In GA if a local district rejects a charter school, a state commission can overrule.

[madfloridian]

And that state commission can order that public taxpayer money be given to that school that was not approved by the local district. The money will be moved from the public schools to the charter school. So state law can override local wishes.

From Gainesville:

State law allows independent commission to channel funds from local districts

According to its website, the Global Outreach Academy of Excellence is recruiting students from Dawson, Forsyth, Fulton, Hall and Gwinnett counties.

Dyer said the issue for some school leaders is the Charter Advisory Commission, an independent school authorizing entity which approved Global Outreach. State law allows this group to approve charter schools rejected by local school boards and transfer funding from school districts to newly appointed charter schools.

"Funding based on FTE (full-time equivalent students) would be pulled from the Forsyth County Schools and directed to the charter school," Dyer said. "They have no voice whether the school is approved, but they do have to give up funding."

The local school district feels they can provide the same services if funding remains, but they don't have a choice.

In Dawson County this week, the Board of Education voted to formally oppose the school's plans. Superintendent Keith Porter explained in a letter to the Georgia Charter Schools Commission that the district felt it could provide the same services and more than were listed in the Global Outreach charter application.

"As long as we can provide these services within our own county, it's difficult to justify funding a school in another county," the letter stated.

It seems Florida can do the same, though I thought for sure that had been changed.

Florida Consortium of Public Charters

What if a charter school application is denied?

If an application is denied by a district school board, that school board shall, within 10 calendar days, articulate in writing the specific reasons based upon good cause supporting its denial of the charter application. A charter school applicant has 30 calendar days to appeal to the State Board of Education if:

* the school board denies the charter school application
* the school board fails to render a decision on the charter school application by the specified time

Subsequent to a charter school applicant filing an appeal, the Commissioner of Education shall convene a meeting of the Charter School Appeal Commission (comprised of an equal number of members representing charter schools and school districts) to study and make recommendations to the State Board of Education regarding its pending decision about the appeal.

The commission shall forward its recommendation to the state board no later than 7 calendar days prior to the date on which the appeal is to be heard. The State Board of Education shall by majority vote accept or reject the decision of the district school board no later than 90 calendar days after an appeal is filed in accordance with State Board of Education rule. The district school board shall implement the decision of the State Board of Education.

I thought they had changed that. It really puts local districts in a financial bind. They have to send the taxpayer money with the students, and it never seems to find its way back.