The Florida House and Senate may be poised to move closer together on their ambitious plans to bring more top charter school organizations into high-needs parts of Florida.
The Senate’s Appropriations Committee is set to consider a revision to legislation by Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, aimed at attracting “high-impact” charter schools to Florida.
The revised proposal would look something like Schools of Hope by another name. Charter school organizations would have to demonstrate to the state Board of Education that they have a track record of getting results with low-income students.
If they met the qualifications, they could submit streamlined applications to open in areas where existing public schools struggle. If districts chose not to oversee them, they could be authorized by the state board instead. They would be able to function as local education agencies, with the ability to receive federal funding directly. They would have access to a new revolving startup loan program and, possibly, to financial support from the state budget.
There’s the rub. The House has proposed setting aside $200 million for Schools of Hope. But it’s also working today on a “standard operating budget” that would keep funding for most state programs close to last year’s levels. It’s doing that as a backup plan, since negotiations with the Senate to develop a spending plan for next year have stalled.
The appropriations committee is also expected to take up the Senate’s school turnaround proposal, which, in its own way, is also an alternative to Schools of Hope.
