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ORLANDO, Fla. – Members of the Orange County school board voiced their concerns and confusion on Tuesday about the potential effects of a newly passed law that permits charter schools to utilize underutilized school facilities within the district.
“I’m at a loss as to where to begin with this hastily crafted and poorly articulated rule and law,” remarked Stephanie Vanos, a representative for District 6 on the school board.
During a work session on Tuesday, the board gathered to review several topics, including the legislation related to “Schools of Hope.”
The Florida Department of Education describes “Schools of Hope” as charter schools managed by a “hope operator.” These operators are non-profit entities running three or more charter schools, with a proven track record of serving students from low-income backgrounds, specifically targeting students from consistently low-performing schools.
[WATCH: Orange County Public Schools to halt new construction due to declining enrollment]
Per Florida Statute 1002.333, school districts “must permit any school of hope to use all or part of underused, vacant, or surplus school district facilities, and receive facility-related services.”
During the work session, several school board members wondered aloud whether the co-habitation of charter school classes and Orange County public school classes would put a strain on the district’s resources.
“My biggest concern, really, as a board member, is the funding aspect,” said Alicia Farrant, who represents District 3. “How do we fund this?”
The district would be required by law to allow schools of hope to move in without paying rent, while the district would also be on the hook for covering services like food and transportation.
[WATCH: Orange schools face $25M shortfall after enrollment drops nearly 7K students]
Superintendent Maria Vazquez suggested that “Schools of Hope” sharing space with existing schools could have more than just financial implications.
“Neighborhood schools are community anchors,” Vazquez said. “Co-location can fracture a school’s identity, divide parent organizations, and create confusion about who’s accountable for the overall campus experience.”
Farrant, who has touted her position advocating for school choice, agreed with the other members of the board regarding concerns over “ambiguous” language in the law. However, she asked them to reflect on the circumstances that precipitated the passage of the law.
“Something I’m sure we don’t really want to think about is we’re in this predicament because we have schools that are not servicing our kids in the ways that they should,” Farrant said.
Vazquez and the board’s general counsel also disclosed Tuesday that the district has received letters from charter schools seeking to move into underused schools. They said many of those requests were rejected for various reasons, including the fact that two of the operators are not yet authorized as “Schools of Hope” operators in Florida.
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