November 1, 2019 – The Florida Charter School Alliance (FCSA) is the voice for the charter school movement in Florida. Each year, the organization drafts a legislative agenda using feedback from member school leaders and key stakeholders. That list of priorities drives the work FCSA does during the state legislative session and district/authorizer outreach throughout the year. A recent survey by FCSA of principals and governing board members identified key issues that are critical to the charter school movement and the families they serve. “Our goal is to address our members’ concerns with lawmakers while also ensuring continued equitable and fair policies for Florida’s charter schools and funding for all public school students,” said Ralph Arza, Director of Governmental Affairs, FCSA.
FCSA’s 2020 Legislative Priorities:
- Teacher Salary Increase. FCSA supports Governor DeSantis/Commissioner Corcoran’s teacher pay increase initiative. However, we also need to fix the disparity that was created in counties where teachers working at public charter schools were excluded from local tax referendum pay increases. We are requesting that the pay increase formula first equalize teacher pay in those counties and that local school districts share local referendum dollars equally with charter schools on a per-student basis.
- Capital Outlay. Equitable and proper Capital Outlay/facilities funding for charter school students.
- Career and Technical Education. Ensure that charter school students have access to available career and technical apprenticeship programs.
- Majority Stoneman Douglas Act/Safe Schools Act. We ask the Legislature to establish student uniformity in the implementation of the Safe Schools Act. The responsibility of being in compliance is with local school districts.
- Independent Authorizer. We are urging legislators to establish a statewide system for approving public charter school applications. An independent statewide charter school authorizer is considered a best practice by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers and has already been successfully implemented in several states including Arkansas and Louisiana, Having an independent oversight board will add another layer of checks and balances in charter approval, oversight, and renewal process.
- Clarify statutory language regarding excessive reporting required by authorizers. Authorize the Commissioner of Education to sanction school districts that demand additional reporting beyond state statute and/or harass charter schools with excessive financial reporting.
Facts about Florida’s Charter Schools
Since 1996, public charter schools have been a vital component of Florida’s K12 public school system – providing quality education choice programs for families throughout the state. School grades released by the Florida Department of Education in July 2019 show that 74% of charter schools scored an A or B on the state assessment, compared to 61 percent of district-run schools. Additionally, the annual charter school performance report released in March 2019 also showed that students in charter schools outperformed their peers attending district-run schools in nearly every category. Using data from the 2017-18 school year, Student Achievement in Florida’s Charter Schools: A Comparison of the Performance of Charter School Students with Traditional Public School Students compared achievement, learning gains and achievement gaps across a variety of subgroups and grade levels. The statutorily mandated report is based on more than 4.2 million test scores and makes 195 comparisons of academic success between students attending charter schools and students attending traditional public schools. In 82% of the comparisons, students enrolled in charter schools demonstrated higher rates of grade-level performance than their peers in traditional public schools; and in 91.7% of the comparisons, the percentage of students making learning gains was higher in charter schools. Minority students attending a public charter school also performed better academically than their peers enrolled at district-run schools.
About the FCSA
Formed in 2010 by a group of educators, community leaders, and philanthropists, the Florida Charter School Alliance is a non-profit member-driven organization whose mission is to improve student achievement, and promote parental choice by supporting, advocating for, and collaborating with high-quality public charter schools. Our members run the gamut of school choice programs ranging from independent schools to networks with multiple campuses, ESE to credit recovery, classical curriculum to college preparatory programs in high need areas. Yet all our member schools have a common thread – a steadfast commitment to raising the bar on public education and providing a quality education option to the children and communities they serve. Today, more than 313,000 students are enrolled (with over 100,000 students on waitlists) in one of the 655 public charter schools in Florida.
