Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools (FCPCS) Calls for Clarification of FY2022 Federal Education Appropriations Bill; Urges Member Schools to Act

FCPCS cites misleading and confusing language in Section 314 of the FY2022 House Labor—HHS—Education Appropriations Bill

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (July 26, 2021) – The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools (FCPCS) is calling on its member schools to contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives in Congress to amend the language in Section 314 of the FY2022 House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill now being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives.

According to FCPCS, certain language written in the Bill is so vague and undefined that it opens the door to unintended interpretations.

The current language reads, “None of the funds made available by this Act or any other Act may be awarded to a charter school that contracts with a for-profit entity to operate, oversee or manage the activities of the school.”

According to FCPCS, the language could be interpreted to prevent charter schools from contracting with for-profit bus companies, for-profit food service providers and other businesses important to ongoing school operations.

“Congress has a responsibility to be precise in its language, so its intent is clear,” said FCPCS President Robert Haag.  "It’s important that the 342,000 public school students attending charter school here in Florida are not denied federal funding due to an unintended language interpretation."

FCPCS is asking representatives of its member schools to send email messages to Florida’s two U.S. Senators, as well as to members of the Florida delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives.  The National Alliance on Public Charter Schools has developed sample messages for use in contacting U.S. Senators and Representatives.

About the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools   

The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools (FCPCS) is the leading charter school membership association in the state, with a membership of nearly 75 percent of all operating charter schools.  Since its inception in 1999, FCPCS has been dedicated to creating a national model of high quality, accredited public charter schools that are student-centered and performance-driven.  FCPCS provides a wide array of technical support, mentoring, training, networking, and purchasing services to its membership, as well as serving as an advocate for all Florida public charter schools.