By Lynn Hatter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-955650.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – There's a proposal circulating among lawmakers that would further expand the state's charter school program. Right now, Florida has one of the largest in the nation, with over 400-plus schools that are exempt from many of the rules and regulations attached to their traditional school counterparts. And as Lynn Hatter reports, there's growing support to allow more of those schools to spring up, but districts are wary of any proposal that would cost them money.
Under the proposal some charter schools would be allowed to expand and state colleges could start their own. Foundation for Florida's Future director, Patricia Levesque says right now both groups are limited in what they can and cannot do.
"So right now a charter school has a contract with the school district that says they can only serve 300 students. What our proposal would do is let the high performing charter schools grow their enrollment by 25-percent if they want too."
The bill is good to the state's new college system as it seeks to expand its degree programs. College system Chancellor Will Holcombe says it's a legislative priority.
"We would like to have the opportunity to expand our sponsorship of charter schools through local school districts and try to help in the school choice effort which we know is very important in the state of Florida."
The state has more than 400-charter schools. They're able to operate within school districts, but have more control over curriculum and other things than traditional schools do. Many parents like them because they provide an alternative to the traditional model. And some people, like former Washington, D.C. school chancellor- turned school-choice advocate Michelle Rhee would like to see lawmakers go even further in expanding the program. Rhee says parents should be able to create a charter school even if the district doesn't want it.
"The approval process to open a charter school should be rigorous but the districts, some of which don't want competition, should not get to hold all the cards. This dynamic must change and districts have to be held accountable for their own obligations around charter schools such that they cannot be the limiting factor in starting great new schools."
But allowing just anybody to open a school, without the school district's knowledge, has some officials fearing they could face logistical problems. Especially if the district is held accountable for those students. Dr. Wayne Blanton with the Florida Association of School Boards says that's something his group doesn't want.
"If a charter springs up in a district and we don't know about it then that directly affects how many teachers we hire the next year, it could affect re-zoning, transportation, how we use our school buildings. So there has to be a coordinated effort so that both sides know what the issues are, and maybe in fact we would hire less teachers, maybe run less school buses, but those kinds of things need to be worked out in a joint agreement."
But the Foundation's Patricia Levesque says that's not a part of its proposal. School districts would still have oversight over charter schools.
"The real distinction in our bill is that high-performing ones would automatically expand, instead of potentially negotiating with the school district for years, just to add sixth grade if they were only approved for grades K-5, this would allow just the high performing ones to expand to offer grade six."
Right now, the state sends the money to school districts, and the districts send the money to the charter school. But more schools, mean more money going from one place to the other. That's what Governor Rick Scott did when he created a separate allocation for charter schools and other alternative options in his budget proposal to lawmakers. But that's something that doesn't sit well with traditional public school supporters like Representative Martin Kair of Broward County.
"And I think smaller counties could be devastated by that. I think the governor could make an argument no, no he can't make an argument. It would not be a very good thing to take such a significant amount of money from public schools."
The proposal to expand charter school options for children is something the Governor supports. But whether it will fly with lawmakers is yet to be seen.