FCSA Member Schools serve more than 150,000 students across the state:
AcadeMir Charter Schools
AcadeMir Charter School West
AcadeMir Charter School Preparatory
Academir Preparatory Academy
Academir Charter School Middle
Advantage Academy Hillsborough
Advantage Academy Middle School
Advantage Academy of Math and Science at Waterstone
Athenian Academy of Technology and the Arts
Andrews High School
Aventura City of Excellence School
Bell Creek Academy
Bell Creek Academy High School
Ben Gamla Charter School
Ben Gamla Charter School
Ben Gamla Charter School (North Campus)
Ben Gamla Charter School Palm Beach
Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy
Ben Gamla Preparatory Charter High School
Ben Gamla South Broward
Bonita Springs Charter School
BridgePrep Academy of Duval
BridgePrep Academy of Riverview
BridgePrep Academy of Osceola
BridgePrep Academy of Collier
BridgePrep Academy of Broward
BridgePrep Academy of North Miami Beach
BridgePrep Academy of Greater Miami
Bridge Prep Academy South: Middle School Campus
Bridge Prep Academy South: Main Campus
Bridgeprep Academy of Orange
BridgePrep Academy InterAmerican
BridgePrep Academy of Hollywood Hills
Bridgeprep Academy of Palm Beach
BridgePrep Academy of Tampa
BridgePrep Academy of Village Green
Bright Futures Academy, Inc
C.G. Bethel High School
Canoe Creek Charter Academy
Cape Coral Charter School
Chambers High School
Championship School of Distinction
Championship School of Distinction Hollywood (elementary)
Championship School of Distinction at Hollywood Middle
Championship School of Distinction (high school) Lauderdale Lakes
Championship School of Distinction Lauderhill elementary and middle
Channelside Academy Middle School
Channelside Academy of Math and Science
Charter School at Waterstone
Creekside Charter Academy, K-6
Coral Springs Charter School
City of Hialeah Education Academy
Clay Charter Academy
Collier Charter Academy
Cornerstone Charter Academy, K12
Dale R. Babson Park Elementary
Doral Academy
Doral Academy Charter High School
Doral Academy Charter Middle School
Doral Academy of Technology
Doral International Academy of Math and Science
Doral Performing Arts & Entertainment Academy
Downtown Miami Charter School
Duval Charter High School at Baymeadows
Duval Charter Scholars Academy
Duval Charter School at Baymeadows
Duval Charter School at Coastal
Duval Charter School at Flagler Center
Duval Charter School at Mandarin
Duval Charter School at Southside
Duval Charter School at Westside
EdVenture Charter School
Edward W. Bok Academy, North
Edward W. Bok Academy, South
Everglades Preparatory Academy
Everglades Preparatory Academy
Everglades Preparatory Academy High School
Four Corners Charter School
Four Corners Upper School
Gateway Charter High School
Gateway Intermediate Charter School
Gateway Charter Elementary School
Glades Academy
G-Star School of the Arts
Governors Charter Academy
Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology
Henderson Hammock Charter School
Hillcrest Elementary
Hillsborough Academy of Math and Science
HIVE Preparatory School
Hollywood Academy of Arts & Science Middle
Hollywood Academy of Arts & Science
Imagine Schools Chancellor Campus
iMater Academy
IMater Academy Middle School
IMater Preparatory Academy High School
Independence Academy
Innovations Charter School
International Studies Charter High School
International Studies Charter Middle School
International Studies Virtual Academy
ISAAC: Integrated Science & Asian Culture
Janie Howard Wilson Elementary
Just Arts & Management Charter Middle School
Keys Gate Charter High School
Keys Gate Charter School, 3-6
Keys Gate Charter School, K-2
Lake Wales High School
Main Street High School
Manatee Charter School
Mater Academy
Mater Preparatory Academy
Mater Academy Bay High School
Mater Academy Bay Elementary
Mater Academy Bay Middle
Mater Academy East Charter
Mater Academy East Charter High School
Mater Academy High School
Mater Academy Middle School
Mater Academy Middle School Of International Studies
Mater Academy Virtual Middle High
Mater Academy Of International Studies
Mater Brighton Lakes Academy
Mater Gardens Academy Middle School
Mater Gardens Elementary Academy
