Response to Sun Sentinel Editorial Regarding New Charter School in Tamarac

by Sharon Aron Baron January 25, 2015

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Children enjoying the Tamarac Skate Park which will be moved if a charter school is built

Children enjoying the Tamarac Skate Park which will be moved if a charter school will be built

The following is my response to the Sun Sentinel Editorial by Columnist Gary Stein titled A Little Youthful Flavor Never Hurt Anyone.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Gary Stein you are so wrong in your editorial on Sunday, November 25, by accusing Tamarac residents of not wanting change with the proposed charter middle and high school.

It’s not just the Kings Point residents who are against the charter school, it’s other residents as well. You see, it’s not that we’re against change, heck, we welcome change in our community. As an activist who helped lead the efforts to recall a city commissioner, get our commission meetings streamed live, open our parks again on Mondays, change is a badge of honor for me.

But we want smart change.

Broward County Public Schools would not build a high school in Tamarac. Why? Because the numbers do not add up. We just don’t have the population to support a high school. However, our city manager, still wants a school so he’s looking for charter schools even though we have a one middle and two Broward County Public High Schools nearby that are under-enrolled and are currently accepting reassignments. And they haven’t shown us that we have the local students in our very own city that would support this school without depleting our other schools.

According to public records, the City of Tamarac issued only one certificate of occupancy for a new home in 2014.

Our City officials haven’t even embraced our very own schools by creating an Education Advisory Board liaison for them, setting up scholarships, or creating programs like our neighboring cities have.

In fact, this charter school wouldn’t even be a municipal run charter school like Coral Springs Charter School or Pembroke Pines Charter School. The City’s proposal is to lease out seven acres of our beautiful park space and have nothing more to do with it. This is park space used by our families here in the city and is home to our skate park, tennis courts and basketball courts, which will have to be closed and relocated once a charter school is built. I visited these last weekend and all were being utilized.

Our residents are all for progress but we want smart growth and the numbers don’t add up.

Sharon Aron Baron

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Sharon Aron Baron

Sharon Aron Baron is the Editor of Tamarac Talk, Coral Springs Talk, Margate Talk, Coconut Creek Talk and Parkland Talk. Tamarac Talk was created in 2011 to provide News for the residents of Tamarac and is the #1 News Source for Residents.