Students and parents were left in shock on Monday when the Francis Marion Military Academy suddenly announced plans to shut its doors.
Charles deMenzes, who serves as chairman of the board of the Ocala-based facility – Marion County’s only charter high school – confirmed the closure to Ocala-News.com on Tuesday morning.
“The main reason was financial,” he said. “We just ran out of money.”
DeMenzes said the reason for announcing the closure of the 11-year-old school on Monday was so that students would have the Christmas break to enroll in other Marion County schools before the beginning of the new semester.
“I hung in there as long as I could,” he said.
Kevin Christian, director of public relations and multimedia productions for Marion County Public Schools, said neither the school board nor the district had anything to do with the closure. He said as a charter school the academy is a public school operated by a private entity. But he added that the school district is moving quickly to accommodate those who were misplaced by the decision.
“We will now re-enroll those students in our traditional public high schools and are attempting to hire some of their teaching staff if they are interested and qualified to be teachers in Marion County Public Schools,” he said.
The sudden announcement on Monday left many students in tears and parents quite upset. Many of the academy’s students had participated in the Ocala/Marion County Christmas Parade on Saturday night with no idea what was coming two days later.
Parent Jeff Larson took to social media Monday afternoon to air out his frustrations. He said his son had made the decision to attend the academy and along with his classmates was quite proud to march in the parade.
“The students did a fantastic job displaying the discipline they have been taught since school started,” Larson wrote.
Prior to Monday afternoon, Larson said his son was doing better in school than he ever had in the past. But he said he received a disturbing phone call that took him completely by surprise.
“He called me practically crying to tell me the school was being closed,” Larson wrote. “I could hear other kids crying in the background.”
Larson added that his “heart is breaking” for all of the students and parents who had “no warning” that the school was being shut down.
“Apparently, the board of directors knew and chose to say nothing to the parents or the students,” he said. “All of these students are at this school for a reason. They chose the structure and discipline that they could only get at this school. Many have chosen the military as a future career. We are angry and plan on fighting to keep this school open for these kids.”
The military academy has strong ties to the tri-county community. Earlier this month, 95-year-old Villages resident Irving Locker spoke to the cadets about his experiences in World War II during D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. Locker also talked about his experiences in February when he was singled out by President Trump during his State of the Union address.
In November, cadets took part in flag retirement ceremonies at Lowe’s Home Improvement and Wal-Mart locations in and around The Village. The events, which were organized by veterans advocate Marguerite Desbrow, resulted in the school receiving $2,037 through donations that was earmarked for an obstacle course.
The students also were in The Villages in November to participate in a Villages Honor Flight. They also in November, along with their parents, provided 15 families a complete Thanksgiving dinner.
In October, the cadets also were in The Villages taking part in the Running of the Squares 5K at Brownwood Paddock Square. The team of students took second place out of all those that competed.
Prior to its closure, the military academy touted an education for students that utilized the Army’s military leadership principles. Those included loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. Academy leaders promised that those leadership qualities would be “integrated into every class and activity offered at the school,” the school’s website says.
Those who have questions about the closure of the military academy can call (352) 245-6600 for more information. A letter to parents has instructed them to return their children’s uniforms from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Friday, Dec. 20, or from Thursday, Dec. 26 through Monday, Dec. 30.
