Patterson Academy Offers Action Plan to Stay Open

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A local charter school on the hot seat submitted an action plan to the Duval County School Board, which will determine the school's fate Monday.

A week ago, Patterson Academy for the Arts was evicted from its Arlington classrooms for failure to pay rent. More than 70 high school students who attend Patterson have not been in class since then.

Patterson Academy currently operates using a post office box.  A local phone number for the school rolls to voicemail.

The school, in documents provided to the school board, outlined plans to cut staff and payroll, plus bring on a management company and seek financial help from investors.

The charter school said it believes it can run a school on a monthly budget of $44,000.

Patterson Executive Director Devondalyn Hughes, in a media release, said Cornerstone Academy has offered free space for the school to operate. Cornerstone Christian School Principal Kenneth Brockington has been meeting with officials from Patterson to work out an arrangement for space, he said.

"We are an interim solution for them. We are not a permanent solution," said Brockington.

The Duval County School Board plans to vote on Patterson's contract on Monday at a  special board meeting scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.      

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