BY CAROL MOSLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
BROOKER — Things are rolling along as the Brooker Community School gets ready to open the doors to students in August.
The preparation has been a labor of love from the board, the upcoming staff, and the community at large, who have contributed time, energy and funds. The room was filled with volunteers who were thrilled to take part in bringing the school to life.
Before the meeting, first grade teacher Karrie Kulbacki was setting up her classroom. Principal Felecia Moss said, “This is the kind of dedication we are seeing. These teachers are not even being paid yet.”
When asked what excites her about opening this charter school, Moss said, “The people really, really want it here.” She said what impressed her the most was that, Brooker is such a solid community. Coming from a small town herself (Jasper), Moss said she understands how essential a local school is to the community. She pointed out that local contributors have donated $5,000 for each of the classrooms to be decorated and stocked with materials.
When the meeting began, Moss introduced teen volunteer Steven Hylek. Moss said he had been willing to tackle even unpleasant tasks with a smile on his face. She said one thing that greatly impressed her were Hylek’s impeccable manners. His proud parents said the Catholic school he attends in Gainesville requires 25 hours of community service, and Steven chose the Brooker school for his contribution. Moss presented him with a certificate of thanks for his service.
Staff positions are almost filled. The positions for a bus driver and custodian are still open, but Moss has a retired driver in mind as a candidate. Much to her relief, Principal Moss now has an administrative assistant, with Cynthia Simans joining the team.
So far there are 65 registered students with openings filling fast as the new school year approaches. As a public charter school, it is open to students from any locale, even outside the county. Moss has been visiting local churches in the area and making herself available on Wednesdays for parents to meet her in person.
Other logistics are falling into place. Moss said all the curricula have been ordered and came in substantially under budget. Lunches and snacks will be picked up from Bradford Middle School each day and served on site. Brooker Baptist Church donated a van, which can be used for that purpose.
The school has not been approved for free lunches for all students but expects that to be put in place for next year. Meanwhile, parents can fill out the form individually to see if they qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. A suggestion was made that donated funds be used to assure no child goes without lunch. Chairperson Suzanne McRee said “All you got to do in Brooker is say some child’s not getting fed and we’ll get that done.”
Some transportation is being worked out and details will be fine-tuned once the number of students and areas of need are determined by registrations. A charter school cannot use a van for transportation, so to start with there will be one bus that will make a circular six mile radius for pick-ups. Vice Chair Richard Starling pointed out that leasing a bus from the school district, rather than purchasing their own used bus, is likely the best option. A used bus could run upwards of $70,000 and will come in as-is condition. FDOT requires an inspection every 28 days and the school would be responsible for any repairs. With a lease, the district will handle those details. It was confirmed that a leased bus would be approved to pick up of out of county students as well Bradford students.
Starling, said the school is in the running for the Charter School Program grant “to provide financial assistance for the planning, program design, and initial implementation of charter schools.” The exact amount this year is unknown, but it is substantial. Starling said in a recent year the award was around $700,000.
If granted, the items purchased must be tangible and transportable, should they ever need to be returned to the district. Every item purchased with the funds must be inventoried, labeled and tracked whenever it is moved. He a said brand new school bus is a large ticket item they could consider. Laptops and other IT devices would also qualify.
There is a face-to-face interview process still ahead on July 28, and the responses need to be in keeping with the school’s charter. The committee will hold a workshop to prepare themselves for the interview process.
Lots of events are planned to introduce the public to the new school. Aug. 2 is the official start day for teachers and the school will host a breakfast and official ribbon cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. Honoring the dedicated volunteers and donors that made it possible will be a focus of the day. On Aug. 5 there will be a Back-to-School Bash and backpack distribution organized by third grade teacher Stephanie Nash, with items donated by community members. The backpacks will be available for all children in the community, not only incoming students at the charter school.
Nash was a student at Brooker Elementary herself and so was her dad, Eddie Barnes, who spent years organizing the fall festival. Nash is excited that her own children can return to school in Brooker. “There’s been a lot of love poured into this school over the years.”
Barnes was part of the volunteer team that took on the structural and physical activities at the new school. Thanks to those volunteers, the walls are freshly painted, the floors are buffed, and the grounds are neatly landscaped.
As the new school year approaches, the community excitement is building in anticipation of receiving smiling faced children who are eager to learn.
