{"id":2150,"date":"2011-10-14T13:49:10","date_gmt":"2011-10-14T17:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/?p=2150"},"modified":"2011-10-14T14:45:03","modified_gmt":"2011-10-14T18:45:03","slug":"school-boards-getting-tough-on-charter-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2011\/10\/14\/school-boards-getting-tough-on-charter-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"School Boards Getting Tough on Charter Applications"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Matt Stiles \/ StateImpact Florida<\/p>

More than one-third of Florida school districts did not have a charter school during the 2010-2011 school year.<\/p><\/div>\n

Seminole County school board<\/a> chairwoman Dede Schaffner admits it — her county is tough on people wanting to open new charter schools.<\/p>\n

But Schaffner<\/a> said the district isn\u2019t asking anything more than the state asks of Seminole County.<\/p>\n

Last month the school district rejected three applications<\/a> for new charter schools.<\/p>\n

In one case, district officials argued they already offered the online courses proposed by a virtual charter school.<\/p>\n

In another, they rejected a plan from a for-profit company to replicate its \u2018A\u2019-rated South Florida charter in Seminole County. It\u2019s a direct challenge to a new state law that makes it easier for high-rated charter school to expand.<\/p>\n

Schaffner said Seminole County has had to close charter schools in the past and knows how to identify red flags in an application.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just felt like the ones that applied did not live up to the expectations of Seminole County,\u201d Schaffner said. \u201cWe have to be sure that we improve student learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just 1 percent of Seminole County students are enrolled in a charter school, according to data analyzed by StateImpact Florida. That\u2019s lower than other Central Florida counties such as Brevard, Lake, Osceola and Orange. All those counties have at least three times the percentage of students enrolled in charter schools.<\/p>\n

Schaffner said that\u2019s because Seminole County offers a high-quality education and not because the school board is too critical of charter applicants.<\/p>\n

But charter school advocates argue Florida should have an independent body approve applications. They say school boards see them as competition and have a financial incentive to deny new charter schools.<\/p>\n

Charter Franchise Not Welcome<\/h4>\n

Seminole County may be particularly tough on new charter schools, but it\u2019s not the only district turning them down.<\/p>\n

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