Update from  Charter School Lease Subcommittee

Beth Hinrichs, Chairperson

At our Winter Congregational Meeting, I provided a summary of our process regarding a proposed use of our education and West Wing for a public Charter School called Constellation Charter School. The school had approached church staff late last year with a proposal to lease our space for their school which had recently been approved as a new charter school by the School Board of Alachua County. In turn, Council Exec looked at the proposal and recommended the creation of a subcommittee to look further into the proposal and negotiate a lease if the concept was accepted. This committee was approved by the Board of Business and Church Council in December.

In January, the new committee began meeting every two weeks. The committee consists of:

• Council-Member-at-Large, Beth Hinrichs, 
• Family Promise: Dawn Beachy
• Board of Children Youth and Families: Taylor Stein
• Board of Business: Bill Hoppe
• Congregational Representation with Charter School Expertise: Jenny Hill
• Staff, Facilities: Lisa Goldstein
• Staff, Children’s Programs: Keri Trosper
• Non-voting Ministerial Liaison: Talia Raymond
• Non-voting Moderator (Ex Officio): Donn Smith-Lopez

At this point, the committee is considering the pros and cons of entering into a lease relationship with the school. Many discussion items are on the table including (but not limited to) indoor and outdoor facilities in scope, shared use of space, pick up/drop off, parking, utility usage, rental costs, release of liability, etc. Another important task is to gather congregational input and hear questions and concerns. To that end, are having a series of listening sessions which started on February 24. We will have two more sessions as on Sunday, March 6, and Sunday, March 27 at 12:30 pm. Join here. Meeting ID: 847 2906 3443 Passcode: 1624. The same link can be used for both sessions.

I would like to stress that the committee has not yet decided whether or not to lease the school and these sessions are critical opportunities to get a sense of how the congregation feels about the proposal. The committee will consider other opportunities for feedback to ensure the majority of the congregation is behind our decision. 

Part of the school’s process is to apply for a special use permit from the city of Gainesville in order for UCG to even consider the school as a lessee. This process is running concurrently with our meetings and does not mean that the decision has already been made. On February 27, the school held a public meeting for neighbors of our campus in order to meet the first step in the special use permit process. Another step is a site plan which will need to be approved by city planning staff. In no way, does getting this special permit obligate us to offer the school a lease contract.

Exploring this relationship with the school is an exciting opportunity for the church as both a source of revenue and a community partnership. However the Committee members and Church Council are keenly aware there are many feelings, opinions and concerns from the congregation. We look forward to sharing our process further and hearing what your thoughts are, positive and negative, on this possible partnership.

With gratitude,

Beth Hinrichs