Senate Bill 1182c1

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    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1182

    By the Committee on Education and Senators Latvala and Scott





    304-1796-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to charter schools; creating s.

  3         228.0561, F.S.; providing for the distribution

  4         of funds from the Charter Schools Capital

  5         Outlay Trust Fund; providing eligibility

  6         requirements; providing duties of the

  7         Commissioner of Education; authorizing the use

  8         of funds for certain capital outlay purposes of

  9         charter schools; requiring a legislative budget

10         request for appropriations from the Charter

11         Schools Capital Outlay Trust Fund; providing a

12         contingent effective date.

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14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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16         Section 1.  Section 228.0561, Florida Statutes, is

17  created to read:

18         228.0561  Charter Schools Capital Outlay Funding.--

19         (1)  In each year in which funds are appropriated from

20  the Charter Schools Capital Outlay Trust Fund, the

21  Commissioner of Education shall allocate the funds among

22  eligible charter schools.  To be eligible for a funding

23  allocation, a charter school must have received final approval

24  from its sponsor pursuant to s. 228.056 for operation during

25  that fiscal year and must serve students in facilities that

26  are not provided by the charter school's sponsor.  A charter

27  school is not eligible for a funding allocation if it was

28  created by the conversion of a public school and operates in

29  facilities provided by the charter school's sponsor for a

30  nominal fee or at no charge. Unless otherwise provided in the

31  General Appropriations Act, the funding allocation for each

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    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1182
    304-1796-98




  1  eligible charter school shall be determined by multiplying the

  2  school's projected student enrollment by one-thirtieth of the

  3  cost-per-student station specified in s. 235.435(6)(b) for an

  4  elementary, middle, or high school, as appropriate.  If the

  5  funds appropriated are not sufficient, the commissioner shall

  6  prorate the available funds among eligible charter schools.

  7  In the first quarter of the fiscal year, funds shall be

  8  distributed on the basis of projected enrollment as provided

  9  in this section.  The commissioner shall adjust subsequent

10  distributions as necessary to reflect each charter school's

11  actual student enrollment.  The commissioner shall establish

12  the intervals and procedures for determining the projected and

13  actual student enrollment of eligible charter schools.

14         (2)  A charter school's governing body may use funds

15  from the Charter Schools Capital Outlay Trust Fund for any

16  capital outlay purpose that is directly related to the

17  functioning of the charter school, including the:

18         (a)  Purchase of real property.

19         (b)  Construction, renovation, repair, and maintenance

20  of school facilities.

21         (c)  Purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of permanent or

22  relocatable school facilities.

23         (d)  Purchase of vehicles to transport students to and

24  from the charter school.

25         (3)  The Commissioner of Education shall specify

26  procedures for submitting and approving requests for funding

27  under this section and procedures for documenting

28  expenditures.

29         (4)  The annual legislative budget request of the

30  Department of Education shall include a request for funding

31  from the Charter Schools Capital Outlay Trust Fund.  The

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    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1182
    304-1796-98




  1  request shall be based on the projected number of students to

  2  be served in charter schools that meet the eligibility

  3  requirements of this section.

  4         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1998,

  5  but it shall not take effect unless Senate Bill 1184 or

  6  similar legislation creating a Charter Schools Capital Outlay

  7  Trust Fund is adopted in the same legislative session or an

  8  extension thereof.

  9

10          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
11                         Senate Bill 1182

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13  Clarifies eligibility for funding from the proposed Charter
    Schools Capital Outlay Trust Fund by limiting awards to
14  charter schools with final approval to operate in that fiscal
    year.
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    Removes sections that would have eliminated School
16  Infrastructure Thrift (SIT) awards for savings related to
    charter schools, leaving the SIT program intact.
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    Identifies the bill (SB 1184) that would create the Charter
18  Schools Capital Outlay Trust Fund.

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