Florida Association of Charter School Authorizers (FACSA)
FACSA is a Florida non-profit organization dedicated to helping all Florida authorizers improve their practices. FACSA assists authorizers in adopting best practices that align with Florida’s statutes and culture of local control. FACSA members include the professionals that work directly on the task of authorizing charter schools within school districts.
Who We Are
FACSA is a membership organization for charter school authorizers dedicated to promoting the principles and standards of high-quality charter school authorizing. FACSA has 64 active professional authorizers, representing 26 counties and who are dedicated to promoting the principles and standards of high-quality charter authorizing throughout the state.
FACSA was created in 2003 with the mission to collaboratively equip districts with professional standards and best practice to authorize and support excellence in chartering for all students. FACSA meetings provide a platform for discussing current charter issues, sharing best practices, and provides continuing education. FACSA members have been instrumental in developing:
- Best practices for authorizing;
- Principles and standards for quality authorizing;
- Improved state model documents, including the charter school/authorizer contract, the charter school application, and the application review template;
- Formal documents for contract renewals;
- Opening school checklist and procedures;
- Closure checklists and procedures; and
- A website with member-only resources for authorizers who are FACSA members.
Special Education
FACSA is working to improve access, services and outcomes for students with disabilities in charter schools. FACSA is developing materials and professional development opportunities that help authorizers and charter schools work together so that charter schools can appropriately serve all students.
Did You Know?
- Florida has 47 district charter school authorizers, however all of the state’s districts are potential authorizers.
- Florida has 658 charter schools serving 313,500 students, or about 11 percent of all public school students in the state.
- 69% of charter school students are minorities, 10% are English Language Learners, and 10% are students with disabilities.
- Charter school authorizers are responsible for all aspects of charter school oversight, including deciding which charter applications are approved and allowed to open; monitoring their performance and compliance with applicable laws and rules, evaluating their performance at the end of their charter contract and deciding which charter schools should be renewed and which should be closed.
Mission: The mission of the Florida Association of Charter School Authorizers (FACSA) is to support, facilitate, and strengthen quality charter school authorizing.
Vision: Every family has high quality educational options.