Controversial Schools of Hope funding divides House, Senate

Amid the House’s push to defund the controversial Schools of Hope program completely, the Senate has cut its offer in half, from $6 million to $3 million.

The Schools of Hope funding is one of the unresolved K-12 education funding issues that has been bumped up to leadership amid the ongoing budget talks.

The Legislature resumed for a Special Session this month after lawmakers failed to pass a budget during the 60-day Regular Legislature.

The Schools of Hope program allows charter schools to take over traditional public school buildings that are under-enrolled. The charter schools can operate in the spaces rent-free, which has sparked concerns from school officials, teachers unions and Democrats. Charter schools are publicly funded schools that are privately run.

Republicans and Schools of Hope supporters have said the program is simply utilizing space at public schools that are failing to grow enrollment.

Lawmakers previously budgeted $6 million for Schools for Hope in last year’s budget.

Sen. Darryl Rouson, a St. Petersburg Democrat, filed legislation to eliminate the Schools of Hope in November. But the legislation died in Committee during the Regular Session.

“Constituents and stakeholders from across the state have reached out to my office with concerns about the overly broad Schools of Hope program,” Rouson said at the time.

“By eliminating language requiring colocation in public schools, we are ensuring schools do not face the unintentional consequence of an unfunded mandate, and that students can continue thriving in their schools without losing access to spaces they need for academic success.”

Amid the public outcry, the Florida Board of Education passed new rules earlier this year governing Schools of Hope. One change is operators are limited how many applications they can submit. Now, the Hope operators are only allowed up to five applications per year.

One operator previously sought to get access to dozens of schools in Brevard County.

“The idea that one organization, BridgePrep, sought to co-locate in over a third of Brevard’s public schools defies logic and should incense parents and taxpayers alike,” Holly Bullard, Florida Policy Institute’s Chief Strategy and Development Officer, said at the time.