Florida’s charter schools have complained for years that funding to pay for their school buildings is not guaranteed. That would change under a plan approved by a state House panel on Thursday.
The proposal, added to a larger charter school bill, would create a funding backstop. Each year, if the Legislature didn’t fund the state’s charter school capital outlay at a certain level per student, charters would receive a share of local construction funding from school districts’ property taxes.
The bill, HB 7037, passed the House Education Committee with bipartisan support. Several members who supported the overall package said they had concerns about potentially requiring districts to share local construction money with charters. Districts face “too many unfunded mandates,” said Rep. Joe Geller, D-Aventura, and some struggle to pay for their own building needs.
Charter school advocates said the measure is needed. Jim Horne, a former state education commissioner and lobbyist for several charter school and business groups, said the shortage of construction money is a big reason for the funding gap between charters and traditional schools.
Right now, charters school facilities funding depends on annual appropriations by the Legislature. The House’s plan would give them guaranteed funding per student based on a fraction of the state’s estimated cost of school construction, which would be drawn from whatever the Legislature appropriates, and topped off with local property tax revenue.
Having uncertain funding from one year to the next makes it hard for charters to borrow money to finance their buildings, Horne said, and the proposal would be a “major step in trying to stabilize funding and create equity.”
Representatives for school districts, however, said their ability to raise money through property taxes has declined, in part because a portion of their taxing authority expired. “Those dollars are allocated in our districts for need” for new buildings and repairs, said Scott Howat, a lobbyist for Orange County Public Schools. “We’re concerned about taking part of that money and maybe moving it off to charter schools.”
Attempts to provide charter schools guaranteed funding have surfaced repeatedly over the years, but none has passed the Legislature.
It’s not clear whether the Senate will address the issue this year, but some key lawmakers have talked about allowing at least some construction funding to “proportionally follow the student.”
“I think it’s important that we recognize our charter school students. They are public school students as well,” said Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach. “We have a responsibility to ensure they they also have adequate educational facilities.”
