FORT LAUDERDALE – Chances are, the annual battle over charter school facilities funding will be back again next year in the Florida Legislature, as will the search for a long-term fix.
That much was clear during a gathering of district and charter school leaders, hosted by the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools. What’s less clear is how it will be resolved.
Bill Jones, a member of the consortium’s board and principal of Manatee School For the Arts, said before lawmakers and education officials attempt to solve issues like giving charter schools access to district-owned buildings, or funding charter school construction, they need to grapple with a philosophical question raised by a new definition of public education that doesn’t revolve solely around district-run schools.
“When we look at the local property tax, do you believe that is public tax money that is given to the school district, or is it intended to work for the best interest of every public-school student in the district?” he asked. “Right now, what happens is, there are people who get to decide which students get the benefit of that money.”
Florida, he said, has to answer the question: “Do we want that local property tax money to benefit every public-school student?”
Right now, charter schools rely on annual appropriations by the state Legislature to pay their rent, mortgages and construction costs. A handful of districts share local property tax revenue with charters, but attempts by lawmakers to steer more district revenue to charters have met resistance. Districts argue they’re already struggling to cover their own building costs and pay off debts on past construction.
Tiffanie Pauline, the head of the charter school office for Miami-Dade Public Schools, said someone needs to look out for the public good, which requires “some sense of collaboration, some sense of determining need and demand.”
In other words, to make the best use of tax dollars, districts should work with charter schools to make sure they open in areas where existing public schools are over-crowded, or they’re struggling academically, or parents want other options.
Pauline said there are other complications in her district, where urban real estate is scarce and 80 percent of charter schools lease their buildings long-term from private landlords.
“For the school board there’s a question there,” she said. “Should I be advocating for taxpayer dollars for real estate that will never be owned by the charter school?”
Since so much district revenue is committed to paying off debt, Pauline said the big question is: “How do we increase funding for all, and not impact what currently exists, while creating options for everyone?”
Rep. Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah, told the group that a long-term solution might require lawmakers to find a separate source of funding to set aside for charters. That won’t be easy.
“The ideal situation would be to be able to allow the districts to have the dollars that they need to serve their kids, while allowing charter schools to be able to access capital dollars and have a stable source to serve their needs, and serve their kids,” he said.
However, he cautioned, in a low-tax state like Florida, there will likely be multiple interest groups fighting over every conceivable pool of money.
