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Summary of Senate Bill 1852
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Senate Bill 1852: Charter Schools
With all the talk about SB 1852, what does it really mean for traditional public schools? What does
the bill really say? Will it really affect our schools? There are a lot of parts to this bill, but here’s a
snapshot of the most contentious sections of the bill:
This is the section in the bill that addresses the sharing of millage revenue equally with the charter
schools:
679 (c) Each district school board may annually proportionately
680 share the revenue generated by the millage levy pursuant to s.
681 1011.71(2) with charter schools in the school district on a per
682 student basis. If a district school board does not
683 proportionately share the revenue generated by the millage levy
684 pursuant to s. 1011.71(2), the Florida Education Finance Program
685 allocation for that school district shall be recalculated so
686 that each charter school in the school district receives, on a
687 per-student basis, the same amount of funds that it would have
688 received if the district school board shared the millage levy
689 revenue with charter schools on a per-student, pro rata basis.
690 The school district shall, within 30 days after receipt,
691 distribute the recalculated funds to each charter school in the
692 district. Charter schools may use these recalculated funds only
693 for capital outlay purposes.
What does this mean? It means that the already small piece of the money pie for capital
improvements would have to be shared with more schools – which means less money for the
traditional public schools maintenance, construction and renovation. Do Charter schools deserve this
money? It depends on who you ask, but the main point of contention is that the charter schools are
operated by for-profit companies and are allowed to operate with much less accountability, oversight
and operational restrictions than the traditional public schools. This begs the question, who will be
watching the use of these funds?
This is the section that addresses the sharing of the federal funds with the charter schools:
All federal funds received by a district school board for
700 the benefit of charter schools, charter school students, or
701 charter school students as public school students in the school
702 district, including, but not limited to, Title I, Title II, and
703 IDEA funds, shall be paid in total to charter schools within 60 704 days after receipt by the district school board.
What does this mean? Similarly, this means that the same pot of funds will be shared by more
schools. Again, with the less stringent restrictions on the operation of charter schools, who will be
watching the use of these funds? Will they be subject to the same level of scrutiny and restrictions as
the traditional public schools? There is no language in this bill to that effect.
This is the section that speaks to the expansion of the charter school system:
860 1002.332 High-performing charter school system.—
861 (2)
862 (c) A high-performing charter school that is part of a
863 high-performing charter school system may:
864 1. Increase its student enrollment once per school year by
865 up to 15 percent more than the capacity identified in the
866 charter.
867 2. Expand grade levels within kindergarten through grade 12
868 to add grade levels not already served if any annual enrollment
869 increase resulting from grade level expansion is within the
870 limit established in subparagraph 1.
871 3. Submit a quarterly, rather than a monthly, financial
872 statement to the sponsor pursuant to s. 1002.33(10)(g).
873 4. Consolidate under a single charter the charters of
874 multiple high-performing charter schools operated in the same
875 school district by the charter schools’ governing boards,
876 regardless of the renewal cycle.
877 5. Receive a modification of its charter to a term of 15
878 years or a 15-year charter renewal. The charter may be modified
879 or renewed for a shorter term at the option of the high
880 performing charter school. The charter must be consistent with
881 s. 1002.33(7)(a)19. and (11)(h) and (i), is subject to annual
882 review by the sponsor, and may be terminated during its term
883 pursuant to s. 1002.33(8).
884
885 A high-performing charter school that is part of a high
886 performing charter school system shall notify its sponsor in
887 writing by March 1 if it intends to increase enrollment or
888 expand grade levels the following school year. The written
889 notice shall specify the amount of the enrollment increase and
890 the grade levels that will be added, as applicable.
What does this mean? This section specifically allows for the expansion not only by the number of
students but also by the amount of grades the school offers. The line that particularly grabs your
interest is line 871 which lessens the frequency at which a charter school must submit a financial
statement. Interesting…more money, less reporting. Sounds like a recipe for misuse of funds. Not
saying that any charter school would misappropriate or misuse funds, but what about a level playing
field? With the level of scrutiny on every dollar spent in the traditional public schools, and the
restrictions levied by the State on how money is spent – is it fair that charter schools get an equal
piece of the pie and are not subject to the same scrutiny and restrictions?
Bottom line: This bill does not serve the interests of traditional public schools. The State needs to
increase the pot of money that is being shared so that all schools can be adequately funded and they
need to level the playing field for all schools. Equal money = Equal Rules.
How can we make a difference? This bill has already passed in the Pre-K through 12 education
committee. It’s now in the budget committee. It’s time to let our voices be heard. Here’s who to
contact in the budget committee (if you click the link, you’ll navigate to their page where their contact
information is located :
Chair:
Senator JD Alexander (R)
Vice Chair:
Senator Joe Negron (R)
Senator Thad Altman (R)
Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto (R)
Senator Michael S. "Mike" Bennett (R)
Senator Ellyn Setnor Bogdanoff (R)
Senator Anitere Flores (R)
Senator Don Gaetz (R)
Senator Alan Hays (R)
Senator Arthenia L. Joyner (D)
Senator Evelyn J. Lynn (R)
Senator Gwen Margolis (D)
Senator Bill Montford (D)
Senator Jim Norman (R)
Senator Nan H. Rich (D)
Senator Garrett Richter (R)
Senator David Simmons (R)
Senator Gary Siplin (D)
Senator Eleanor Sobel (D)
Senator John Thrasher (R)
Senator Stephen R. Wise (R)
Here’s the Pre-K-12 Education committee:
Senator Stephen R. Wise (R)
Vice Chair:
Senator Larcenia J. Bullard (D)
Senator JD Alexander (R)
Senator Thad Altman (R)
Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto (R)
Senator Ellyn Setnor Bogdanoff (R)
Senator Bill Montford (D)
And last but not least, here’s the links to our local Broward County Senators:
Jeremy Ring: [email protected]
Eleanor Sobel: [email protected] (She’s on the Budget committee!)
Maria Sachs: [email protected]
Chris Smith: [email protected]
Ellyn Bogdanoff: [email protected] (She’s on the Education & Budget Committees!)
Nan Rich: [email protected] (She’s on the Budget Committee!)
Gwen Margolis: [email protected] (She’s on the Budget Committee!)
Larcenia Bullard: [email protected]
Call or Email these individuals and let them know that this bill is being watched and is not supported
by their constituents that have students in the traditional public school system. Sharing the same
small pot of money without the same rules for all is not the answer. We need to adequately fund
public schools, first and foremost - and we need to level the playing field between charter schools and
traditional public schools.
Respectfully compiled by:
Andrea D. Mathieu
North Area Advisory Council Legislative Representative
2/9/12
