Florida Senate - 2020                                     SB 440
       
       
        
       By Senator Bradley
       
       
       
       
       
       5-00711-20                                             2020440__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Florida Best and Brightest
    3         programs; repealing s. 1012.731, F.S., relating to The
    4         Florida Best and Brightest Teacher Program; repealing
    5         s. 1012.732, F.S., relating to The Florida Best and
    6         Brightest Principal Program; amending s. 1011.62,
    7         F.S.; deleting an obsolete provision; conforming
    8         provisions to changes made by the act; amending s.
    9         1011.71, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference; providing
   10         an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Section 1012.731, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
   15         Section 2. Section 1012.732, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
   16         Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) and subsections
   17  (11), (14), (17), and (18) of section 1011.62, Florida Statutes,
   18  are amended, to read:
   19         1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
   20  allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
   21  district for operation of schools is not determined in the
   22  annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
   23  the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
   24  follows:
   25         (4) COMPUTATION OF DISTRICT REQUIRED LOCAL EFFORT.—The
   26  Legislature shall prescribe the aggregate required local effort
   27  for all school districts collectively as an item in the General
   28  Appropriations Act for each fiscal year. The amount that each
   29  district shall provide annually toward the cost of the Florida
   30  Education Finance Program for kindergarten through grade 12
   31  programs shall be calculated as follows:
   32         (a) Estimated taxable value calculations.—
   33         1.a. Not later than 2 working days before July 19, the
   34  Department of Revenue shall certify to the Commissioner of
   35  Education its most recent estimate of the taxable value for
   36  school purposes in each school district and the total for all
   37  school districts in the state for the current calendar year
   38  based on the latest available data obtained from the local
   39  property appraisers. The value certified shall be the taxable
   40  value for school purposes for that year, and no further
   41  adjustments shall be made, except those made pursuant to
   42  paragraphs (c) and (d), or an assessment roll change required by
   43  final judicial decisions as specified in paragraph (17)(b)
   44  (19)(b). Not later than July 19, the Commissioner of Education
   45  shall compute a millage rate, rounded to the next highest one
   46  one-thousandth of a mill, which, when applied to 96 percent of
   47  the estimated state total taxable value for school purposes,
   48  would generate the prescribed aggregate required local effort
   49  for that year for all districts. The Commissioner of Education
   50  shall certify to each district school board the millage rate,
   51  computed as prescribed in this subparagraph, as the minimum
   52  millage rate necessary to provide the district required local
   53  effort for that year.
   54         b. The General Appropriations Act shall direct the
   55  computation of the statewide adjusted aggregate amount for
   56  required local effort for all school districts collectively from
   57  ad valorem taxes to ensure that no school district’s revenue
   58  from required local effort millage will produce more than 90
   59  percent of the district’s total Florida Education Finance
   60  Program calculation as calculated and adopted by the
   61  Legislature, and the adjustment of the required local effort
   62  millage rate of each district that produces more than 90 percent
   63  of its total Florida Education Finance Program entitlement to a
   64  level that will produce only 90 percent of its total Florida
   65  Education Finance Program entitlement in the July calculation.
   66         2. On the same date as the certification in sub
   67  subparagraph 1.a., the Department of Revenue shall certify to
   68  the Commissioner of Education for each district:
   69         a. Each year for which the property appraiser has certified
   70  the taxable value pursuant to s. 193.122(2) or (3), if
   71  applicable, since the prior certification under sub-subparagraph
   72  1.a.
   73         b. For each year identified in sub-subparagraph a., the
   74  taxable value certified by the appraiser pursuant to s.
   75  193.122(2) or (3), if applicable, since the prior certification
   76  under sub-subparagraph 1.a. This is the certification that
   77  reflects all final administrative actions of the value
   78  adjustment board.
   79         (11) VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONTRIBUTION.—The Legislature may
   80  annually provide in the Florida Education Finance Program a
   81  virtual education contribution. The amount of the virtual
   82  education contribution shall be the difference between the
   83  amount per FTE established in the General Appropriations Act for
   84  virtual education and the amount per FTE for each district and
   85  the Florida Virtual School, which may be calculated by taking
   86  the sum of the base FEFP allocation, the discretionary local
   87  effort, the state-funded discretionary contribution, the
   88  discretionary millage compression supplement, the research-based
   89  reading instruction allocation, the best and brightest teacher
