JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board has rejected requests from Miami-based Mater Academy to open charters in two Jacksonville schools under the “Schools of Hope” law.
Merrill Road Elementary and Fort Caroline School of the Arts were targeted by the charter school company for possible co-location.
Recent expansions to Florida’s Schools of Hope program allow a handful of charter operators to move into neighborhoods served by struggling traditional public schools.
The new rules compel districts to allow “Schools of Hope” to use district buildings rent-free, and to allow existing schools to share common areas and resources with the private operators.
Mater Academy initially sent requests for 25 DCPS schools but withdrew 23 of those.
On Thursday, the district alerted parents at Merrill Road Elementary and Fort Caroline School of the Arts that DCPS “is formally rejecting Mater Academy’s requests to co-locate” in the schools.
The message to parents explained that after considering Mater Academy’s request, the district found it would be “materially impracticable” to allow co-location at either school.
DCPS said Mater Academy has been informed of the district’s decision.
The details of DCPS’ rejections are below:
Merrill Road Elementary School
The School Board approved the merger of Don Brewer Elementary into Merrill Road Elementary beginning in the 2026–2027 school year as part of the Master Facility Plan.
Based on current and projected enrollments following this consolidation, the facility will not have adequate available space to accommodate an additional school, making co-location materially impracticable.
Fort Caroline School of the Arts
Fort Caroline School of the Arts is a dedicated arts magnet school, designed and modified to support specialized instruction in visual and performing arts. Sharing the space with an additional school would disrupt the delivery of its magnet program and facilities usage, making co-location materially impracticable.
Additionally, under section 1002.333(4)(a)7, F.S., the school is not located within a Persistently Low Performing School attendance zone nor in a Florida Opportunity Zone—two criteria that trigger required co-location acceptance. This provides further grounds to deny the request
The “Schools of Hope” issue has raised many concerns from parents across the district, and earlier this week, the Duval County School Board voted 4-3 to add Schools of Hope to its legislative agenda.
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Parents and community members have expressed concerns about Schools of Hope for several months, urging the board to take a public stance against the legislation.
The Schools of Hope legislative agenda addition includes several key points: ensuring co-location requirements do not jeopardize safety or create unfunded burdens for districts; refining eligibility criteria to better identify underperforming schools; updating facility utilization metrics; preserving local school board authority over district property; and clarifying statutory definitions for consistent guidance to districts and charter operators.
The legislative session is set to begin next week.