MILTON — City officials are working with Rader Group, which manages the Learning Academy of Santa Rosa, to ensure the school is ready to be open next week.
City Planning Director Randy Jorgenson recently informed the council the school building will be open on Monday, the first day back to school for students.
However, recent campus changes led to permitting concerns.
This summer, the Stewart Street charter school opted to replace portable units with two modular structures, which will provide 16 classrooms.
The 7,500-square-foot structures were brought in to accommodate a growing student population. This year, the academy should have more than 200 students enrolled, according to a school official.
During last week’s Milton executive committee meeting, city officials questioned whether the academy is part of the public school system or a private property.
Public school property follows state-regulated development standards, but private property requires the owner to just follow city code.
While the Rader Group does partner with the school district, the company is managed by a board of directors, not the Santa Rosa County School Board.
Under the assumption the charter school is privately held, Milton officials were working to ensure the buildings were city compliant. Some of the work being required by the city applied to modifying the building’s roofing.
During this week’s regular council meeting, City Attorney Heather Lindsay determined the charter school exempt from city standards, stating the school is set to open on Monday.
“We have determined that they are exempt from any further impact fees as well as from the requirement that would have applied to a private property owner to modify that roof,” Lindsay said.
With the first day of school just a few days away, a Rader Group official said the school is ready for classes.
“We are really excited about what we have been doing at the school and in Milton,” said Ray Sansom, the academy’s executive director.
Sansom said Milton officials “have been excellent to work with” to resolve any issues.
Jorgenson and City Manager Brian Watkins told the council that Rader Group officials have been cooperative in the process.
According to the academy’s website, the charter school is available for sixth- through 12th-grade students in need of alternative placement, whether for credit recovery of disciplinary reasons.
Sansom said the charter school does have a partnership with the school district by stating a majority of the students have been referred to the academy from school district officials.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton officials, academy settle permitting concerns