Charter schools are not new, nor are they an uncommon occurrence in Hillsborough County. For nearly 30 years, Florida has allowed these organizations, which open up choice schools across the state, to essentially function as public schools without all of the regulations and restrictions on curriculum. Nearly 56 exist in the district alone, comprising approximately 35,000 students in total.
What is new is the “Schools of Hope” program, created in 2017 and amended this summer when Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 2510, which allows for charter schools to operate within public school facilities. This is a system of co-location, meaning both schools operate in tandem in the same buildings; however, the buildings are still entirely owned and supported by the original public school. This means that it is the public school’s responsibility to pay for things like utilities, cleaning, transportation, and building maintenance costs, while the co-locating charter school is not.
Previously, the bill allowed charter schools to work within “underperforming public schools” with the idea of increasing student success by giving families increased options and choice in where to send their children to school.
“Yes, the choice in and of itself is good,” DeSantis said in a September 2025 press conference. “If a parent has options, that’s better than having one option that’s not doing well, and you have no choice to get out of that.”
This is supported by statements made by the Florida Commissioner of Education, Anastasio Kamudus, in the same press conference.
“Schools of Hope operators consistently outperform both district and state averages in states where they currently serve,” Kamudus said, “[Operators] will not just expand school choice for families, but will also ensure that students are prepared for their future.”
Recently, this has hit very close to home, with Hillsborough County being sent notice this November that 22 schools in the district are eligible for this program. One of the schools is Monroe Middle School. After months of operating under capacity, Mater Academy, a prominent school of hope operator, sent notice of its intent to co-locate in Monroe’s building.
Additionally, Adum, a practically brand new K-8 Magnet School, has been identified and received notice from Mater Academy as well, with the correct principal of Adum Scott Weaver assuring parents and students that he and the school are doing what they can to prevent co-location.
Mater Academy plans to set up in these schools by 2027, a decision which has sparked controversy in these schools’ communities and the district at large. Many parents feel that they don’t consent to having a second school take over facilities that their own children could be using, and the schools themselves have stated that they do not want these co-locations to occur, yet due to the way the bill is structured, it is yet to be seen if they can actually prevent it.
This is also pertinent as Hillsborough is set to construct two new schools within the next few years, something that is suggested to practically ensure these buildings are occupied by Charters.
“New schools don’t open at capacity. They just don’t,” school board member Dr. Stacy Hahn said during a meeting held on Nov. 18, 2025. “Moving forward with approximately $180 million in construction, only to have to turn part of these buildings over for co-location would be devastating for our families and students and our financial stability.”
Another consequence of this essentially forced takeover is that the school of hope program is a state-run initiative, meaning that any schools that get taken over by these schools are controlled (at least in part) by the state board, and not the locally elected board that the rest of the school is governed by.
The bill increases parents’ freedom and choice in their children’s education, but it could have the effect of weakening the already tenuous public school system in Florida, pulling the ability to make decisions about education away from the districts, and giving that power to the state.
