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 Section 1012.731, Florida Statutes, is repealed.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 Section 1012.732, Florida Statutes, is repealed.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.