Charter School Town Hall Presenters: Dr. Tim Kitts, CEO, Bay Haven Charter Academy, Inc. Larry Williams, Director, FCPCS Government Affairs

Charter School Town Hall 2014 Regular Legislative Session Summary In 2014, lawmakers passed 264 bills. That’s the fewest bills since at least 2001, and 22% less than the 10-year average of 338 bills passed per session; Legislators also filed fewer bills than any time since 2001. The 1,812 filed bills is a 23 % reduction from the 10-year average of 2,364 bills.

Charter School Town Hall There were eight (8) charter school bills, in all, introduced in the two chambers (HB1265, HB7057, HB7083, SB1528, SB0452, SB1124, SB1202 and SB1284); Two (2) other bills that included language that mentioned charter schools, as well (HB1327 and SB0860); Of the 8 charter school bills, HB7083 and SB1528 were the two that came the closest to passing, although no charter school bill was passed in the 2014 session.

Charter School Town Hall HB7083 remained fairly unchanged through all its committee stops in the House, where it was passed and sent to the Senate in Messages, it was never taken up by the Senate; SB1528, died in its final Senate committee. HB0433, although not a charter school bill, had language added which permits consortia of charter schools to develop professional development systems, including re-certification training, for charter school teachers.

Charter School Town Hall Facilities Capital Outlay Governor Scott proposed $93 MM in Facilities Capital Outlay for charter schools in FLDOE budget. Senate appropriated $50 MM while House appropriated $100 MM. Budget Conference ended with $50 MM appropriated for charter schools. Speaker Weatherford added $25 MM from supplemental allocations to bring Facilities Capital Outlay at $75 MM for charter schools.

Charter School Town Hall  FCPCS LEADERSHIP FCPCS has a well-organized and functioning Advocacy Committee of the Board of Directors and a team of legislative consultants who work before, during, and after the Legislative Session to inform State Legislators of the needs of charter schools.   FCPCS’s Advocacy Committee (a subgroup of the FCPCS Board of Directors) annually develops legislative priorities with the input of FCPCS member charter schools. Those recommendations, along with those of the Task Force on Quality Charter School Authorizing in Florida, an FCPCS-formed group of charter school and traditional school district representatives, are combined into a draft Legislative Platform for the FCPCS Board of Directors to review, revise and approve. After approval by the full Board, the final annual Legislative Platform is handed over to another entity, the Coalition, which in turn contracts with a Tallahassee-based team of advocacy consultants (The Advocacy Team).

Charter School Town Hall  ADVOCACY TEAM The Tallahassee-based team is led by the FCPCS Government Affairs Director and operates under the direction of the Coalition. This year, the Advocacy Team is made up of three, top-notch, legislative professionals: Mr. Larry Williams, Ms Lisa Miller and Mr. David Ash.   Additionally, regular FCPCS consultants provide assistance, as needed, to the Coalition and the Tallahassee-based Advocacy Team.

Charter School Town Hall TRACKING AND UPDATES   Up to, and during, the Legislative Session, FCPCS publishes through its online newsletter to its member schools weekly Legislative Updates. These updates cover State and Federal issues and tracks every bill and amendment that may have an impact on charter school operations. Additionally, Coalition Members and the Advocacy Team communicate regularly during the session to discuss and review legislative developments and to determine best approaches for presenting the Coalition’s views. The impact of the proposed measures are then communicated by the Advocacy Team to Legislators in the House and Senate. Occasionally, FCPCS is asked to provide formal testimony on legislative matters before House and Senate committees and does so.

Charter School Town Hall A great way for your school to benefit from this advocacy work, and to ensure that your voice is heard in Tallahassee even if you cannot visit during the Legislature during session, is to become a member of FCPCS.   If your school is not already a member of the Florida Consortium of Pubic Charter Schools, you need to visit the FCPCS website to learn about all the benefits of membership. You will find a great video outlining the many benefits of FCPCS membership at the link below: http://floridacharterschools.org/

Charter School Town Hall Additionally, a group called the Task Force on Quality Charter School Authorizing in Florida, was formed two years ago by the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools. The Task Force is a group of charter school and traditional school districts representatives from across the state, who periodically meet to discuss areas of collaboration and of mutual concern. Selected issues identified by this group are included in FCPCS’s Legislative Platform.

Charter School Town Hall Co-Chairs Janet Adkins, Representative District 11 Robert Runcie, Superintendent Broward County Public Schools

Charter School Town Hall Some issues discussed by the Task Force that may be included in FCPCS’s Legislative Program are: High Needs Schools and Application Process Facilities Capital Outlay Changes in the matrix and timeline for closing “F” schools. Timeline for applications to allow an extension to go beyond one year to defer Temporary Certificate of Occupancy 15 days prior to the first day of school

Charter School Town Hall DISCUSSION