Despite district concerns, Hernando group hopes to open an arts charter school

SPRING HILL — Scott and Merritt Tilson have seen firsthand the benefits of the arts for Hernando County youngsters.

The Tilsons are co-owners of All About Music, a music supply store in Spring Hill that also offers music lessons.

Scott is a former choral director at Nature Coast Technical High School. Merritt is a former band director at Nature Coast and a founder of the Hernando Youth Orchestra.

The couple have five children in local schools — two at Chocachatti Elementary, the district's fine arts magnet — and have grown concerned that budget cuts are putting the squeeze on arts programs.

"The arts is able to transcend all students with all abilities, limitations and interests," Merritt Tilson said. "Having the opportunity to express yourself as a student is important."

Now, the Tilsons say, it's time in Hernando County for a charter school that offers an arts-centered public education, and the couple is spearheading an attempt to open one.

Infusion School for the Arts, which eventually would serve students in grades 6 to 12, would offer programs in dance, drama, instrumental music, vocal music, and visual arts, with possible additions later. To be true to its name, the artistic disciplines would be infused into the core curriculum so students can "see their favorite form of expression as a means to learn and express their knowledge of academics," according to an application submitted to the Hernando school district last month.

High school students would have the opportunity to earn a special diploma that requires eight credits in their arts major. To graduate, students would be required to complete a senior art project that displays a culmination of the skills gleaned from the school.

The plan, which draws inspiration from the Manatee School for the Arts in Manatee County, calls for a fall 2011 opening in Spring Hill. But that now seems like a lofty goal. The Tilsons and their fellow Infusion board members learned Wednesday that the district's charter review committee and superintendent Bryan Blavatt are recommending that the School Board deny Infusion's application.

The 204-page document fails to meet four of 20 state standards set for charter schools and only partially meets 11 of those standards, according to the review committee's report.

The application used a flawed methodology to project student enrollment and fails to provide a sufficiently detailed budget, the committee determined. The application also lacks a detailed strategy to provide for exceptional students, and its plan to open by next fall is unrealistic, according to the report.

The School Board will consider the application at a workshop Tuesday and could formally vote as early as Sept. 21. If the board denies the application, Infusion can file an appeal with the state or submit an amended application next year.

Infusion board members plan to attend the workshop and try to address the district's concerns, Merritt Tilson, who serves as board president, said Wednesday shortly after receiving the report. If that doesn't work, they will likely appeal to the state.

She plans to meet Friday with Jeff Yungmann, the district's curriculum supervisor, to discuss the committee's findings.

"We're going to do whatever we can to ensure the students don't lose out on this opportunity, and get the school up and running as quickly as possible," she said.

"Each application has positives and areas of deficiencies," Yungmann said Wednesday. "Definitely what (Infusion) has is a sound vision and mission."

Options are limited for Chocachatti students once they leave the fifth grade, the application states. Nature Coast Technical High offers some arts tracks, but Infusion would be unique in the breadth of its curriculum.

The school would have a maximum enrollment in its first five years of 1,328. The graduating fifth-grade class for 2010 at Chocachatti was 142 students, and the school has a waiting list and is always at full capacity, the application states. Because the Infusion school would open serving only grades 6 through 8, the enrollment would start at about 330 and gradually increase.

But the charter review committee, composed of district employees from several departments, doubted the premise that the school would attract most or all of Chocachatti's students.

Enrollment determines state funding, so the flawed projection is among several factors the committee cites in calling Infusion's budget plan deficient. The application lacks a startup budget and underestimates the costs for transportation, food and employee benefits, among other expenses, the committee found. The plan, which projects expenditures of about $1.8 million in its first year and about $5.3 million in the fifth year, also does not account for costs for other items such as music equipment and curriculum supplies.

"This raises concerns that the school will not be prepared to meet fiscal obligations," the report said.

The goal is to secure a $1.5 million loan to purchase land and construct modular buildings. The Infusion board already has two Spring Hill sites in mind.

Infusion's application says the school "is not for everyone" and that staffers would determine whether exceptional students are right for the school, based on reviews of individualized education plans. That's discrimination, the review committee said. Because Infusion plans to accept at least 10 percent of its students through a lottery system, the school must show an ability to provide for all exceptional students.

The committee also determined that the Infusion plan fails to provide full services to gifted students.

The application partially met standards in the areas of educational program and design; curriculum plan; student performance, assessment and evaluation; English language learners; governance; management; employment; student recruitment and enrollment; and facilities, transportation and food service.

The application met standards in the areas of mission; guiding principles and purpose; school climate and discipline; parent and community support; and financial management and oversight.

Among the other Infusion board members are Victoria Hernaiz, a former Hernando County teacher who now teaches in Pasco County; Jason Kahler, a former principal for Hernando Christian Academy; Mandy Mathieu, a teacher at Lecanto High School; and Margaret Nelson, a certified public account from Spring Hill.

"Conceptually, I think it's great," Blavatt, whose wife is a retired art teacher, said Wednesday of Infusion's plan. "I'm a strong advocate for the arts. But when you get beyond the concept, there are some difficulties as to whether it can work in the district's parameters."

Asked whether he thought the district could work with Infusion to make that possible, he said, "Hopefully, we can."

Tony Marrero can be reached at tmarrero@sptimes.com or (352) 584-5537.