Newberry Community School (NCS) leaders announced on Tuesday that an application to the state to convert Newberry Elementary School into a charter had been submitted before the deadline. 

NCS leadership plans to center the school’s educational model around science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). 

“At Newberry Community School, our mission is to honor and preserve our community’s diverse values while providing a dynamic and supportive educational experience for all students,” Derek Danne, NCS board chair, said in a press release. “We are dedicated to cultivating a love for learning, promoting academic achievement, and preparing our students to thrive in an evolving world… We aim to create a safe, nurturing, and inclusive atmosphere that celebrates tradition, encourages curiosity, and empowers every child to achieve their full potential.” 

The Florida Charter School Review Commission (CSRC) meets four times a year, and charter applications are due 90 days before the meeting in which they will be considered. Nov. 26 was the last day to submit an application to be considered at the commission’s Feb. 26 meeting. Within three days of submitting the application, the applicant must send a copy of the application to its sponsor school district. 

The charter school conversion initiative was first introduced to the community in February as a push to convert all three of Newberry’s schools—Newberry High School, Oak View Middle School and Newberry Elementary School. 

When teachers and parents voted in April, the elementary school was the only to reach 50% approval from both teachers and parents, though opponents to the conversion complained that other school staff was not represented, and argued that a bare 50% is not the same as a majority. 

Though an email from a Florida Department of Education official clarified that a 50% vote was enough to apply, and the state Board of Education amended its rules to match state statute’s 50% requirement, pro- and anti- charter conversion groups continued to clash. 

The Newberry City Commission has strongly supported the charter conversion effort, even assigning city staff to help draft the application, and promising a $2 million loan to cover NCS’s startup costs where needed. 

Along the nine months’ journey so far, the elementary school has lost teachers, a main face of the conversion effort was arrested for luring a minor, and a commission meeting shouting match has resulted in letters between lawyers. 

Alachua County Public Schools has maintained throughout the process that the initial vote failed, and school board members have spoken disapprovingly of the conversion push. 

The CSRC’s timetable estimates Jan. 10 as an approximate interview date for those whose applications met the November deadline, and Jan. 25 as the date the Florida Charter Institute will make its recommendations to the Florida Department of Education. 

If the CSRC grants the application, the school district is to provide an initial proposed charter contract within 30 days, to serve as sponsor and supervisor of the new school.