FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
S
TATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
F. PHILIP HANDY,
Chairman
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Vice Chairman
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
JULIA L. JOHNSON
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
LINDA K. TAYLOR
John L. Winn
Commissioner of Education
INCREASING THE QUANTITY AND IMPROVING THE
QUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS
June 24, 2005
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
All Second Year Charter School Administrators
FROM:
Steven Adams, Director of Charter Schools
SUBJECT:
2005-2006 Second-Year Implementation Request for Application
Charter schools serve an important role in achieving the State Board of Education’s Strategic Imperative 5:
Increasing the Quantity and Improving the Quality of Education Options
. The United States Department of
Education’s Public Charter Schools Federal Grant Program supports this initiative by providing funds to
Florida for the purpose of awarding grants to charter schools authorized by “local chartering agencies” to
provide a high quality education for all students.
The Department recognizes five areas that are considered to be essential to the implementation and
success of high-quality charter schools. The specific areas are:
•
Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Accountability
•
Special Education Services
•
Business, Finance, and Accounting
•
Governance and Legal
•
Administration and Operations
Applicants are strongly encouraged to use grant funds in these five areas and reflect it on the DOE 101
budget page in the grant application. Grants should focus on implementation costs necessary to help
continue the charter school during its second year of operation, and to increase the quality of educational
services offered by the charter school.
Consistent with federal and state grant program guidelines and procedures, the grant application must be
approved by the charter school board, signed by both the charter school head and the superintendent or
sponsoring agency head prior to the application being submitted to the Department of Education.
VIRGINIA GENTLES
Executive Director
Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 522 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0502 • Fax (850) 245-0875
Charter School Administrators
June 24, 2005
Page Two
School district board approval is not required for the submission of a grant application. Only the
superintendent or the superintendent’s designee is required to sign on behalf of the school district.
The
grant deadline is July 29, 2005.
The end of the budget period is July 31, 2006. The last date for
incurring expenditures and issuing purchase orders is July 31, 2006.
Please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Karen Bennett at (850) 245-0502, should you have any concerns
regarding the grant application when received.
SA/kb
