Florida enacts multiple laws expanding school choice

Three new pro-school choice laws are now in effect in Florida. 

HB 1105, HB 443 and SB 248, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, took effect July 1. 

HB 1105 makes significant changes to how charter schools can be created and funded.  

It allows a majority of parents or guardians to vote to convert a public school into a charter school without any input from the school’s teachers or administrators. Municipalities have the power to apply to turn existing public schools into “job engine charter schools,” which attract local business involvement. Additionally, the law requires school districts to share discretionary surtax revenue with charter schools. And finally, some charter schools can now build new facilities without undergoing the usual rezoning process. 

HB 443 deals with school choice more broadly. 

It allows high-performing charter schools to create their own codes of conduct or copy them from other schools. It also defines what lab schools can spend their discretionary funds on. The bill also lets some charter schools increase their enrollment. Also, it prevents the landlord of a charter school – or anyone closely connected to them – from sitting on the governing board. 

The law also lets virtual school students join sports teams in the school district where they reside. 

Similarly, SB 248 lets private-school students play on public school sports teams in their local district, if the school they attend lacks a certain sport. 

“The best thing we can do for our kids is to give them options to play in sports,” Community Leadership Academy (CLA) founder Peter Boulware told WCTV in February. 

“Get them involved, get them playing, get them in something,” he added. “The more we can do that, the opportunities we can give our students, the better we can make our students.”  

Boulware leads a private K-12 school in Tallahassee. The school has nine sports teams but lacks some popular sports such as football, baseball, softball and lacrosse. 

Cornerstone Learning Community Director Jason Flom also supports the measure. He leads another private K-12 school in Tallahassee.  

“Kids who might not have access to other sports might find that ‘Hey, I do want to play lacrosse that they have over at Leon High School,’ or Rickards, or some other place,” Flom told the Florida A&M’s newspaper, FAMUAN.  

The pro-school choice efforts come as public-school enrollment nationwide has dropped by over 1 million students since 2020, as The Lion reported.