Charter schools are non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations that have a contract or charter to provide the same educational services to students as district public schools. They are nonsectarian public schools that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools.
When a company or group of citizens wishes to form a public charter school, they must submit a charter application to the county school board. The application is reviewed by a committee for adherence to very specific state requirements. The committee makes a recommendation to the school board on whether to accept or deny the application. Once accepted, the school district and charter organization move forward to agree on a Charter Contract, which governs how the new school will operate and how the district will monitor the charter’s operations and performance.
Charter schools are public schools, and are required to be organized as non-profits. They receive the same per-student state operational funding as traditional public schools, but charters do not get local property taxes for facilities and capital expenses. With charters and other “schools of choice”, both the revenues and expenses follow the child. When a parent chooses a charter school, part of the money that would have been spent to educate that student in their neighborhood school (for teachers’ salaries, books, supplies, etc.), is provided to the charter school, and the charter uses those funds to provide that student’s education. Charters often must raise private donations to make up for the lack of capital tax dollars received by traditional public schools.
Charter schools must employ certified teachers, and they administer the same statewide accountability assessments (FSA) as traditional public schools. Although charters are free to use their own curriculum, the curriculum must meet or exceed state education standards. Charter schools are also held accountable to school grades given by the Florida Department of Education.
Charters are not obligated to provide transportation, although some choose to. They are required to provide free or reduced breakfast and lunch to students who qualify. If demand for a charter school exceeds capacity, the law calls for a random lottery to be conducted each school year to determine which students are accepted.
Florida statutes state that charter schools must “Meet high standards of student achievement while providing parents flexibility to choose among diverse educational opportunities within the state’s public school system” and “Promote enhanced academic success and financial efficiency by aligning responsibility with accountability.”
According to the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools, 674 public charter schools served over 329,000 students in 47 of Florida’s 67 counties in 2020. In Collier County, we have 7 charter schools, with one more, Naples Classical Academy, being built in 2021. As education choice becomes more prevalent in our state, school districts must find ways to meet the demand for alternative methods of teaching and learning. Some counties are doing this by offering specialized programs in magnet schools or within traditional public school environments.
Collier’s current charter schools (more information at https://www.collierschools.com/Page/1079)
- Immokalee Community School (K-6)
- Gulf Coast Charter Academy South (K-8)
- Mason Classical Academy (Grades K-12)
- Marco Island Charter Middle School (Grades 6-8)
- Marco Island Academy (Grades 9-12)