Charter consortium joins exclusivity debate

The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools has entered the legal discussion over the state's role in granting charter school contracts, and guess which side it is supporting.

In a friend of the court brief, the consortium contends that the creation of the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission improves, rather than undercuts, the constitutional requirement for a uniform system of public education.

It would seem that the more equality there was for greater access to educational opportunities within and among districts, the more this supports the concept of a high quality and uniform system of education. Likewise, the more statewide consistency there is in the charter approval process, the more uniform over time will be the availability of charter options in every district.

The group also argues that the 14 districts pursuing the case mischaracterize the true nature of school boards' duties and powers under state law. Pasco School Board lawyer Dennis Alfonso, who was nice enough to forward the brief, told the Gradebook that it doesn't say anything unexpected. Duval County School Board et al v. State Board of Education is still chugging along in the First District Court of Appeal.