Way back in October and November, several school districts were making noise about suing the State Board of Education over the right to control which charter schools open within their counties. They contended that local school districts - and not a state agency (the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission) - have the constitutional authority to "operate, control and supervise all free public schools within the school district."

Well, they've gone off and actually done it. After joining forces under one lawyer, and consolidating several complaints into one within the First District Court of Appeal, 14 districts including Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando have filed their initial brief in the case of Duval County School Board et al v. State Board of Education.

The argument is a simple one: "Charter schools are public schools and as such, they are subject to the authority of the local school boards under the Constitution. Allowing the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission to sponsor and operate charter schools within a school district violates article IX, section 4(b)."

The lawyers filed the brief on April 18. The state has 30 days to respond. To read the full brief, click here.