At a press conference held in Osceola County on Monday, November 30, 2020, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Emergency Order 07 — calling for all Florida public schools to remain open for in-person instruction in 2021. “The new Emergency Order outlines goals public schools should meet. It also ensures that charter schools are granted the same flexibility that districts are getting,” explains Lynn Norman-Teck, FCSA Executive Director. “We thank Commissioner Corcoran and his team for listening to our recommendations and for continuing to support Florida’s families.”
The new Emergency Order maintains parents’ right to choose what educational option fits the needs of their family. It asks schools to make live remote classes and face-to-face classes available as an option through the end of the 2020-21 school year and continues to fund these learning models. The Emergency Order also mentions FTE funding for charter schools: “For charter schools with an approved Spring 2021 Education Plan, school districts must fund their FTE students in the same manner that the state funds district with enrollment growth or decrease.”
Funding is also addressed in Emergency Order 07 (see slides 21-23).
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The Department will use annualized FTE following surveys 3 (February) and 4, and Add-on FTE from 2019-20 survey 5, to identify all growth — in enrollment.
- Funding for the Fall 2020 semester was set by DOE Order No. 2020-EO-06, which allowed districts/schools to receive funding for the first half of the school year, based upon the General Appropriations Act (GAA) forecast. School districts receive this funding without regard to the results of the October survey.
- Funding provided to school districts and charter schools with an approved Spring 2021 Education Plan is designed to continue the financial continuity provided in DOE Order No. 2020-EO-06, with modifications to ensure districts with increased full-time equivalent (FTE) students following surveys 3 and 4 as set forth in Rule 6A-1.0451, Florida Administrative Code, are funded for that increase.
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Charter schools must submit a Spring 2021 Education Plan to their sponsoring district by December 15, 2020
The plan is similar to the one you developed in the fall to comply with Emergency Order 06, however, you must address Key Areas and Assurances in your Spring 2021 Education Plan.
A network of charter schools may submit ONE plan to cover all the schools within a district.
Plan Submission, Approval, and Deadline Update
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- Districts were required to review charters’ plans for EO-06 and now again for EO-07. However, there was never a prescription to the extent to which districts review those plans. Therefore, districts should NOT subsequently submit charters plans to FDOE.
- This enabled these deadlines — districts to FDOE and charters to districts — to both be December 15, because these deadlines are NOT dependent on each other. They are entirely separate transactions.
- Additionally, charters (just like districts) do NOT have to submit plans if they are not interested in the protections and flexibilities that EO-07 offers for things like Innovative learning modalities and declines in enrollment.
- The deadline for charters is December 15 and should not be altered.
The Spring Education Plan goals are:
- Building on the successful reopening of all public schools to in-person instruction;
- Promoting parental choice while ensuring that every student is making adequate academic progress;
- Providing financial continuity to enable each school district to maintain the full panoply of services for the benefit of Florida students and families, including students from vulnerable populations such as low-income families, migrant families, the homeless, English Language Learners (ELLs), students in foster care and students with disabilities; and
- Empowering every district to maintain high-quality school choices for Florida students and families with a focus on eliminating achievement gaps, which have been exacerbated by the crisis.
Important links:
FDOE Guidance for Charter Schools
2021 Spring Education Plan_EO Assurances_Charter
Order No. 2020-EO-07Guidance for Charter Schools
Member school leaders and governing board members are encouraged to contact an FCSA team member if you have any questions about the Emergency Order or need assistance developing your Spring 2021 Education Plan.