Palm Beach County Charter Schools Victorious in Lawsuit to Compel School District to Share Tax Revenue

Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools (FCPCS) congratulates the prevailing public charter schools for ensuring charter school students benefit from equal funding.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (September 3, 2021) – Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Glenn D. Kelley has ruled in favor of charter schools that sued the Palm Beach County School Board for failing to share a portion of ad valorem tax revenues approved by Palm Beach County voters in 2018. 

“Considering the arguments presented by the parties.…the Court finds that Plaintiffs are entitled to their share of the revenue generated by the subject referendum for the 2021-2022 school year going forward,” wrote Judge Kelley.  He ordered the payments to start as of July 1, 2021. 

Voters opted to increase school system taxes in Palm Beach County to fund school safety equipment, hire additional school police and mental health professionals, fund arts, music and physical education, career choice program teachers and improve teacher pay.  The School System singled out charter schools in the ballot language as not eligible for a share of the additional ad valorem tax revenues. 

Plaintiffs argued the referendum violated Florida law, which specifies that students enrolled in a charter school shall be funded “the same as” students in other public schools in the school district. 

The schools responsible for the lawsuit are Academy for Positive Learning of West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Maritime Academy of Lantana, as well as parents of a student enrolled in a charter school in Palm Beach County. 

“The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools congratulates the plaintiffs on their legal victory and thanks them for standing up for what’s right on behalf of all public charter schools and their students in Florida,” said Robert Haag, President of FCPCS.  “They have set an important and fair standard for equitable funding to impact students at charter schools throughout our state.” 

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.