says Adrienne Campbell one of Tallahassee Classical School's co-founders. "Just thinking about all of the community support that we have, that we really have done the right thing and are bringing something to the community that they're desiring."
After another hour of public comment, strong opinions, tears, and discussion, the school board was ready to vote.
"It was very hard because these are our neighbors, particularly the classical group," explains Bowen. "These are people that we know and we know that their intentions are well intended."
In the end, school board members voted unanimously to deny both charters, but expressed their willingness to work with the home-grown Tallahassee Classical School in the future.
In the next ten days, the school board MUST file its reasoning for denying the proposal with the State Board of Education.
No word yet on when the schools will be ready to file their appeals.
WTXL will continue to follow this story as it develops.
