“The St. Petersburg Times’ redundant article and editorial this week on Imagine Schools unfairly characterizes an organization with a positive history educating thousands of Florida students.
The unbalanced reporting greatly overstated the challenges at Imagine St. Petersburg as well as diminished its positive progress both in finances and academics. Corrective action will eliminate the debt over the next three years. SAT-10 test results in 2008-2009 showed that students attained the one year of learning gains expected between September and April, and 53 percent of Imagine St. Petersburg students attained more than one year of gains. This accomplishment should not be ignored.
Parents see these academic and character successes, which is why more than 18,000 parents have chosen Imagine schools in Florida, and that number will exceed 21,000 next year. Let’s take a look at the record of other Imagine schools. Imagine schools such as the one in Weston has continually earned an “A” rating from the state. This school and others such as Imagine North Port, which has a 94 percent parent recommendation rating, opened full, and high demand brought expansions. Imagine South Lake is adding 20 more classrooms. Imagine Land O’Lakes, which opened in 2008, is expecting 98 percent re-enrollment and has a waiting list with more than 600 students.
As the former superintendent of a large Florida school district, I had schools that did well and schools that had problems, but we never gave up on the students. I’m certain that the Pinellas County School District finds itself in this same position and, like Imagine Schools, will do everything possible to make sure that students in all its schools reach their full potential.
I invite the media to join us as we work to this end and fairly report on our progress across the entire state.”
Alan Olkes, executive vice president, Imagine Schools, Miami