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Hillsborough board accepts voluntary charter surrenders after four schools announce closures
Summary
The board approved termination of Collaboratory Preparatory Academy and discussed three other voluntary charter surrenders that together affect 292 students; staff described efforts to place 131 students back in district schools and flagged fiscal and oversight concerns.
Hillsborough County School Board members approved the termination of Collaboratory Preparatory Academy’s charter and heard staff describe three other voluntary charter surrenders affecting a total of 292 students.
Superintendent Ayers and Angela Crooks, director of the charter office, told the board the Collaboratory governing board voted to surrender its charter on July 8, 2026 and families were notified July 13, 2026. Crooks said the charter board “felt like they had achieved their mission” and chose voluntary closure rather than a rigorous contract renewal process. She told the board the charter office is executing closure procedures and inventory accounting.
Board members pressed for reasons behind the closures and how the district will protect students and taxpayer resources. Staff reported 292 students across the four closing charters; Marcus Murillo and the choice/placement team said 131 of those students have already enrolled in neighborhood or district schools. Crooks said the charter office paused some FTE fund releases earlier in the year to limit overpayments and has been adjusting projections and monitoring schools that show negative fund balances.
Several board members warned of a trend toward larger management companies absorbing market share and urged stronger, earlier state oversight. Member Combs said the district needs protections so families and employees receive earlier notice, and Member Gray asked staff for more regular financial reporting on at‑risk charters. Superintendent Ayers and staff said they had reached out to the Florida Department of Education about financial action plans but had not always received timely responses; the district implemented early recalculations of FTE funding in October to reduce overpayments.
The board voted to approve the termination item for Collaboratory Preparatory Academy; the motion was moved by Member Combs and seconded by Member Gray and passed unanimously. Board members instructed staff to continue aggressive placement support for affected families and to report back with financial statements and monitoring proposals.
What comes next: staff said final audits and closure accounting are statutory requirements and will come in the next few months, at which point the district will provide additional details on fund balances, inventory disposition, and follow-up enrollment outcomes.
