Pasco school district mulls a charter school

The Pasco County School District could become a player in the charter school movement.

The school district is considering starting a charter school, with the possibility of opening one or more in 2013, district Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said Thursday.

"It would give different options for our parents to choose from, that's what we are really after," Fiorentino said.

If it happens, the school district would submit its application this year, and the 2012-13 academic year would be a planning year. The district's charter school would open in 2013-14.

Many details still need to be worked out, though, including which grades the school would serve.

State law allows school districts to start a charter school from scratch or convert an existing school into a charter school. Fiorentino said it's too early in the planning stages for the district to decide which direction it would take.

A charter school is just one of the options the district is exploring to provide more choices for parents at a time when traditional public schools are drawing increasing competition from charter schools, private schools and virtual schools.

The school district also is considering creating magnet programs that would allow some elementary schools to focus on a specific academic area. Students zoned for other schools then could apply to attend.

Fiorentino said she expects the district to focus first on getting the magnet schools started before turning attention to launching a charter school. The district already is conducting an online survey to gauge parent interest in magnet schools.

Five charter schools, started by private groups, operate in Pasco with a sixth set to open in August.

Those were created through applications to and contracts with the school board. The school district would go through the same process, Fiorentino said, submitting an application to its own school board.

Charter schools are intended to be innovative, generally providing opportunities students would not get in traditional public schools. In exchange, they are freed from some regulations that govern traditional public schools.

Even though most charter schools are operated privately, they are public schools, receive taxpayer funding and can't charge tuition.

In Pasco, nearly 2,000 students attend charter schools. Statewide, 154,780 students were enrolled in 459 charter schools in 2010-11, according to the Florida Department of Education.