- December 16, 2025
Heritage Academy charter school received failing grades from the state in 2010 and 2011, leading to a ruling from the Flagler County School Board to terminate its contract with the district in a January meeting.
In a more than seven-hour-long March 13 appeal hearing, the board reinforced that ruling.
“We’ve really worked hard with them … and I really don’t know what else can be done,” said Superintendent Janet Valentine, in a March 12 interview. “If it was a regular, traditional public school, we would be expected to make some major changes.”
“There was no evidence that they were really teaching to the standards,” added Jim Devine, former testing coordinator and charter school liaison. “The state of Florida has very low tolerance for schools that get F’s. … And the district is responsible. These are our students.”
Devine also noted that two different review teams surveyed the academy for both of its failing years.
But Heritage had its supporters.
“I came from Buddy Taylor Middle School with straight F’s,” said Trevor Nedeau, Heritage senior. But now he says he “loves” writing, passed the FCAT exam and plans to attend college for art — all things he credits to the atmosphere at Heritage.
“The teachers always make time for you,” he said, explaining that his math teacher would stay afterschool to tutor him, and his English teacher would drive him home.
Gina Gambino-Perez, Heritage 11th-grader, said she’s always dreamt of enlisting in the Marine Corps, but while attending Flagler Palm Coast High School, there was a time she wasn’t sure that would happen.
“I got bullied a lot, and that put a real toll on my academics,” she told the board. “And when I was at FPC, I really doubted that I could (join the Marines). … I would probably have to drop out, get my G.E.D … and that scared the daylights out of me.”
But then she transferred to Heritage, and she met Dean of Students Cindy Erickson.
“I have told Ms. Erickson things I’ve never told my friends before,” she said. “I’ve never had a relationship like that with anyone before.”
Soon, she started pulling A’s and B’s.
See the Saturday print edition of the Palm Coast Observer for more.
