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Jefferson Nears Deal With Somerset Academy To Run District Schools

Jefferson County Elementary School

The Jefferson County School District will be back before the state board of education Wednesday. It may have found a charter school operator to take over its struggling school system, and is a step closer to becoming Florida's first charter district.

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Jefferson will present a charter school application from Somerset academy—a charter school with locations in Florida, Nevada and Texas. The state earlier gave Jefferson an ultimatum: convert to a charter school district or face the closure of its schools. That came after state education officials expressed mounting frustration with the state of the school system, which is the worst performing in Florida.

In its application, Somerset says it will pay teachers seven percent more than what they can make in surrounding counties, and fund competitive health benefits and a four percent 401-k match. The charter company has also published a rigorous curriculum outline that includes AP courses. And it says it will actively seek to reintegrate students attending Jefferson’s alternative school, back into the traditional school setting. The charter school boasts high graduation and college acceptance rates in its other schools, as well.

If approved, Jefferson would become the state’s first charter school district.

View Somerset's presentation to the Jefferson County School Board here.

Follow @HatterLynn

Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University and Florida State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master's in Professional Communication. Lynn has been with WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She has worked with several organizations, including Kaiser Health News.  Lynn has also partnered with USC-Annenberg's Center for Child Wellbeing on the nationally acclaimed series "Committed," which explored the prevalence of involuntary commitment use on children.
She serves on the board of RTDNA and the United Way of the Big Bend, with previous service on the board of the First Amendment Foundation of Florida.

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