BY TAMECA JOHNSON
Freelance Writer

The school year is quickly coming to a close for students across the Bay Area.  For the staff at A. T. Jones Academy in North Tampa, the wind down brings reflections of extreme highs and minor setbacks.

Jones Academy came under fire by the Hillsborough County School District when it discovered administrators had mistakenly enrolled nearly two dozen four-year-olds into the public charter school program. Hillsborough School officials forced Principal Brenda Kearse to withdraw all of the students in question, leaving the school in jeopardy of having to repay nearly $80,000 in state funds used for the children’s education.

Ms. Kearse and the Board of Directors at Jones Academy quickly put together a plan to implement a new program called Accelerated Scholars, which is now up and running.  It is independent of Jones Academy, but is located at the Ehrlich Road campus.

Jones Academy is a K-5 free charter elementary school that specializes in Math, Science and Technology.

Ms. Kearse says getting through this year was a short-term goal.  The 37-year veteran of public schools says she plans to continue efforts to keep Jones Academy on the cutting edge of technology, with help from such sources as Apple Computers. Apple representatives toured the school and verbally committed to providing Jones Academy with more of the latest iPad technology.