Watson Sloane represents RBC Capital Markets to help finance Tallahassee Classical School

Watson Sloane attorneys served as Underwriters’ Counsel in the representation of RBC Capital Markets for the December 29, 2021 closing of $13,905,000 in Educational Facilities Revenue Bonds and $835,000.00 Taxable Educational Facilities Revenue Bonds for the Tallahassee Classical School Inc. Project.  Tallahassee Classical School Inc. is a Florida not for profit corporation incorporated on February 17, 2017, organized exclusively for educational and charitable purposes, including, operating one or more public charter schools in the State of Florida.  Tallahassee Classical School Inc. operates a public charter school known as Tallahassee Classical School (the “School”).

The Tallahassee Classical School Inc. operates the School pursuant to a Charter Agreement granted by the School Board of Leon County, Florida and commenced operations for the 2020-21 school year which served approximately 403 students in grades K-8 and is serving approximately 562 students in grades K-9 for the 2021-22 school year.  The School offers a focus on traditional liberal arts classical education and is guided by the classical philosophy of education in all subject areas.  Classes in the humanities, the sciences and the arts are grounded in several research-based curricula/programs for elementary and middle school students; this includes the Core Knowledge Sequence, which is a research-based curriculum using a specific, grade-by-grade core of common learning that aligns with the Florida State Standards; Literacy Essentials, a multi-sensory, brain based approach for teaching explicit phonics, reading and language arts; Singapore Math, a conceptual approach to mathematical skill building and problem solving; and science with a hands-on approach to scientific inquiry and an emphasis on fundamentals.   Once students reach high school, students receive a classical liberal arts education that aligns with and exceeds Florida standards.  As in the lower grades, the curriculum is rigorous.

The School is a member of the Barney Charter School Initiative (“BCSI”), a project of Hillsdale College (the “College”). Through this initiative, the College supports the launch of K-12 classical charter schools. In the eyes of the initiative, reform of American public education, to be successful and good, must be built on a foundation of classical liberal arts learning – the kind of learning best suited to a free society and most needed for its preservation. To advance the founding of classical charter schools, the College works with select school-founding groups of local citizens who care deeply about education, who plan to apply for a charter, and who prove themselves capable of starting and governing a school. When a founding group’s interests and abilities are a good match, BCSI assists in creating and implementing the school’s academic program, providing the curriculum design and teacher training. This support, along with guidance on the shaping of a vibrant and ennobling school culture, provides the foundation for these new schools to promote a liberal and civic education in America’s public schools. The School’s mission is to train the minds and improve the hearts of young people through a content-rich classical education in the liberal arts and sciences, with instruction in the principles of moral character and civic virtue. The School’s vision is to develop exemplary citizens that are virtuous, thoughtful, articulate, and possess a life-long passion for learning. As of Fall 2021, BCSI has assisted over twenty (20) schools, including the School, in creating and implementing the schools’ academic programs. The BCSI-assisted schools report aggregate enrollment over 15,000 students and over 8,000 potential students on waitlists as of Fall 2021.