Florida’s charter schools need a dedicated source of funding for their buildings.
That was one thing charter advocates and district representatives were able to agree on during a gathering Wednesday. What’s less clear is where the money will come from.
The reality is both districts and charters need help with facilities funding, Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said. He told members of the Quality Charter School Authorizer Task Force that the two sides cannot afford to keep waging annual lobbying battles over scarce construction funds, “so there needs to be some committed source for charters.”
The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools convened the group in an effort to improve relations between charters and school districts.
Members of the group agreed on some big-picture points during their gathering in Fort Lauderdale. Among them: Steps need to be taken to keep operators with bad track records from repeatedly applying to open more charter schools, and the state needs to find a funding source charters can rely on as PECO funds dry up.
Dwindling state construction funds have forced districts to rely on local taxes to pay for buildings. Previous legislative attempts to allow charters to receive local tax revenue have foundered.
Competition between districts and charters for scarce funding through the state’s Public Education Capital Outlay has become a perennial topic of fierce, and often distorted, debates.
“I think we need to keep the kids first in our minds … and recognize that charter schools are public schools, a piece of our choice,” said Connie Milito, a lobbyist for the Hillsborough County school district. The question, she said, is “how are we as a state going to fund their facilities?”
Members of the group tossed out suggestions like the lottery, other state gambling revenues, and even local revenue for tourism promotion.
“We need a funding source that is going to be continuous, that is not going to drop off the planet, because when that goes away, we’re not going to be able to pay our bills. We’re not going to be able to maintain our schools,” said Tim Kitts, the leader of Bay Haven Charter Academies.
Jody Perry, the charter schools director for the Broward school district, raised another problem with facilities. Already this school year, three charters in her county have closed suddenly due to a lack of buildings, creating last-minute confusion for hundreds of students.
She wanted the group to revisit the rule in state law that prevents school districts from demanding a certificate of building occupancy from a charter school more than 15 days before school starts. She said charters should have to show districts ahead of time that they have a facility ready to open.
If a new charter does not have a building in place in time for the start of school, she said, it should have to wait a year before opening.
State Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, who co-chairs the group along with Runcie, said she agreed that was an issue but was concerned about setting a blanket, statewide rule that would require districts to treat all new charter schools the same.
Several charter school representatives agreed with another idea backed by Perry. She said school districts should have clear authority to reject charter school operators with a history of academic or financial problems.
The trouble, as with facilities funding, lies in the details. As the group tries to translate its ideas into legislation before legislative committees start meeting again this fall, the question will be how lawmakers can strike a balance that keeps bad charters from opening, without penalizing good charter organizations trying to expand.
Still, charter school supporters have said they see a need to stop shady operators from harming the charter movement.
“We’re all on the same page with this. Last year the consortium came out and said we need to police our own,” said Rod Sasse, and executive vice president with Imagine Schools. “One bad apple makes us all look bad.”
