The Pasco County School Board has approved the charter school application for Pepin Academies Wesley Chapel, to be located at the campus of Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation.
The charter school, which will serve third- through 12th-graders, is scheduled to open in the 2024-2025 school year.
The application clearly states that the school will enroll students with learning or learning-related disabilities and a current Individual Education Plan. The school is focusing on students with learning disabilities in Wesley Chapel, St. Leo, San Antonio, Dade City and Zephyrhills.
The application for the school was submitted by Jeffrey Skowronek on March 10, 2023. The school board approved the application at its July 18 meeting.
The campus will be on land that was acquired for the school through a partnership and memorandum of understanding between Pepin and Pasco County Schools, according to materials in the school board’s agenda packet.
The school will be opened in phases, with maximum enrollments increasing over a period of five years, as follows:
- Year 1 (2024-2025): 85 students in grades three through six
- Year 2 (2025-2026): 155 students in grades three through eight
- Year 3 (2026-2027): 225 students in grades three through 10
- Year 4 (2027-2028): 255 students in grades three through 11
- Year 5 (2028-2029): 285 students in grades three through 12
The mission of Pepin Academies Wesley Chapel at Kirkland Ranch is to “empower students with learning disabilities to maximize their potential in a positive therapeutic educational environment,” the board’s agenda packet said.
In Pepin’s charter application, an evaluation determined that 16 of 22 sections of the application “meet the standard,” and six of the sections “partially meet the standard.” None of the sections were rated as “did not meet the standard,” the budget materials reported.
The application review noted, in part, that Pepin “clearly explains a therapeutic model and classroom environments that cater to the specific needs of their unique student population.”
Also, the “applicant has a clear understanding of the value of making data-driven decisions when setting educational goals,” the evaluation said.
Although a contingent of Pepin representatives attended the board meeting, none of them spoke.
Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent of Pasco County Schools, remarked that the partnership is a unique arrangement among public schools in Florida.
Published July 26, 2023
