Sarasota Schools want to keep for-profit charter operators out of their facilities—and parents happy.
By Brice Claypoole
Original Air Date: October 29, 2025
Host: The Schools of Hope law, which allows for-profit charter school operators to take over underused public school buildings, has set off a scramble to avoid such an outcome in Sarasota. The Sarasota School District first proposed shuttering Wilkinson Elementary School and turning it into administrative offices to avoid a takeover, but it abandoned the idea after strong backlash. Then, the district proposed merging Sarasota Polytechnical High School with Brookside Middle School. Now that idea has been thrown out as well. Brice Claypoole reports.
Terry Conner
Terry Connor: Wilkinson is going to be fine. Wilkinson will remain a neighborhood school, and the added benefit is not only is it going to be a K-5; we’re gonna roll it up to a K-8.
[Applause]
Brice Claypoole: That’s School Superintendent Terry Conner briefing parents Monday at Wilkinson Elementary. By turning Wilkinson into a K-8 school, the district hopes to boost utilization and eliminate the risk of being taken over by a School of Hope Operator. The turnaround came just a month after plans to shutter Wilkinson met fierce opposition from parents.
Suncoast Polytechnic High
Now, the district is also walking back the plan to merge Sarasota Polytechnical High School with Brookside Middle School after that idea also sparked outrage. A Change.org petition against the plan garnered over 250 signatures, and school board member Bridget Ziegler took to Facebook to rebuff the idea.
On October 23, Conner sent an email to Polytech families informing them that the merger is off the table. In the email, Connor detailed a new proposal to potentially include a dedicated magnet program for grades 6-8 at Brookside Middle. The magnet would likely be dubbed “Gulf Coast Academy of Innovation & Technology,” and focus on artificial intelligence, information technology, gaming and cybersecurity. The proposal will be among the ideas discussed at a workshop on November 4.
For now, parents are hopeful. School advocate Jody Osceola, whose children attend Wilkinson, said she’s glad parents were heard.
Jody Osceola
Jody Osceola: It’s for the best of all of our students in the district to keep Polytech where it is. They are number 2 in the district for a reason. This allows them to bring some really great programs into Brookside Middle. To feel like the district is moving towards a progressive approach of partnering with parents and the Department of Education to do better for all of our children and families would be great because this whirlwind of stress that has been put on our kids and on our families is overwhelming. My position as a mom: As long as our kids are taken care of, that keeps our community strong.
BC: School board member Liz Barker agrees.
Liz Barker
Liz Barker: It’s a testament to the community being willing to advocate for what works for them and their families and also a testament to the superintendent’s willingness to hear that.
BC: The public workshop at which proposals for Polytech and Brookside will be presented will be at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 4.
The school board will hold a closed session November 11 to finalize their reshuffling plans ahead of the public board meeting on November 18.
For WSLR News, this is Brice Claypoole.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.