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Hernando Today

School Board Wants More Information

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By TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: October 22, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - School board members made it clear Tuesday that a charter school to bring the county's dropout population back into the fold is a good idea.

But they also cast a wary eye on the proposal of Mavericks High and said they want more information before offering public money to a Fort Lauderdale firm to run the school.

The board asked officials of Mavericks in Education D. Wade's Schools to bring back a revised budget to show how the company could still work if its projected enrollment of 350 students falls short.

Board members also want some evidence to back up that enrollment projection. They agreed to put the proposal up for a yes or no vote at their Nov. 4 meeting.

"I need to see some hard, cold data saying these people would be interested," board member Dianne Bonfield said.
Mavericks CEO Mark Thimmig said the company would submit a revised budget and hire a survey company to try to gauge the level of interest among the county's dropouts between the ages of 15 to 21.
Mavericks is a private firm named after NBA star Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat. The company would use allocated funds from the district's budget to lease and manage the school, as is protocol with charter schools. A governing board would direct the firm on how to run the school.
Mavericks High would get a $25,000 startup grant from the state and then a $225,000 grant to operate the school in the first year. The school would also receive the annual per-student allotment from the state, which currently stands at $5,908 but is expected to drop by another 2 percent because of a tight budget.
Mavericks will loan the school $114,700 the first year.

A district review committee said they liked what they saw in terms of curriculum for the school. But the committee contends that the Mavericks proposal is flawed because it overestimates the number of students it will enroll, especially in the first year. District staff put a more realistic number of students in the first few years at 100 to 175.

The proposal also apparently budgeted the $250,000 grant money twice, curriculum specialist and committee member Dave Schoelles told the board.

Thimmig said the district is underestimating the company's ability to attract the county's dropouts.

"We wouldn't even be before you if we thought there were 50 kids or 75 kids that were going to enroll," Thimmig said.

As for the budget procedures, the firm thought it was doing what the district's finance coordinator advised, Thimmig said. He said the company can start up the school and run it with the $250,000, its own loan and the per-student dollars from the state.

The school would mark the first time the district gave public money to a private firm, so school board members said they had a right to be cautious. They asked if the company would be willing to divulge some of its financial records.

"You need to prove to us you're for real, that you're going to come into this community and not give up on it in a short period of time," board member Pat Fagan said. "We need to know up front you're financially able to make sure this school can go."

Thimmig demurred but assured the board the company has "substantial financial resources."

"That's what Wall Street said," Bonfield replied.

The district committee also worried that the contract didn't spell out that any leftover money would go back into the school. Thimmig bristled at the suggestion his company was planning to grab public money.

The assets of the school would be owned by the governing board and would revert to the school district if the operation dissolves, Thimmig said. Mavericks would take "the biggest loss" in the event the school fails, he said, but added the firm wouldn't be investing its money if there was more than the slimmest chance of that happening.

If approved at the Nov. 4 meeting, district staff will work with Mavericks and the governing board to draw up the school's charter, which would come back before the school board for review. Mavericks hopes to open its doors for the start of the next school year.

In other action, the board selected the law firm of Kunkel, Miller and Hament to serve as special counsel to the board on employment and labor issues, including disciplinary action on district employees. The firm has offices in Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers.

The Hogan Law Firm of Brooksville and Spring Hill was the second of two finalists. School board members said they would have liked to go with a local firm but went with Kunkel because the firm specializes in labor and employment law.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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