FLEMING ISLAND — The lot was filled. Some cars resorted to parking on the grass. A marching band played. There even were fireworks.

It wasn’t a football game. It was a meeting of the Clay County School Board, and the fireworks came from audience members at a public hearing and from the board members themselves.

After student performances to open the meeting, the board got down to business for approximately three hours last Thursday night. It was late in the evening when the heated issue of two charter schools came up. The board conditionally approved St. John’s Classical Academy on a 3-2 vote with members Janice Kerekes and Carol Studdard voting no. The board rejected the application for Clay Classical Academy on a 4-1 vote with Board Chairman Johnna McKinnon the one vote in favor of the school.

The latter school may still get approved by the state upon appeal. The district’s charter school review committee, prior to the board’s vote, had recommended denying both charter schools.

“I must be in another world,” Studdard said. “We say ‘classical’ education.’ What do you think our teachers are doing every day? … We’re talking about tightening our budget, and meanwhile we’re bogged down with everybody wanting to start a charter school. How many ‘classical’ schools do we need in this county anyway?”

The crowd of citizens – many of them teachers, staff and parents – erupted into cheers.

Classical education often refers to a broad-based education in liberal arts and science, rather than a practical education geared toward standardized college admissions and the job market. A Christian-based classical education involves the teaching of a Biblical worldview, such as the creation story of Genesis being taught as an alternative to evolution.

Theoretically, any child in the district can be accepted to attend a charter school. In Florida, charter schools receive tax money that would otherwise go to the district’s traditional public schools. They are allowed to operate outside the normal regulations of other public schools, but they have to meet certain academic criteria to remain open.

When a charter school fails in Florida, it gets to keep the taxpayer money it received. The wave of charter schools in this state began several years ago with the backing of Gov. Jeb Bush.

“With all due respect, Mrs. Studdard, I take exception to you lecturing me on what I know or don’t know about classical education,” McKinnon said. “It’s very abundantly clear that you have no clue as to what a classical education is.”

McKinnon, at one point, addressed the audience and said she would kick people out if there were any more outbursts. She and Superintendent Charlie Van Zant Jr. were voted out of office in August, while Studdard was overwhelmingly re-elected.

Many teachers in the audience, as a sign of solidarity, wore purple shirts that read, “Clay County Education Association.” Six attendees, including teacher Laura Mayberry, stood up to speak against both charter schools on the docket during the public hearing.

“There are approximately 800 students enrolled in the two brick-and-mortar schools we already have,” Mayberry said. “Each of these students is worth a potential $7,000 [to charter schools]. That’s a total of about $5.6 million stolen from taxpayers in Clay County and our traditional public schools each year.

“I strongly urge this board to do whatever is in your power to stem the tide of charter schools, and a good start would be to not take any campaign donations from them next cycle.”

Charter schools in Florida have had mixed results. Van Zant recommended that the board approve the committee’s recommendation to deny the application for Clay Classical Academy, which led to the 4-1 vote.

The second applicant, St. John’s Classical Academy, has 501(c)3 not-for-profit status and runs two successful charter schools in South Florida. The applicants also boasted the fact that St. John’s wouldn’t be required to do the extensive local standardized testing that traditional public schools in the county are currently required to do. Many teachers and parents believe such testing is excessive and interferes with the learning process.

Van Zant said he liked the fact St. John’s would be nonprofit and recommended the board’s approval with the caveat that it meets the board’s criteria by February 2017, arguing it would give the applicant time to get started with preparations for the school.

“Why don’t we just vote on it in February?” Kerekes said. “What’s the rush?”

Van Zant was voted out amid allegations of plagiarism and other ethical violations. Addison Davis, chief of schools for Duval County Public Schools, beat Van Zant in the Republican primary Aug. 30. Davis will face Middleburg’s Rebekah Shively, a longtime educator who has no party affiliation, and write-in candidate Marion Keith Nichols, a school bus driver, in the general election.

In other business, Charles “Dan” Sikes of Starke, the school board attorney hired in December 2014, announced he would step down in November.

Email Christiaan DeFranco at chris@opcfla.com. Follow him on Twitter @cdefranco.