Florida Lawmakers to Push for Greater Academic Scrutiny and Fiscal Supervision of Charter Schools

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-charter0407dec04,0,7997314.story

Florida Senate Education Committee Chairman Don Gaetz said he will push legislators to begin drafting legislation to make "significant" changes in charter school policies in response to a recent study that found problems with charter school accountability. "We want charter schools in Florida to do better, to operate more efficiently and effectively," said Gaetz, a former school board member who helped approve three charters in Okaloosa County. "We want charter schools to provide more information to parents, and we want charter schools to use public tax dollars for the benefit of children." Proposed changes in the Senate's recent Charter School Accountability Study include: (1) make the public more aware of academic performance at un-graded charter schools; (2) limit funding to charter schools that exceed class-size requirements; (3) closer monitoring and quicker interventions at financially troubled charters; and, (4) prohibit charter board members from getting paid by the charter school. Gaetz said that to boost financial accountability, he hoped legislators would build "a series of trip wires" that would draw attention to poorly operating charters.

Source: Orlando Sentinel (free registration required)
Date: 12/08/2007