Politics
Schools Flooded With New Charter Applications
Statewide, school districts have received 348 charter school applications, as opposed to 252 last year
Around the State
Florida school districts are flooded with applications for new charter schools, motivated by several new laws that make it easier to start traditional and virtual charters.
Nearly 100 more new charter school applications have been filed for the 2012-13 school year than were filed at the same time last year -- a 38 percent increase, according to statistics from the Department of Education.
Statewide, school districts have received 348 charter school applications. Last year, districts received 252 applications. A charter doesn't get automatic approval; the district must approve charter applications.
Driving the increase are two new laws passed by the Florida Legislature this year that promote charter school expansion.
One law makes it easier for existing charter operators with high school grades to open new schools or expand grade levels. The other law creates "virtual" charters, in which a charter school can offer online courses.
Richard Page, the vice president of development for Florida-based Charter Schools USA, said the popularity of charter schools among parents and the new laws are driving interest in opening them.
"It's a combination of factors," Page said. "One, there is continued demand for school choice, I think there has been an increased awareness of school choice over the last few years."
He added that school operators view Florida as a charter-friendly state. "The state legislation that authorizes charter schools is conducive for charter schools to operate in Florida compared to other states," Page said.
Page said the law incentivizes high-performing charter schools to open up new schools. This doesn't prevent, however, other charter school operators from submitting applications.
Charter schools are a hybrid between public schools and private schools. They are supported with taxpayer dollars, but are run by private and sometimes for-profit entities. Charters fall under the oversight of school districts, but don't have to meet the same rules and regulations as traditional public schools.
For instance, charters can use different curriculum, salary schedules and use nontraditional school buildings.
In Florida, charters receive enrollment-based funding through the state funding formula. But they also pay a small fee to school districts for providing charter oversight.
Charter schools have been promoted in recent years by an increasingly conservative Florida Legislature that has championed charters as part of a buffet of "school choice" that allows parents to pick the best school type for their child. Charter schools are often praised for their think-outside-the-box mentality.
Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, the sponsor of the charter school expansion bill, called the increase a "good thing," saying it will help get more kids into charters that were previously on waiting lists.
"If they are doing it because of the legislation, that means they are high-quality charter schools," Thrasher said. "Charter schools are public schools that don't have all the restrictions. To the extent they are performing well, we ought to reward them."
But critics of the charter school movement say it puts traditional public schools at a disadvantage and essentially privatizes education, giving taxpayer dollars to private interests.
A new law has also contributed to a surge in first-time applications for "virtual" charter schools.
The new law permits a charter school to offer full-time virtual instruction for grades K-12. Charter Schools USA, for example, submitted 20 new charter applications in Florida, and 13 were for traditional bricks-and-mortar schools. Page said the idea is to offer "blended" learning with some virtual instruction and some regular instruction.
New charter applications may include charters that currently exist that want to add on a full-time virtual component or add new school grades. The new laws made it easier for charters to do either one.
To gain approval from a district, a virtual charter school must use one of the five state-approved virtual instruction providers. That list includes: Florida Virtual School, Advanced Academies, Educational Options, Florida Connections Academy, K12 Florida and the National Network of Digital Schools.
Nearly 100 more new charter school applications have been filed for the 2012-13 school year than were filed at the same time last year -- a 38 percent increase, according to statistics from the Department of Education.
Statewide, school districts have received 348 charter school applications. Last year, districts received 252 applications. A charter doesn't get automatic approval; the district must approve charter applications.
Driving the increase are two new laws passed by the Florida Legislature this year that promote charter school expansion.
One law makes it easier for existing charter operators with high school grades to open new schools or expand grade levels. The other law creates "virtual" charters, in which a charter school can offer online courses.
Richard Page, the vice president of development for Florida-based Charter Schools USA, said the popularity of charter schools among parents and the new laws are driving interest in opening them.
"It's a combination of factors," Page said. "One, there is continued demand for school choice, I think there has been an increased awareness of school choice over the last few years."
He added that school operators view Florida as a charter-friendly state. "The state legislation that authorizes charter schools is conducive for charter schools to operate in Florida compared to other states," Page said.
Page said the law incentivizes high-performing charter schools to open up new schools. This doesn't prevent, however, other charter school operators from submitting applications.
Charter schools are a hybrid between public schools and private schools. They are supported with taxpayer dollars, but are run by private and sometimes for-profit entities. Charters fall under the oversight of school districts, but don't have to meet the same rules and regulations as traditional public schools.
For instance, charters can use different curriculum, salary schedules and use nontraditional school buildings.
In Florida, charters receive enrollment-based funding through the state funding formula. But they also pay a small fee to school districts for providing charter oversight.
Charter schools have been promoted in recent years by an increasingly conservative Florida Legislature that has championed charters as part of a buffet of "school choice" that allows parents to pick the best school type for their child. Charter schools are often praised for their think-outside-the-box mentality.
Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, the sponsor of the charter school expansion bill, called the increase a "good thing," saying it will help get more kids into charters that were previously on waiting lists.
"If they are doing it because of the legislation, that means they are high-quality charter schools," Thrasher said. "Charter schools are public schools that don't have all the restrictions. To the extent they are performing well, we ought to reward them."
But critics of the charter school movement say it puts traditional public schools at a disadvantage and essentially privatizes education, giving taxpayer dollars to private interests.
A new law has also contributed to a surge in first-time applications for "virtual" charter schools.
The new law permits a charter school to offer full-time virtual instruction for grades K-12. Charter Schools USA, for example, submitted 20 new charter applications in Florida, and 13 were for traditional bricks-and-mortar schools. Page said the idea is to offer "blended" learning with some virtual instruction and some regular instruction.
New charter applications may include charters that currently exist that want to add on a full-time virtual component or add new school grades. The new laws made it easier for charters to do either one.
To gain approval from a district, a virtual charter school must use one of the five state-approved virtual instruction providers. That list includes: Florida Virtual School, Advanced Academies, Educational Options, Florida Connections Academy, K12 Florida and the National Network of Digital Schools.
Comments (2)
Also, doesn't it bother the "conservative" GOP in the legislature that they are having to maintain a dual education system? So, they are paying these privately owned charters a per pupil fee. Yet, they must maintain the neighborhood school for those students that are rejected by the charter, students who do not want to/can't attend the charter, and for in the case that the charter closes. The building, teacher, and admin costs at the regular neighborhood schools must continue to be paid. And on top of this, there is a charter. How does this make sense to a true economic conservative? Plus, charters do not perform better on average. So, it isn't worth the extra money. Why can't we give our regular neighborhood schools the ability to control the curriculum?