Charter schools are public schools that operate under a contract (or “charter”) between the persons or groups that will operate the school and the “sponsor.” The school operators are held explicitly responsible for achieving academic results and maintaining strict financial controls. In exchange, they are freed from many of the normal regulations that specify how things must be done in the traditional public schools.
If the Charter school students do not reach the agreed levels of academic attainment, the sponsor can decline to renew the charter (usually set for three to five years) and the school will close.
In Florida the sponsor is the local school district or the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission, a state agency created by the 2006 Florida Legislature. It was created because many districts put obstacles in the way of charter schools. In late 2006 the Florida School Boards Association and some school districts filed a lawsuit charging that the Commission is in violation of the Florida Constitution.
An individual or group (often teachers), a municipality, a community college, a company, or other legal entity organized under the laws of the Florida may apply for a charter. Traditional public schools may also convert into charter schools. Florida now has over 300 charter schools located in about half of the 67 school districts. Over 80,000 students attend them.
The idea behind charter schools is to raise the level of student achievement by offering families a choice of where their children will learn, freeing educators to follow their own teaching approaches, and creating a new form of public school accountability. For some families, a charter school may offer a real alternative to the assigned public school.
Charter schools may target specific student populations for enrollment, such as students at risk of dropping out of school, or students with academic or artistic abilities. A charter school may also limit or give priority in enrollment to students living within a certain area. However, most often charter schools are open to applications from families anywhere in the school district. Transportation is provided according to the district’s ordinary policies.
Click on Learn More below for links to additional information on Charter Schools. |
