Tallahassee — The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) has announced a proposed rule, to be considered at its upcoming meeting Feb. 20, clarifying and modifying the implementation of Florida’s controversial Schools of Hope program.

The proposed rule touches on many issues critics have identified in the now-expanded law, but it fails to fully address significant challenges the law creates, including unfunded mandates, diversion of public school funds to private operators and the overall erosion of support for traditional public education.

Read a full analysis of the proposed rule change here.

The Florida Coalition for Thriving Public Schools is grateful FLDOE has acknowledged critical failures in the Schools of Hope law, but is still supporting full repeal.

“A policy built to destabilize neighborhood public schools cannot be rebranded into fairness. Schools of Hope is predatory, undermining both community stability and the parental rights of families to access a fully funded public school. If the foundation is harmful, no amount of rulemaking will make it just.” said Yasmina White, Parent Leader, MomsRising.

Added Mina Hosseini, Executive Director of P.S. 305: “A policy built on forced access to public school facilities cannot be made fair through procedural tweaks. Public schools should not be compelled to subsidize private expansion, nor should communities lose their voice over what happens inside their neighborhood schools. Repeal is the only solution that restores fiscal responsibility, transparency, and public trust.”

In fact, repeal legislation is on the table, introduced by Sen. Darryl Rouson, and Reps. Ashley Gantt and Robin Bartlemann.

At issue this school year and in those to come are changes to the Schools of Hope program created by SB 2510 passed late at night in the 2025 legislative session that enable Schools of Hope operators to co-locate in virtually any public school in the state.

After the law passed, Schools of Hope operators — who are often tied to national for-profit charter school companies — collectively sent hundreds of letters of intent staking claim to colocation in more than 450 schools. The letters created fear and confusion among local school district officials across the state, with many school boards looking into various options to avoid colocation including selling or leasing school property.

The proposed rule inadequately addresses several issues, including a path for school districts to recoup funds from Schools of Hope operators who colocate within their facilities; a limit on the number of schools operators can claim; clarification on what constitutes eligibility under facility utilization standards; new criteria for prospective Schools of Hope operators; and a minimum timeline to notify schools of possible colocation.

Dr. Norín Dollard, Ph.D., senior policy analyst and KIDS COUNT director at the Florida Policy Institute said, “The proposed rule change represents only incremental change to bad education policy. The rule also does not address the siphoning of public school funds to private, for-profit interests. Schools of Hope colocation needs to be repealed because it places undue financial and administrative costs on school districts by effectively forcing them to administer schools for which they have little authority, all the while also barring the public from having input into activities occurring in their own schools.”