Mater Grove Academy
Mater International Academy
Mater Lakes Academy High School
Mater Lakes Academy Middle School
Mater Performing Arts & Entertainment Academy
Mavericks High School of Palm Springs
Miami Arts Charter (Wynwood Campus)
Miami Children’s Museum Charter School
Miami Community Charter
Miami Community Charter High School
Miami Community Charter Middle School
North Broward Academy of Excellence
North Broward Academy of Excellence
Orange County Preparatory Academy
Osceola Science Charter School
P.M. Wells Charter Academy
Palm Beach Maritime Academy
Palm Glades Preparatory Academy, K-12
Passport Charter School
Pemayetv Emahakv “Our Way School”
Pemayetv Emahakv Middle School
Pinecrest Academy – North Campus
Pinecrest Academy – South Campus
Pinecrest Academy Charter Middle School
Pinecrest Cove Academy
Pinecrest Creek Academy
Pinecrest Glades Academy
Pinecrest Glades Prep. Academy Middle H.S
Pinecrest Preparatory Academy
Pinecrest Preparatory Academy Charter H.S
Pinecrest Preparatory Charter School (Orlando Campus)
Pinellas Academy of Math and Science
Polk Avenue Elementary
Prosperitas Leadership Academy
Renaissance Charter Middle at Doral
Renaissance Elementary at Doral
Renaissance Charter School at Boggy Creek
Renaissance Charter School at Central Palm
Renaissance Charter School at Chickasaw Trail
Renaissance Charter School at Cooper City
Renaissance Charter School at Coral Springs
Renaissance Charter School at Crown Point
Renaissance Charter School at Cypress
Renaissance Charter School at Goldenrod
Renaissance Charter School at Hunter’s Creek
Renaissance Charter School at Palms West
Renaissance Charter School at Pines
Renaissance Charter School at Plantation
Renaissance Charter School at Poinciana
Renaissance Charter School at Summit
Renaissance Charter School at Tapestry
Renaissance Charter School at Tradition
Renaissance Charter School at University
Renaissance Charter School at Wellington
Renaissance Charter School at West Palm Beach
Renaissance Charter School of St. Lucie
Riverview Academy of Math & Science
Six Mile Charter Academy
SLAM Miami
SLAM Middle School Palm Beach
SLAM Academy High School – North Campus
Somerset Preparatory Academy Middle, High (Homestead)
Somerset Academy Eagle Campus
Somerset Academy Miramar Campus
Somerset Academy Silver Palms
Somerset Academy At Silver Palms
Somerset Academy Bay
Somerset Academy Bay Middle School
Somerset Academy Boca East
Somerset Academy Boca Middle School
Somerset Academy Canyons High School
Somerset Academy South Homestead
Somerset Academy Charter High – Miramar Campus
Somerset Academy Charter High School- South Homestead
Somerset Academy East Preparatory
Somerset Academy Elementary – South Miami
Somerset Academy Riverside Charter School
Somerset Academy Hollywood Middle School
Somerset Academy JFK School
Somerset Academy Key Charter High School
Somerset Academy Key Middle School
Somerset Academy Lakes Charter School
Somerset Academy Middle School -Miramar
Somerset Academy Middle – South Miami
Somerset Academy Pompano
Somerset Academy St. Lucie
Somerset Academy Village, K12
Somerset Academy Virtual Middle – High School
Somerset Academy- Middle, Eagle Campus
Somerset Arts Academy
Somerset Arts Conservatory
Somerset College Preparatory Academy
Somerset Gables Academy
Somerset Oaks Academy
Somerset Pines Academy
Somerset Preparatory Academy Charter High
Somerset Preparatory Academy Charter School at North Lauderdale
Somerset Preparatory Academy Sunset
Somerset Preparatory Charter Middle School
SouthShore Charter Academy
Summerville Advantage Academy
Sunlake Academy of Math and Science
Sunrise High School
The Island School
Theodore R. and Thelma A. Gibson Charter
True North Academy
UCP East Charter
UCP Orange Charter (AKA Downtown Beta)
UCP Osceola Charter School
UCP Pine Hills Charter
UCP Seminole Child Development
UCP Transitional Learning Academy High Charter
UCP West Orange Charter
Union Park Charter Academy
Valrico Lake Advantage Academy
Viera Charter School
Waterset Charter School
West Broward Academy
Western Academy Charter School
Winthrop Charter School
Woodmont Charter School
Wayman Academy of the Arts
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