FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
John L. Winn
Commissioner 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
August 24, 2005
INCREASING THE QUANTITY AND IMPROVING THE
QUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
District
Superintendents
Charter
School
Directors/Principals
FROM:
Virginia Gentles, Executive Director
Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice
SUBJECT:
2004-05 ANNUAL CHARTER SCHOOL REPORTS
This memorandum serves as a reminder of the annual reporting requirement for charter schools and their
school district sponsors.
S
chool districts and other sponsoring entities must submit a 2004-2005
annual report for each charter school to the Department of Education postmarked no later than
November 1, 2005.
School districts may determine the number of copies and the timeline that charter schools must follow in
submitting their annual reports to the district office. Charter school directors and principals should
contact their district charter school director to determine the number of copies and other specific reporting
requirements that the district may have established. The school district office is responsible for collecting
annual reports from all charter schools in the district and sending three copies of each school’s report to
the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice, Florida Department of Education, to the
attention of Karen Hines-Henry.
Section 1002.33(9)(1), Florida Statutes, requires every operating charter school to coordinate with its
sponsoring school district in submitting an annual report to the Florida Department of Education. Per
statutory requirement, the annual report must include, at a minimum:
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Student Achievement: Student achievement performance data, including the information required for
the annual school report and the education accountability system governed by ss. 1008.31 and
1008.345. Charter schools are subject to the same accountability requirements as other public schools,
including reports of student achievement information that links baseline student data to the school's
performance projections identified in the charter. The charter school shall identify reasons for any
difference between projected and actual student performance.
Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 522 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0502 • Fax (850) 245-0875
District School Superintendents
Charter School Directors/Principals
August 24, 2005
Page Two
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Financial Status: Financial status of the charter school which must include revenues and expenditures
at a level of detail that allows for analysis of the ability to meet financial obligations and timely
repayment of debt.
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Facilities: Documentation of the facilities in current use and any planned facilities for use by the
charter school for instruction of students, administrative functions, or investment purposes.
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Personnel: Descriptive information about the charter school's personnel, including salary and benefit
levels of charter school employees, the proportion of instructional personnel who hold professional or
temporary certificates, and the proportion of instructional personnel teaching in-field or out-of-field.
To ensure compliance and reporting comprehensiveness, and to assist the charter schools in compiling the
required reporting information, the Department has provided a template that must be completed by each
charter school that operated during the 2004-2005 academic year. Schools that closed during the school
year do not have to complete a report, but must be identified by the district when other charter school
annual reports are submitted to the Department. The template assures that each required statutory issue is
addressed and compiled in a way that allows for comparisons across schools and districts.
Charter schools must use the template to complete information required by the Department for the 2004-
2005 annual report. It is possible the sponsoring school district may require additional information be
included in the charter school submission to the district, consistent with contract requirements. However,
at a minimum, the Department expects to receive a final version of the template information.
The deadline for school district sponsors to submit charter school annual reports to the Department is
November 1, 2005. The school district is responsible for notifying the charter schools, in writing, of any
additional reporting requirements beyond the template requirements, including rationale for such
requirements. Ultimately, the law holds both the charter school and school district responsible for
meeting the reporting deadline.
As required by law, if a charter school fails to meet the reporting deadline, the Department of Education is
required to include a notation of non-compliance in the Annual Charter School Report submitted to the
Commissioner of Education, the State Board of Education, the Governor, the President of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House of Representatives. We hope this reporting system will assist in ensuring
compliance, consistency, comprehensiveness and timeliness in the reporting process.
If you have questions or would like an electronic copy of the template, please contact Karen Hines-Henry
at 850-245-0502 or Karen.Hines@fldoe.org. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
c: School District Charter School Directors
