FCSA Leads Conversations about Charter School/Authorizers Compliance, Best Practices Training and Collaboration

The Florida Charter School Alliance (FCSA) created the Charter School Leaders and Authorizers Compliance and Best Practices Training and Collaboration with a grant from the Florida Department of Education.

Since 2019, the FCSA has facilitated trainings and provided support to Florida charter school authorizers (school districts), specifically focusing on superintendents and school board members, and included a series of Authorizer trainings and collaborative roundtable discussions between charter school leaders and authorizers.

In January 2026, our Authorizer Training Modules will take on a new approach: real interviews with Charter School Authorizers who will share intentional, practical insight on what districts should consider when applying state statute. These conversations will get to the heart of authorizing—what works, what doesn’t, and what truly supports quality schools.

During the 2024-2025 school year, we held a series of live-streamed virtual sessions for Florida School Board Members, Superintendents, and Superintendent designees. The training offered an introductory overview to enhance understanding of authorizer responsibilities and reinforced the fact that District School Board members serve as authorizers per Florida statute. Superintendents and district staff make charter school application recommendations to the school board members, who hold final responsibility and decision-making.

Our goal was to foster a collaborative environment among trailblazing charter school leaders, charter school experts, school board members, and superintendents. The Collaborative created an ideal forum for sharing innovative strategies and best practices to improve educational quality and the relationship between district authorizers and charter schools.

The roundtable discussions were broadcast live and are available on demand: