Florida to develop charter school rule

TALLAHASSEE - The state Department of Education is preparing to develop a rule that would help carry out measures approved in the past two years related to oversight of charter schools.

The department Tuesday posted a notice of development of rule-making that said one part of the rule would implement issues in a bill approved by the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023. The potential rule deals, in part, with what are known as charter school sponsors, which can include school districts, state colleges and universities. The sponsors are responsible for monitoring the schools' finances and ensuring that schools participate in a state accountability system.

The potential rule would involve the creation of a "standard monitoring tool" that a House analysis of the bill said would be used for "conducting annual site review of charter schools." The rule also would incorporate part of a Senate bill approved by lawmakers and DeSantis in 2022 dealing with changes to the "Florida Standard Charter Contract and the Florida Standard Charter Renewal Contract as it relates to the termination of a charter," the notice said.

A rule development workshop is scheduled March 26.