TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Leon County Schools is weighing taking legal action against Charter Schools USA. The company managed the now-closed Renaissance Academy charter school.
- Renaissance Academy closed at the end of the 2024-2025 school year due to declining enrollment.
- Leon County Schools says it was denied access to assess the value of unreturned furniture in the school.
- Watch the video to hear the response from Charter Schools USA.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Renaissance Academy charter school has sat quiet since its closure this year.
But what's inside it is at the center of an ongoing legal debate between Leon County Schools and Charter Schools USA.
"Well, by law, all the contents of the building paid for with taxpayer dollars revert back to the public school system, which is us,” Hanna said.
ABC 27's Brieanna Smith talked to Superintendent Rocky Hanna who says the district planned to distribute leftover furniture from Renaissance to other schools, but says they were denied access to the building.
“We've attempted to go back the second time to do a more detailed inventory…and we were denied access,” he said. “I'm just really disappointed that they're acting this way when they know what the law says.
He's referring to a state law that says all equipment and property purchased with public funds from the school district must go back to the district when a charter school closes.
President of Charter Schools USA Richard Page says they are following this law. He says the property is under a lien held by bondholders. Based on that state law, all liens must be settled before the property can go back to the district.
“Yeah, we've been pretty clear about this from the onset, that the building and the contents were privately purchased,” Page said. “We don't own the building. We're not part of that process. We were the school, the company that managed that school that is closing."
Hanna says he initially planned to recommend filing a lawsuit, but says the Florida Department of Education offered to mediate.
ABC 27 reached out to the agency to confirm.
A representative told us, “The Florida Department of Education is not involved in this matter," saying the issue "remains between the school district and Charter Schools USA."
As of Monday morning, neither the school district nor Charter Schools USA has taken legal action.
In the meantime, a new private school, Tallahassee Preparatory Academy, is expected to open in that same building this school year.
While there's no start date listed, its website says they follow Leon County Schools' calendar.
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