Former Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida cabinet approved Orange County Public Schools as the state's third charter school district in May of 2002.  The superintendent set the expectation to become a Charter School District as he was investigating possible tools for schools and departments to employ which created conditions for greater fiscal and operational management.  Charter School District status provides just that . . . a tool for schools to remove statutory and board policy obstacles preventing them from creating programs and conditions for improving student schievement -- thus establishing a new way of doing business for Orange County Public Schools.

The Charter District Contract was renewed for 2005-2007 and is due to expire in June of 2007.

What does Charter District status mean for OCPS?
We have a tool in place for principals, teachers, parents, and staff to use to identify and address obstacles that rules, regulations and policy impose when change is desired.

Initially, the district has been waived from a certain section of 14 state statues or regulations that relate to:

     • Categorical funding
     • CLAST requirement for full validity period of
        temporary certificate
     •  Educational plant survey
     •  135 hours of class time
     •  Instructional materials
     •  Florida School Book Depository
     •  Sale of property restrictions
     •  Reporting of out-of-field teacher assignments
     •  Workforce Education fees
     •  Drop-out prevention notification
     •  Full bonding requirement
     •  Human Resource Management Plan and Assessment Plan
     •  Restriction on exploratory classes for middle schools


In exchange for these waivers and board authority to grant future waivers, the district is committed to reaching certain performance goals by the year 2007 that address the following:

     • Closing the academic achievement gap of identified
        subgroups
     • Improving FACT scores and school grades as assigned by
       the DOE
     • Improving SAT and ACT scores
     • Increasing the percent of students showing annual learning gains
     • Improving graduation rates and decreasing dropout rates
     • Increasing the number of students taking advanced placement
       courses
     • Increasing the number of high school students with a GPA of 2.0
       or higher
     • Increasing the skill level of students reading by age nine
     • Increasing the number of ESE students who graduate with a
       standard diploma
     • Improving the skill level of students earning post secondary
       credit and completion points through Tech Prep courses

Questions about waivers may be directed to Lee Baldwin at 407.317.3201.