Opinion ID: 1598612
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the charter schools statute

Text: Charter schools are nonsectarian public schools that operate under a performance contract (charter) with a public sponsor  either a district school board or a university. See § 1002.33(1), (7), (9)(a), Fla. Stat. (2005). [9] Charter schools were first authorized in Florida in 1996 in chapter 228, Florida Statutes. See ch. 96-186, § 1, Laws of Fla. In 2002, the charter school statute was moved to chapter 1002. See ch. 2002-387, § 98, Laws of Fla. Charter schools are considered schools of choice, in that their creation is now authorized under Part III of chapter 1002, Florida Statutes, titled Educational Choice. That part provides for several different types of schools of choice, including charter schools. One of the legislatively stated guiding principles for charter schools is that they provide[ ] parents with the flexibility to choose among diverse educational opportunities within the state's public schools system. § 1002.33(2), Fla. Stat. (2005). Private schools, parochial schools, and home education programs are not eligible for charter school status. § 1002.33(3)(b), Fla. Stat. (2005). Under the charter school statute, funding for students attending charter schools is provided on the same basis as for students in basic or special public programs, § 1002.33(17), Fla. Stat., and charter schools are eligible for capital outlay funding under chapter 1013. See § 1002.33(19), Fla. Stat. (2005). The duties of the district school board include monitoring the revenues and expenditures of the charter schools. See § 1002.33(5)(b)2, Fla. Stat. (2005). Section 1002.33 also sets forth the requirements for eligible students and for employees of charter schools, bases for funding, requirements for charter school facilities, and procedures for charter school performance review. See § 1002.33(10), (18), (23), Fla. Stat. (2005). Finally, section 1002.33 sets forth detailed procedures for the creation and operation of a charter school, as well as termination procedures that apply when a sponsor determines that a charter must be terminated. § 1002.33(6)-(8), Fla. Stat. (2005). Thus, the statute is comprehensive in its treatment of all aspects of the creation, operation, and termination of charter schools. Within this detailed statutory scheme governing charter schools, we focus primarily on the provisions relating to immediate termination of charter school charters and the process set forth in the statute for appeal of charter school terminations.