The Florida Charter School Alliance looks forward to working with the legislature to discuss innovative solutions to optimize the use of available classroom space and find needed classroom space for quality educational choice providers. This is a noble goal — to find ways that meet parental demand for quality educational options, ensure that taxpayer-funded facilities are fully utilized, and strengthen cooperation between districts and schools of choice to benefit all learners.
Q: What is a School of Hope?
A School of Hope is a high-impact charter school designated to operate in persistently low-performing school zones to improve student outcomes.
Per FLDOE, A School of Hope is “a charter school operated by a hope operator which serves students from one or more persistently low-performing schools; is located in the attendance zone of a persistently low-performing school or within a 5-mile radius of such school, whichever is greater; and is a Title I eligible school.
These schools are established by charter school organizations with a proven track record of success. A law passed in 2025 expanded the program to allow more schools and potential campus locations across the state.
State Statute for School of Hope
Q: What qualifies an operator to receive designation as a School of Hope operator and for the establishment of School of Hope?
Pursuant to s. 1002.333, F.S., a Hope operator is a nonprofit organization with tax-exempt status under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that operates three or more charter schools that serve students in grades K-12 in Florida or other states, with a record of serving students from low-income families, and is designated by the State Board of Education as a hope operator based on a determination that:
- The past performance of the hope operator meets or exceeds the following criteria:
- The achievement of enrolled students exceeds the district and state averages of the states in which the operator’s schools operate;
- The average college attendance rate at all schools currently operated by the operator exceeds 80 percent, if such data is available;
- The percentage of students eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the National School Lunch Act enrolled at all schools currently operated by the operator exceeds 70 percent;
- The operator is in good standing with the authorizer in each state in which it operates;
- The audited financial statements of the operator are free of material misstatements and going concern issues; and
- Other outcome measures as determined by the State Board of Education;
- The operator was awarded a United States Department of Education Charter School Program Grant for Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools within the preceding 3 years before applying to be a hope operator;
- The operator receives funding through the National Fund of the Charter School Growth Fund to accelerate the growth of the nation’s best charter schools; or
- The operator is selected by a district school board in accordance with s. 1002.333.
source of Designation information.
Facilities
Q: Why did charter school operators send letters requesting the use of underused/available facilities to districts?
The letters are conversation starters – an opportunity for district and charter school stakeholders to discuss how quality public education providers can best meet the needs and demands of today’s learners and parents.
Q: Have there been discussions about facilities before the passage of the School of Hope bill?
Through the Alliance’s District/Charter Collaborative project, we’ve successfully initiated discussions about instructional best practices and parent communication.
Q: Will a charter school be able to access an underused classroom facility without paying upkeep or other expenses?
We expect the state will release guidelines and clarification for School of Hope operators and Districts. In the meantime, districts may want to consider how unused facilities can best serve students — whether they attend a district-run or public charter school.
Q: What kinds of underused district facilities may charter schools use in Florida?
Under Florida law for charter schools (specifically, Florida Statute § 1002.33 and related sections), charter schools have certain facility requirements and options:
- A startup charter school must utilize facilities that comply with the Florida Building Code (Chapter 553) — the general building code.
- A conversion charter school (i.e., a public school that converted to charter) may utilize the facility that the district school was housed in and comply with the State Requirements for Educational Facilities (SREF) provided that the district and the charter school have a mutual management plan for maintenance.
- If a charter school is using facilities provided by the district (its sponsor) at no or nominal cost, it may not be eligible for certain capital outlay funds. Florida statute requires that for capital outlay eligibility, the charter school must “serve students in facilities that are not provided by the charter school’s sponsor.”
Q: What can charter schools use capital outlay funds for?
Per Florida Statute § 1013.62, eligible charter schools may use capital outlay funds for several purposes. Here are the major permissible uses:
* Purchase of real property (land) by the charter school.
* Construction of school facilities (new buildings) or expansion/renovation.
- Purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of permanent or relocatable school facilities – including relocatable modular or temporary buildings.
- Renovation, repair, and maintenance of school facilities that the charter school owns or is purchasing (via lease‐purchase or long‐term lease of 5+ years).
- For renovation/repair, the statute requires the charter school must own the facility or purchase it through a lease-purchase or long‐term lease (5 years or more) to use capital outlay funds.
* Purchase of vehicles to transport students to and from the charter school.
* Payment of premiums for property and casualty insurance, which are necessary to insure the school facilities.
* In certain cases: purchase/lease of computer and device hardware and operating system software that is classified as a capital asset (useful life of at least 5 years) and enterprise
Important note: If the charter school terminates operations, unencumbered funds and equipment/property purchased must revert to the district school board/its authorizer.
Q: How is the capital outlay distributed to public charter schools?
Eligibility criteria – A charter school must meet certain criteria to be eligible for capital outlay funding under Florida Statute 1013.62. Some of the key criteria include:
* The charter school must have been in operation for at least two years.
* The governing board must have been established for a certain number of years (2+ years) if it operates both charter and conversion charter schools.
* The charter school must have received final contract approval from its authorizer to operate during that fiscal year.
* The school must serve students in a facility not provided by the district authorizer
* The charter school must meet “satisfactory student achievement” benchmarks (for instance, not receive an “F” or two consecutive grades lower than a “C”).
Allocation & Funding Formula – Charter school Capital Outlay funding consists of state funds (from the General Appropriations Act) and revenue from the discretionary millage (authorized under § 1011.71(2) when state funds are less than a baseline.
* The Florida Department of Education uses full‐time equivalent (FTE) student count from the second and third enrollment surveys to allocate funds.
* The calculation (in simplified terms) includes:
1. Determine a base allocation per FTE by dividing the appropriation by the total eligible charter school FTE.
2. Multiply that per-FTE amount by each charter’s FTE to get the allocation for each charter school.
* There is also a gradual phase for school districts distributing the millage‐derived part to charter schools:
* For FY 2023-24: 20% of the calculated amount must be distributed.
* FY 2024-25: 40%
* FY 2025-26: 60%
* FY 2026-27: 80%
* FY 2027-28 and thereafter: 100% of the calculated amount.
* The school district must distribute the funds to the charter school no later than February 1 of each year (based on the amount of funds received by the school district) and any remaining funds when received.
Oversight – If a charter school closes/terminates its contract, any unencumbered funds and purchased equipment/property must revert to the district or state, per the written agreement. The district must certify to the Florida DOE certain debt service and participation amounts by October 1 each year.
