• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Group Looks at Charter High School: Informational Session Monday is in Islamorada

Posted on: Monday, 15 May 2006, 12:06 CDT

By Alyson Matley, Florida Keys Keynoter, Marathon

May 13--Upper Keys parents looking ahead to their children's high-school years and college educations might want to make a Monday night meeting at the Islamorada library a priority.

At 6:30 p.m., a group of local parents will provide information and take ideas on a charter high school in the Upper Keys.

Charter schools, according to state law, are funded just like public schools through the state, they report to the local school district, and they are tuition-free.

The difference between a charter and another public school is that charter schools are operated by private corporations and have the flexibility of offering a variety of curriculum.

"There are many beautiful facets to this whole idea," said Beth Kaminstein, a parent who has been working closely with Monroe County School Board member Duncan Mathewson exploring interest in such a school.

"We're looking at two proposed tracks," Kaminstein said, "one towards an AS degree. It's a vocational trend aimed at motivated kids who aren't necessarily doing exceptionally well in school. With this, they will graduate and have that degree in nursing, business administration, hospitality."

The other program, she explained, would be a way for high-achieving students to seek and associate' degrees in arts as a foundation for a four-year college.

"This would be for the kid who's looking for more and want more choices in the classes they can take, more challenge, more meaning."

Mathewson began meeting with parents throughout the Keys in February, ground-truthing the interest of parents in creating such schools, which would work in conjunction with Florida Keys Community College.

Both options, Kaminstein noted, would allow kids to go on to other Florida colleges.

"Even if the kids were in the [associate's] program and wanted to go on to a bachelor's degree," she said, "they will have two years of credits under their belt. That's a total benefit."

Kaminstein says she has been working with about a dozen parents in Islamorada, but points out that the program would be Keyswide.

She says she hopes that if there is ample interest, an Upper Keys charter high school would begin classes during the 2007-08 school year.

In the past, there has been interest in a charter high school based at the college's Stock Island campus.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, Florida Keys Keynoter, Marathon

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Florida Keys Keynoter, Marathon, Fla.

More News in this Category