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Schools

Study: Charter schools struggle

The schools often run deficits, and the state study finds shortcomings in measuring standards.

By CARRIE JOHNSON
Published February 9, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - Nearly 30 percent of Florida charter schools ran deficits in 2003, forcing local school districts to bail them out, legislators were told Tuesday.

A state study also raised questions about the lack of academic accountability for charter schools. About two-thirds of the 50 charter contracts state auditors reviewed failed to include measurable performance objectives, so it's hard to tell how well they are doing.

The combination of financial problems and lack of academic standards is causing a strain between charter school and local school districts, lawmakers were told.

The study by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability found many of the financial problems stem from startup costs.

Inaccurate enrollment projections and lack of financial management expertise add to the troubles.

The financial problems are worsening, the study found.

In 1999, 18 percent of charter schools ran deficits. The number rose to nearly 30 percent in 2003.

"There is a money issue," said Don Lewis, who oversees charter schools for Alachua County. "Don't let anyone fool you about that."

On Tuesday, county school officials and charter school providers urged the House Committee on Education Choice and Innovation and the House Committee on Pre-K-12 to relieve the increasing strain between charters and the school districts that oversee them.

The biggest problem appears to be accountability, said Rep. John Legg, R-New Port Richey.

"Not just on the part of the charter schools," said Legg, who is also an administrator at Dayspring Academy Charter School in Pasco County. "But also among the school districts."

The relationship between Florida's 300 charter schools and local school districts is complex.

Although charters are publicly funded, they operate as privately run alternatives to traditional public schools. While they are approved by local school boards, which must ensure they comply with the law, the schools have autonomy.

About 83,000 students attend charter schools in Florida, and many of the schools are small.

"With small student bodies, charter schools can have a difficult time building reserves and contingency funds an entire district would have at its disposal," the study found.

The state holds school districts responsible for how charter schools perform, even though they have no direct authority over them, said Charlene Staley, charter school liaison for Hillsborough County.

Legg said the Legislature can either give school districts greater authority or remove them from local control by creating a statewide district.

Most of the speakers favored a statewide district.

They said it would create a more centralized outlet for problems and more consistency for funding.

"Currently, there are some school districts who do provide additional funds for charter schools," said Charlie Dodge, city manager of Pembroke Pines, which operates a municipal charter. "Others, you might say, are not quite so friendly."

Critics charge that a statewide district would undermine local oversight.

But Mark Cannon, executive director of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, said a state district might increase a school's autonomy.

"You need a far more intimate level of control than countywide," Cannon said. "That level of control needs to be inside the school building."

[Last modified February 9, 2005, 00:43:19]