The Pasco County School Board is currently considering allowing land it currently owns that was previously planned for a new public high school near Stansil Park in Starkey Ranch to be sold to the Patel Foundation to build a charter high school, Dr. Patel Charter High. We feel that allowing this charter school to be built adjacent to Starkey Ranch would be a terrible mistake. Pasco County School District has promised their parents a world class education, but we feel this potential school falls short of that goal. 

The land has been owned by the district since 2017 and is currently in the 10 year plan for development of a 9-12 public high school for year 2027/2028. Our zoned high school, River Ridge, has increased in population for the last 5 years. Soon, it will be overcrowded based on the upcoming student population. We are in desperate need of a high school that will accommodate the growth in our area.

The proposed Patel Charter School will only serve 1000 students. In addition, those students will be chosen by lottery from any Pasco County student that applies. This situation will not alleviate our overcrowding issue and will not serve our community in the way we were led to expect. 

The worst aspect is that the district will lose up to $8.5 million dollars a year based on per pupil spending. We feel this could hurt our district and community in the long run.

The Patel Charter School is proposing a Cambridge program that adds nothing to current public school district offerings. The existing Patel Charter School in Hillsborough County is only B rated. The Patel proposal is a significant downgrade from a public high school. 

We are asking residents of Starkey Ranch and neighboring communities to sign the petition to stop the proposed Patel Charter School as it does not suit the needs of our community.