   90  and principal allocation, and the instructional materials
   91  allocation, and then dividing by the total unweighted FTE. This
   92  difference shall be multiplied by the virtual education
   93  unweighted FTE for programs and options identified in s.
   94  1002.455 and the Florida Virtual School and its franchises to
   95  equal the virtual education contribution and shall be included
   96  as a separate allocation in the funding formula.
   97         (14) QUALITY ASSURANCE GUARANTEE.—The Legislature may
   98  annually in the General Appropriations Act determine a
   99  percentage increase in funds per K-12 unweighted FTE as a
  100  minimum guarantee to each school district. The guarantee shall
  101  be calculated from prior year base funding per unweighted FTE
  102  student, which shall include the adjusted FTE dollars as
  103  provided in subsection (17) (19), quality guarantee funds, and
  104  actual nonvoted discretionary local effort from taxes. From the
  105  base funding per unweighted FTE, the increase shall be
  106  calculated for the current year. The current year funds from
  107  which the guarantee shall be determined shall include the
  108  adjusted FTE dollars as provided in subsection (17) (19) and
  109  potential nonvoted discretionary local effort from taxes. A
  110  comparison of current year funds per unweighted FTE to prior
  111  year funds per unweighted FTE shall be computed. For those
  112  school districts which have less than the legislatively assigned
  113  percentage increase, funds shall be provided to guarantee the
  114  assigned percentage increase in funds per unweighted FTE
  115  student. Should appropriated funds be less than the sum of this
  116  calculated amount for all districts, the commissioner shall
  117  prorate each district’s allocation. This provision shall be
  118  implemented to the extent specifically funded.
  119         (17) FUNDING COMPRESSION ALLOCATION.—The Legislature may
  120  provide an annual funding compression allocation in the General
  121  Appropriations Act. The allocation is created to provide
  122  additional funding to school districts and developmental
  123  research schools whose total funds per FTE in the prior year
  124  were less than the statewide average. Using the most recent
  125  prior year FEFP calculation for each eligible school district,
  126  the total funds per FTE shall be subtracted from the state
  127  average funds per FTE, not including any adjustments made
  128  pursuant to paragraph (19)(b). The resulting funds per FTE
  129  difference, or a portion thereof, as designated in the General
  130  Appropriations Act, shall then be multiplied by the school
  131  district’s total unweighted FTE to provide the allocation. If
  132  the calculated funds are greater than the amount included in the
  133  General Appropriations Act, they must be prorated to the
  134  appropriation amount based on each participating school
  135  district’s share. This subsection expires July 1, 2020.
  136         (18) THE FLORIDA BEST AND BRIGHTEST TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL
  137  ALLOCATION.—
  138         (a) The Florida Best and Brightest Teacher and Principal
  139  Allocation is created to recruit, retain, and recognize
  140  classroom teachers and instructional personnel who meet the
  141  criteria established in s. 1012.731 and reward principals who
  142  meet the criteria established in s. 1012.732. Subject to annual
  143  appropriation, each school district shall receive an allocation
  144  based on the district’s proportionate share of FEFP base
  145  funding. The Legislature may specify a minimum allocation for
  146  all districts in the General Appropriations Act.
  147         (b) From the allocation, each district shall provide the
  148  following:
  149         1. A one-time recruitment award, as provided in s.
  150  1012.731(3)(a);
  151         2. A retention award, as provided in s. 1012.731(3)(b); and
  152         3. A recognition award, as provided in s. 1012.731(3)(c)
  153  from the remaining balance of the appropriation after the
  154  payment of all other awards authorized under ss. 1012.731 and
  155  1012.732.
  156         (c) From the allocation, each district shall provide
  157  eligible principals an award as provided in s. 1012.732(3).
  158  
  159  If a district’s calculated awards exceed the allocation, the
  160  district may prorate the awards.
  161         Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 1011.71, Florida
  162  Statutes, is amended to read:
  163         1011.71 District school tax.—
  164         (1) If the district school tax is not provided in the
  165  General Appropriations Act or the substantive bill implementing
  166  the General Appropriations Act, each district school board
  167  desiring to participate in the state allocation of funds for
  168  current operation as prescribed by s. 1011.62(17) s. 1011.62(19)
  169  shall levy on the taxable value for school purposes of the
  170  district, exclusive of millage voted under s. 9(b) or s. 12,
  171  Art. VII of the State Constitution, a millage rate not to exceed
  172  the amount certified by the commissioner as the minimum millage
  173  rate necessary to provide the district required local effort for
  174  the current year, pursuant to s. 1011.62(4)(a)1. In addition to
  175  the required local effort millage levy, each district school
  176  board may levy a nonvoted current operating discretionary
  177  millage. The Legislature shall prescribe annually in the
  178  appropriations act the maximum amount of millage a district may
  179  levy.
  180         Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.