CAPE CORAL, Fla., - The Council Chamber room filled with parents and students of Oasis High School Thursday evening with a clear message to City Council, keep the school open.
The City is discussing how to make the Cape Coral Charter School system sustainable after the Budget Review Committee recommended it eliminate the high school and just offer K-8.
“These charter schools here really support parental involvement, great programs and ultimately these kids go on to have really bright futures and we want the City to continue to support the K-12 system,” said Eric Feichthaler, a parent and former mayor of Cape Coral.
Feichthaler, who has 4 kids in the Charter School system says the ‘A’ rated school is worth the investment.
Council members expressed they don’t want to get rid of the school. But ultimately, they need to find a way to fund the system long term.
The challenge it’s facing is low enrollment at the high school level, while costs continue to increase.
“As our enrollment levels out and our costs continue to increase, we will probably need an additional revenue stream in the future,” said Jacqueline Collins, Superintendent of the Cape Coral Charter School Authority. “We’re working on things to increase revenue for our system to make us sustainable over time.”
The Charter School is currently conducting a 6 month study with the City to analyze how the funding is being managed to determine how to run it more efficiently.
Collins says the Charter system has enough in the reserves for now. But it’s unclear how long it’ll last.
