Jacksonville, Fla.-- Twelve new charter schools were approved by Duval County schools, but the superintendent worries that means money could leave the district.
Ervin Parks and his wife want to make sure they pick the best route for their 8th grade son. There are a lot of choices now with all the charter schools popping up. One parent we talked with isn't so sure that's the way to go. "They're taking money away from public schools and they're not managed like they should be," said Parks.
It's money the superintendent says the district needs. "Capital dollars used to rebuild schools are being diverted to charter schools, leaving the public schools inadequate," said Dr. Vitti.
Tuesday night the school board and superintendent approved 12 more charter schools. There are already 21 in the district. Dr. Vitti says their hands were tied because of the state laws. "If it meets the state criteria, it becomes a charter," said Dr. Vitti.
For each student that leaves the public school, the dollars follow. It's roughly 5 thousand dollars per student. But Dr.Vitti says his plan is to compete to keep the students. "Some of the innovative programs they had. There's no reason the district can't create the same kind of programs," said Dr. Vitti.
Action News did ask the district how many kids have left to go to charter schools, but they couldn't get that number for us Wednesday. The 12 schools approved at the board meeting Tuesday night will now go through a contract phase. A school spokesperson says some of them may not all open if the application process is not completed.
