The Florida Senate

235.4355  SMART Schools Small County Assistance Program for fiscal year 1998-1999.--There is hereby established the SMART Schools Small County Assistance Program for fiscal year 1998-1999.

(1)  The purpose of the program is to provide funds to school districts in small counties that have urgent need for a school facility or major school building expansions, repairs, and renovations but lack sufficient resources at present and cannot reasonably anticipate sufficient resources in the next 3 years to build a facility or finance such major renovations or repairs, and that will commit to constructing functional, frugal schools. The program is intended to supplement the Special Facility Construction Account authorized in s. 235.435(2)(a) by providing authorized school districts with funds from sources other than the Public Education Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund, and does not affect any award under that account. However, a school district may not receive an award from this program and the Special Facility Construction Account in the same fiscal year.

(2)  The program shall be administered by the Department of Education and coordinated by the SMART Schools Clearinghouse in cooperation with the Commissioner of Education, and shall use the procedures established in s. 235.435(2)(a)1.-10., relating to the Special Facility Construction Account.

(3)  There is hereby appropriated from the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund to the Department of Education for fiscal year 1998-1999 the sum of $50 million to implement this program. This appropriation is contingent upon the sale of revenue bonds pursuant to s. 235.2195.

(4)  In coordinating the program, the clearinghouse shall submit recommendations for legislative consideration of funding in fiscal year 1998-1999 by February 20, 1998, to the Executive Office of the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(5)  For purposes of this section, "small county" means any county that has an unincarcerated population of 75,000 or less according to the most recent decennial census.

History.--s. 19, ch. 97-384.