• This web portal contains lots of detailed information and technical assistance to Charter Principals.

    Included are descriptions of services and contact personnel available to charter schools from the School Board of Brevard County.

    Florida Statue 1002.33(20):

    (20) SERVICES.—

    (a)1. A sponsor shall provide certain administrative and educational services to charter schools. These services shall include contract management services; full-time equivalent and data reporting services; exceptional student education administration services; services related to eligibility and reporting duties required to ensure that school lunch services under the National School Lunch Program, consistent with the needs of the charter school, are provided by the sponsor at the request of the charter school, that any funds due to the charter school under the National School Lunch Program be paid to the charter school as soon as the charter school begins serving food under the National School Lunch Program, and that the charter school is paid at the same time and in the same manner under the National School Lunch Program as other public schools serviced by the sponsor or the school district; test administration services, including payment of the costs of state-required or district-required student assessments; processing of teacher certificate data services; and information services, including equal access to the sponsor’s student information systems that are used by public schools in the district in which the charter school is located or by schools in the sponsor’s portfolio of charter schools if the sponsor is not a school district. Student performance data for each student in a charter school, including, but not limited to, FCAT scores, standardized test scores, previous public school student report cards, and student performance measures, shall be provided by the sponsor to a charter school in the same manner provided to other public schools in the district or by schools in the sponsor’s portfolio of charter schools if the sponsor is not a school district.
    2. A sponsor shall provide training to charter schools on systems the sponsor will require the charter school to use.
    3. A sponsor may withhold an administrative fee for the provision of such services which shall be a percentage of the available funds defined in paragraph (17)(b) calculated based on weighted full-time equivalent students. If the charter school serves 75 percent or more exceptional education students as defined in s. 1003.01(9), the percentage shall be calculated based on unweighted full-time equivalent students. The administrative fee shall be calculated as follows:
    a. Up to 5 percent for:
    (I) Enrollment of up to and including 250 students in a charter school as defined in this section.
    (II) Enrollment of up to and including 500 students within a charter school system which meets all of the following:
    (A) Includes conversion charter schools and nonconversion charter schools.
    (B) Has all of its schools located in the same county.
    (C) Has a total enrollment exceeding the total enrollment of at least one school district in this state.
    (D) Has the same governing board for all of its schools.
    (E) Does not contract with a for-profit service provider for management of school operations.
    (III) Enrollment of up to and including 250 students in a virtual charter school.
    b. Up to 2 percent for enrollment of up to and including 250 students in a high-performing charter school as defined in s. 1002.331.
    c. Up to 2 percent for enrollment of up to and including 250 students in an exceptional student education center that meets the requirements of the rules adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to s. 1008.3415(3).
    4. A sponsor may not charge charter schools any additional fees or surcharges for administrative and educational services in addition to the maximum percentage of administrative fees withheld pursuant to this paragraph. A sponsor may not charge or withhold any administrative fee against a charter school for any funds specifically allocated by the Legislature for teacher compensation.
    5. A sponsor shall provide to the department by September 15 of each year the total amount of funding withheld from charter schools pursuant to this subsection for the prior fiscal year. The department must include the information in the report required under sub-sub-subparagraph (5)(b)1.k.(III).
    6. A sponsor shall annually provide a report to its charter schools on what services are being rendered from the sponsor’s portion of the administrative fee. The report must include the listed services and be submitted to the department by September 15 of each year.
    (b) If goods and services are made available to the charter school through the contract with the sponsor, they shall be provided to the charter school at a rate no greater than the sponsor’s actual cost unless mutually agreed upon by the charter school and the sponsor in a contract negotiated separately from the charter. When mediation has failed to resolve disputes over contracted services or contractual matters not included in the charter, an appeal may be made to an administrative law judge appointed by the Division of Administrative Hearings. The administrative law judge has final order authority to rule on the dispute. The administrative law judge shall award the prevailing party reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred during the mediation process, administrative proceeding, and any appeals, to be paid by the party against whom the administrative law judge rules. To maximize the use of state funds, sponsors shall allow charter schools to participate in the sponsor’s bulk purchasing program if applicable.
    (c) Transportation of charter school students shall be provided by the charter school consistent with the requirements of subpart I.E. of chapter 1006 and s. 1012.45. The governing body of the charter school may provide transportation through an agreement or contract with the sponsor, a private provider, or parents. The charter school and the sponsor shall cooperate in making arrangements that ensure that transportation is not a barrier to equal access for all students residing within a reasonable distance of the charter school as determined in its charter.
    (d) Each charter school shall annually complete and submit a survey, provided in a format specified by the Department of Education, to rate the timeliness and quality of services provided by the sponsor in accordance with this section. The department shall compile the results, by sponsor, and include the results in the report required under sub-sub-subparagraph (5)(b)1.k.(III).
     
    If a School or System has been designated its own LEA for the purposes of Federal Funding, that school or system of schools is not eligible for any services in this guide that are funded through federal funding sources pursuant to FS 1002.33 (25)