Patricia Levesque, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Florida’s Future, has provided comments on the recent passage of House Bill 1267 and House Bill 1115 by Florida’s House. These bills aim to enhance charter school policies within the state.
“Florida has long been a leader in advancing innovative charter school policies and more education options for families, and the House’s passage of HB 1267 and HB 1115 continues that leadership,” Levesque stated. With a growing PK-12 student population in Florida, more families are opting for public charter schools, yet constructing new schools presents financial and logistical challenges.
“These bills work together to eliminate hurdles and increase flexibilities for high-performing charter operators, creating the conditions necessary for making more high-quality public school options available to families, especially in underserved areas,” she added. Levesque emphasized that the policy improvements are intended to attract top charter school operators and reduce entry barriers. She mentioned that these changes could help leverage existing infrastructure to maximize the use of educational facilities.
“We thank Rep. Demi Busatta and Rep. Susan Valdes for championing these important improvements. We hope the Senate will quickly take up these proposals,” concluded Levesque.
The Schools of Hope charter school program targets students in persistently low-performing schools, providing high-quality operators with startup grants and a revolving loan for facilities. House Bill 1267 aims to redefine low-performing schools to include those ranking in the bottom 10% in math or reading for two out of the last three years. It also seeks to enhance access to vacant and surplus public school property for Schools of Hope operators, aligning with existing provisions for co-location. Moreover, school district capital funding could increase by incorporating Schools of Hope students in their calculations.
House Bill 1115 is set to broaden the flexibility of charter school authorizers by allowing Florida colleges or universities to sponsor Schools of Hope charter schools.
