SB 828 Summary

• Extends ad valorem tax exemption to school district programs in addition to charter schools, and requires landlords to certify compliance by affidavit and ensure lease reductions pass tax benefits to the school.

• Prohibits charter schools from rejecting students based solely on higher service costs and requires enrollment of students with disabilities, English learners, and free/reduced-price lunch students proportional to district averages to qualify as high-performing.

• Deletes restrictions on administrative fees for charter schools, eliminates the prohibition on existing public schools converting to charter status, and clarifies that charter school governing board members are public officials subject to ethics laws.

• Creates academically high-performing school choice districts designated by the State Board of Education to receive exemption from state education law chapters 1000-1013, with exceptions for student assessments, disability services, civil rights, health/safety, and class size limits.

• Extends student enrollment auditing procedures to charter schools, requires charter schools to spend capital outlay funds only on returnable assets, and mandates new school construction and renovation projects comply with the Florida Building Code.