As noted yesterday, one reason charter school advocates want to stop unqualified operators is that if they fail, they can create a pretext for local government to create new, unwelcome regulations.
The latest, and so far most sweeping, example may have emerged in the South Florida city of Lauderhill. As reported by the Sun-Sentinel, the Broward County municipality has proposed an ordinance that would require new charters to clear extra hurdles after getting approved by the local school board.
In addition to new rules governing things like their facilities, location and safety procedures, proposed schools would be required to submit financial records, including proof of a “bank account demonstrating sufficient financial resources to operate the facility for one year.” (A charter school with fewer than 300 students currently operating in the city has annual expenses of more than $2 million).
The Sun-Sentinel outlines other parts of the proposal:
Under Lauderhill’s proposed rules, charter schools would not be able to come in at the last minute and expect city approval. Applications would have to be filed in December for schools planning to open the following September.
Operators have to show they have the finances to cover any potential losses, the success or failure of their previous charter school ventures, and evidence they are qualified to run a school.
Proposed locations will have to meet a minimum 1,000-foot separation between schools serving primary and secondary students. They must also must meet minimum per-student space requirements for classes, lunches and outdoor areas.
The paper also leaves out a key detail: The proposed rules would also apply to prospective private schools, which aren’t subject to school district approval, but would have to be accredited under the new ordinance.
Lauderhill, which zig-zags through the suburbs west of Fort Lauderdale, has placed a moratorium on new charter and private schools while it considers the changes.
The Sun-Sentinel quotes a charter school attorney who questions the legality of the proposal, and also notes other municipalities have tried, sometimes successfully, to place roadblocks in front of proposed charter schools.
Read the proposed charter and private school ordinance, which was up for discussion at Monday’s city commission meeting, here. It would still need to be heard a second time before becoming law.
