This week — January 21-27, 2024 — is National School Choice Week!
What is school choice? School choice is the process of allowing every family to choose the K-12 educational options that best fit their children. Every child is unique, and all children learn differently. Some children might succeed at the neighborhood public school, while others might fit in better at a charter, magnet, online, private or home learning environment. That’s why school choice is so important!
Florida school choice advocates have a lot to celebrate. Our state leads the nation in School Choice — options include all forms of education, from district-run public schools, to public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online academies, mircoschools, and homeschooling; and our policymakers have continually been bold supporters of these options.
During National School Choice Week 2024, the Florida Charter School Alliance wants to recognize the policymakers and elected officials who support quality educational choice and a family’s right to choose the best education option for their child, regardless of zipcode or income.
CLICK HERE to use our template message to send your legislator an email.
Charter schools have been a vital part of Florida’s K12 system of public education and school choice landscape for 27 years — contributing to the upswing in academic performance and the closing of the achievement gap. Today, close to 400,000 students attend a public charter school in Florida (13% of the public school population). Florida lawmakers have long supported charter schools and educational choice in our state. In 2022, the Florida legislature established the Florida Charter School Review Commission (SB 758) with the authority to solicit and approve charter school applications and the Florida Institute for Charter School Innovation at Miami-Dade College (HB 609). During the 2023 Legislative Session, they, along with Governor DeSantis, supported important changes that made a positive impact to charter school students and teachers. Legislation that supports educational choice and charter schools included: charter school Capital Outlay eligibility criteria (HB 1259), expedited reimbursement of federal grant funds to charter schools (HB 443), and permitting charter school governing board to adopt rules to issue an adjunct teaching certificate to any applicant who fulfills certification requirements under the law (HB 1537). Click the link below for a complete 2023 Legislative recap.
“This week give us an opportunity to celebrate the availability of school choice and thank the legislators for supporting a family’s right to choose the right school for their child,” said Lynn Norman-Teck, FCSA executive director and charter school parent. “This is also an opportunity for charter school educators, principals, governing board members, and stakeholders to celebrate 27 years of serving communities and make a pledge to continue innovating, collaborating, and pushing forward to expand and improve the educational landscape in our state in order to meet the needs and talents of all learners.”