Florida

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Since 1998, the Charter School Capital Outlay fund has provided a per-pupil facilities allocation to eligible charter schools from state funds appropriated in the General Appropriations Act.  Beginning in FY22, the program’s funding will come from state funds appropriated in the General Appropriations Act and revenue resulting from the discretionary millage. Per Section 1013.62 (1), F.S., to be eligible a charter school must meet at least one of the following criteria: 

• Have been in operation for at least two years 
• Be governed by a governing board established in the state for two or more years which operates both charter schools and conversion charter schools within the state 
• Be part of an expanded feeder chain of a charter school within the same school district that is currently receiving charter school capital outlay funding 
• Be accredited by a regional accrediting association as defined by State Board of Education rules or serve students in facilities that are provided by a business partner of a charter school-in-the workplace 

Additionally, a charter school must meet all of the following criteria to receive capital outlay funds:  

• Have an annual audit that does not reveal any of the financial emergency conditions provided in section 218.503(1), F.S., for the most recent fiscal year for which such audit results are available
• Have satisfactory student achievement based on state accountability standards applicable to the charter school 
• Have received final approval from its sponsor pursuant to section 1002.33, F.S., for operation during that fiscal year 
• Serve students in facilities that are not provided by the charter school’s sponsor (an educational facility that is included in the Florida Inventory of School Houses (FISH) would not be eligible). 

A charter school is not eligible to receive capital outlay funds if it was created by the conversion of a public school and operates in facilities provided by the charter school’s sponsor for a nominal fee, or at no charge, or if it is directly or indirectly operated by the school district. 

Capital outlay funds may be used for the following purposes: 

• Purchase of real property 
• Construction of school facilities   
• Purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of permanent or relocatable school facilities 
• Purchase of vehicles for student transportation 
• Renovation, repair, and maintenance of school facilities that the charter school owns or is purchasing through a lease-purchase or lease of five years or longer 
• Premium payments for property and casualty insurance necessary to insure the school facilities 
• Purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of driver’s education vehicles; motor vehicles used for the maintenance or operation of plants and equipment; security vehicles; or vehicles used in storing or distributing materials and equipment 
• Purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of computer and device hardware and operating system software necessary for gaining access to or enhancing the use of electronic and digital instructional content and resources; and enterprise resource software applications 
• Payment of the cost of the opening day collection for the library media center of a new school 

Additional capital outlay funding is provided for charter schools that meet the criteria below: 

• 75% of the school’s students are eligible for free or reduced lunch 
• 25% or more of the school’s students are students with disabilities 

Eligible schools that meet both of the above criteria will receive funding weighted at 1.5 times per pupil. If an eligible school meets only one of the criteria it will receive funding weighted at 1.25 times per pupil. If eligible schools do not meet either of these criteria they will receive funding at the base rate of one per pupil. 

The Office of Fixed Capital Outlay at the Florida Department of Education distributes funds on a monthly basis to school districts, which must remit funds to charter schools within ten days. Program appropriations were substantially increased in FY2017 and have totaled approximately $1.2 billion since FY2006: 

*Estimated 

For FY20 the estimated average per-student allocation was $533. The statute indicates the annual amount will increase in alignment with the changes in the Consumer Price Index issued by the United State department of Labor from the previous fiscal year. 

For more information, see: http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7692/urlt/2021-COMemo.pdf

Last Updated: February 2021

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In 2017, the Florida Legislature established The Schools of Hope Revolving Loan Program to provide assistance to hope operators (defined here) to meet school building construction needs and pay for expenses related to the startup of a new School of Hope charter school. The program was funded through appropriations of $100 million by the Legislature, money received from the repayment of loans made from the program, and interest earned. Funds provided under this program may not exceed 25% of the total cost of the project. This fund is managed by Building Hope for the state of Florida. 

Schools of Hope were established in 2017 and are charter schools that are operated by a hope operator and that:  

• Serve students from one or more persistently low-performing schools and students who reside in a Florida Opportunity Zone; 
• Are located in a Florida Opportunity Zone or are in the attendance zone of a persistently low-performing school or within a 5-mile radius of such school, whichever is greater;  
• Are Title I eligible.

A hope operator is a nonprofit organization that operates three or more charter schools that serve students in grades K-12 in Florida or other states with a record of serving students from families earning a low income and is designated by the State Board of Education as a hope operator. There are currently five hope operators authorized in Florida: Democracy Prep Public Schools, IDEA Public Schools, KIPP New Jersey, Somerset Academy, and Mater Academy. 

Last Updated: December 2020

Disclosure: Information on this page has been provided by the organization. Any questions related to figures or programs listed should be directed to the contact shown above. Keep in mind that each school’s situation will differ slightly and you’ll need to speak to the contact listed for information specific to your school.

Statute

At their discretion, Florida school boards may levy up to 1.5 mills for district schools, including charter schools, for the construction, renovation, remodeling, maintenance and repair or lease of educational facilities; equipment; and administrative and school reporting software. To meet critical district fixed capital outlay needs, school boards may levy up to an additional 0.25 mills, not to exceed 1.75 mills, for fixed capital outlays in lieu of an equivalent amount of the discretionary mills for operations. An additional 0.25 mill levy for critical outlay needs may be authorized by a super majority vote of a school board, not to exceed two mills. This additional levy must also be approved by district voters in the next general election. Funds raised via a mill levy are administered by the school district in which they are raised. School districts may share these funds with charter schools. 

Last Updated: November 2020

Statute

To the extent that charter school facilities are specifically created to mitigate the educational impact created by the development of new residential dwelling units, some or all of the educational impact fees required to be paid in connection with the new residential dwellings may be designated instead for the construction of charter school facilities.  In 2007, Odyssey Charter School received educational impact fee dollars from the Brevard County Commission totaling $1.5 million. 

Last Updated: December 2020

Statute

In Florida, various local governmental bodies, including county industrial development authorities as well as any county or municipality defined as a “local agency”, are authorized to issue revenue bonds to finance the cost of eligible projects, including educational facilities that are owned or operated by charter schools in the state.

Last Updated: November 2020

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Florida Development Finance Corporation (FDFC) is a statewide special development financing authority formed for economic development purposes in 1993 as a public body corporate and politic of the State of Florida pursuant to the Florida Development Finance Corporation Act of 1993. The FDFC offers tax-exempt, low-interest industrial revenue bond financing to qualified manufacturing and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. This service was designed to improve the availability of low-cost financing for Florida’s manufacturers and nonprofits that qualify for tax-exempt financing under IRS rules. Transactions that do not meet IRS qualifying rules for tax-exempt financing can be financed with taxable bonds through FDFC as well.  

In addition to manufacturers, 501(c)(3) organizations that have been financed with FDFC-issued industrial revenue bonds include charter and private schools, homes for the aged, daycare facilities, and recreation centers. To date FDFC has completed 40 bond offerings totaling $1.3 billion for 21 charter school facilities projects in Florida. 

Last Updated: December 2020

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Capital Trust Agency, Inc. (CTA), is a nonprofit financing agency formed in 1999 to create and facilitate innovative financing programs. CTA offers tax-exempt, low-interest industrial revenue bond financing to qualified organizations. Affordable housing projects, airport facilities, hotel and convention developments promoting tourism, healthcare projects, and K-12 educational buildings including charter school facilities, are among the allowable projects that have been able to use CTA to efficiently access the capital markets.  

Last Updated: December 2020