Charter Schools USA plans to finance a new Coral Springs Charter School as city officials work to provide land
Coral Springs, Florida – Coral Springs could be moving closer to replacing its existing charter school campus, with Charter Schools USA offering to finance and construct a new facility if the city provides the land. The proposal is part of a broader agreement between the city and the company that operates Coral Springs Charter School.
Coral Springs could be on the path toward a new home for its city-run charter school, with Charter Schools USA prepared to finance the construction while the city provides the land needed for the project.
The basic framework was approved earlier this year when Coral Springs commissioners, acting in their role as the Coral Springs Charter School Board of Directors, voted 4-0 to renew the city’s management agreement with Charter Schools USA. The renewed agreement runs from July 1 through June 30, 2029.
While the renewal continues the existing relationship between the city and the education management company, it also sets the stage for a separate agreement covering the development and construction of a new charter school.
Under the framework, the city and Charter Schools USA agreed to negotiate a new deal for the school’s development and construction, as well as another management agreement that would eventually replace the current one.
One of the most significant parts of the proposal is how the new school would be financed. Charter Schools USA stated in the document that it intends to secure financing for the project without a financial contribution from Coral Springs, with the exception of the city providing the property.
That means the city’s major role in the proposed construction would be finding and making available an appropriate site.
City Attorney John Hearn brought the matter before the commission and explained the arrangement to commissioners, according to meeting minutes. He also credited City Manager Catherine Givens for her work during negotiations with Charter Schools USA.
The location, however, remains unresolved.
City spokesperson Lynne Martzall said the city does not yet have the agreement in hand. She said a specific site has not been identified, and once the document is received, it will go before the City Commission. She also said she does not know when that will happen.
One location that officials have discussed is vacant city-owned property located between the Coral Springs Gymnasium at 2501 Coral Springs Drive and the Coral Springs Police Department. That site has been mentioned as a possible location for the new school, but no final decision has been made.
The question of where to locate the charter school has been discussed by city officials for years. Coral Springs has considered moving the school away from its current campus on Sample Road, just east of the area known as the “four corners.”
That part of the city, along Sample Road and University Drive, has been targeted for a future downtown area featuring apartments, shops and entertainment. Moving the school has therefore been part of a larger conversation about how that section of Coral Springs could eventually develop.
For now, however, the existing campus remains in place while officials and Charter Schools USA work through the next steps.
The renewal agreement also establishes the amount Coral Springs will pay Charter Schools USA to manage the schools during the three-year period covered by the agreement. The payment is based on student enrollment.
For the school year that began July 1, the amount is $612 for each enrolled student. That figure increases to $630.36 per student in the following year and then to $649.27 in the third year.
The proposed new construction would continue a relationship between Coral Springs and Charter Schools USA that stretches back decades. The company has managed the city’s charter middle and high schools since 2002, under a series of agreements.
The current arrangement is part of a longer history that includes an agreement signed in May 2005, followed by subsequent renewals.
Coral Springs Charter School itself was established through a partnership between the city and Charter Schools USA. The school’s official website says it was established in 1999 through the joint effort of the two parties.
The structure of the school is somewhat different from a traditional public school operated directly by a school district. The Broward County School Board grants the charter to the City of Coral Springs, while the city hires Charter Schools USA to provide staffing and operate the school.
That arrangement leaves the city with an important role in overseeing the charter school while relying on Charter Schools USA for day-to-day professional management.
The proposed new facility would therefore not represent a change in that basic relationship. Instead, it would provide a new physical location while potentially allowing the city and its management partner to continue their existing educational arrangement.
The immediate issue is finding suitable land and completing the separate agreements needed to move the project forward. Although city-owned property near the gymnasium and police department has been discussed, officials have not committed to that location.
No construction timetable has been announced, either.
For residents, the proposal represents a possible major change for one of the city’s long-running educational institutions, but many details still have to be settled. The financing plan described by Charter Schools USA would mean the company is responsible for securing the money needed to build the school, while Coral Springs would provide the property.
Before that can happen, the city must determine where the school can go and negotiate the agreements governing the development and future operation of the facility.
The process is therefore still in its early stages. The city has agreed to pursue the framework, but a site has not been selected and the final development agreement has not yet been presented.
For now, Coral Springs officials and Charter Schools USA are continuing toward a potential replacement campus that could eventually move the charter school away from its current Sample Road location and into a new facility on city-provided land.
