www.village-charter.org

photo © 2006 Samuel F. | more info (via: Wylio)
I just read that this month the Florida Legislature passed charter school legislation that some have called historical, appropriately in the very week when we celebrate National Charter School Week. The problem addressed by the Sunshine State was the competition between charter schools and the public school system. Rather than working together the two have competed against each other and public school officials have often lobbied against charter growth and expansion even for those charters that performed very well. Florida is now planning to designate so-called High Performing Charter Schools thus creating models for other schools to replicate. With long waiting lists across the state – and the country for that matter – the more open spots we can provide, the better.

The new laws thus allow more flexibility for growth of well-performing charter schools and – to the same effect – have made it easier to start a new charter school. If you want to know more about the exact content of the legislation, you can check out the overview provided by the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools. There you can also find information on what it takes to become a “High Performing Charter School” or to create “High Performing Charter School System.” In an op-ed for the Florida Sun-Sentinel, Jon Hage, the CEO of Charter Schools USA, celebrated the new legislation: “Florida is now reclaiming our rightful role of reform leader. We must never lose heart in our pursuit of excellence and be willing to see through these ideas, even while ensuring we appropriately fund what works, whether traditional public schools or school choice laboratories of innovation.” I say right on!