FACSA News
Article Submitted by: Carolyn K. Bridges, President FACSA
I hope that each of you had a wonderful and restful holiday season. Although it is only February, it feels as though it was a long time ago, especially with the challenges facing our schools and districts as we battle the budget shortfall, declining enrollment and the impact of the challenges of the changing economy on our students and staff.
The Florida Association of Charter School Authorizers is an organization dedicated to better serving charter schools throughout the state by providing rigorous, high quality authorizing practices. At this time, there are 53 members from districts across the state. This organization meets 6 times a year, including an in-depth summer workshop designed to share key components of effective authorizing. The group also partners with national organizations such as NACSA, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers and CREDO at Stanford University. At the end of February, charter school authorizers from across central Florida will use grant funds to attend a two day workshop designed by CREDO at Stanford University to examine Progress Monitoring as it relates to accountability in Florida. In April NACSA will facilitate a workshop for FACSA to design Accountability models for Florida.
At a recent meeting the FACSA group finalized a mission statement that crystallizes the charge of our group. That statement is:
The mission of the Florida Association of Charter School Authorizers (FACSA) is to collaboratively equip districts with professional standards and best practices to authorize and support excellence in chartering for all students.
The most recent FACSA meeting was held January 15th at Nova Southeastern University in Orlando. In the meeting, Evelyn Chandler shared the Orange County application review process and changes made to the process. Processes included the review committee templates, interview panels and questions, school board members’ interview processes, and submission requirements as outlined in policy.
Nancy Scowcroft of Pasco County assisted the organization by organizing committees to work on key areas of authorizing. Committees for this year include: New Application Process and Appeal Process, Chaired by Evelyn Chandler, Charter Renewal Process and Charter Termination Process Chaired by Carolyn Bridges, Legal and Contracts Chaired by Nancy Scowcroft, and District Processes and Procedures Chaired by Marilyn McClain.
Juanita Edwards from Palm Beach County provided members with an overview of the impact of Florida’s AYP plan (Differentiated Accountability Model) on charter schools designated as Correct II or Intervene. Members of FACSA also reviewed proposed legislation that will be sponsored in the upcoming session.
