Pasco staff report charter growth and generally strong charter school grades; district outlines oversight steps

District staff provided a countywide overview of charter school growth, oversight processes and academic performance.

"Once an application is officially received, statutory timeline begins. The school board has 90 days to approve or deny the application... Following approval, the district has 30 days to issue the initial contract and both parties then have 40 days to negotiate and finalize that agreement," said Lisa Luker of the Office of Innovation, Advanced Studies and Choice, summarizing statutory timelines for charter applications and contracts.

Luker told the board that Pasco had 14 charter schools in 2024–25 and 17 operating this year, with three newly opened campuses named in the presentation and projections to 19 schools in 2026–27 and 22 by 2027–28. Enrollment figures shown to the board increased from just over 10,500 this year to nearly 14,000 projected next year.

The district conducts annual on-site charter reviews focused on governance, finance, staffing and student supports; staff noted the state is developing a new standard review template expected for use next school year. On academic outcomes, Luker reported that of 14 charter schools in 2024–25, 10 earned an A, three earned a B and one maintained a specialized rating; three were designated as Schools of Excellence for sustained high performance.

Board members asked whether the district tracks why families decline choice offers and noted some declines are because students are zoned for a selected school or have prior choice approvals. Luker said some reasons are visible in the data but the district lacks a complete mechanism to track all decline reasons and welcomed feedback on improving family feedback collection.

The presentation was informational. No board votes or motions were made during the workshop.