CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.House Bill 0047
Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 47
By Representative Chestnut
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education funding; amending
3 s. 24.121, F.S.; revising provisions relating
4 to apportionment and expenditure of funds in
5 the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund;
6 amending ss. 229.592 and 230.23, F.S.;
7 correcting cross references; amending s.
8 240.4024, F.S., relating to the Florida
9 Postsecondary Tuition Program; expanding
10 eligible institutions; providing for initial
11 awards; providing an effective date.
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13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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15 Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 24.121, Florida
16 Statutes, 1996 Supplement, is amended to read:
17 24.121 Allocation of revenues and expenditure of funds
18 for public education.--
19 (5)(a) Funds appropriated from the Educational
20 Enhancement Trust Fund shall not be used for any purpose other
21 than the following:
22 1. Prekindergarten programs.
23 2. Technology.
24 3. Class-size reduction.
25 4. Postsecondary education. Public educational
26 programs and purposes funded by postsecondary education from
27 the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund may include, but are
28 not limited to, endowment, scholarship, matching funds, direct
29 grants, research and economic development related to
30 education, salary enhancement, contracts with independent
31 institutions to conduct programs consistent with the state
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1 master plan for postsecondary education, or any other
2 educational program or purpose deemed desirable by the
3 Legislature.
4 (b) Except as provided in paragraphs (c) and (d), the
5 Legislature shall equitably apportion moneys in the trust fund
6 among public schools, community colleges, and universities.
7 5.(c) District discretionary lottery funds. A portion
8 of the such net revenues, as determined annually by the
9 Legislature, shall be distributed to each school district and
10 shall be made available to each public school in the district
11 for enhancing school performance through development and
12 implementation of a school improvement plan pursuant to s.
13 230.23(18).
14 (d) Beginning July 1, 1993, no Funds shall not be
15 released for any purpose from the Educational Enhancement
16 Trust Fund to any school district in which one or more schools
17 do not have an approved school improvement plan pursuant to s.
18 230.23(18).
19 (b) The Legislature shall apportion moneys in the
20 trust fund in the following manner: 70 percent to public
21 schools; 15 percent to state community colleges; and 15
22 percent to state universities.
23 (c)(e) Each school district shall, on a quarterly
24 basis, make available to the public and distribute, in an easy
25 to understand format, the expenditures of lottery funds
26 allocated to the school district.
27 Section 2. Paragraph (c) of subsection (4) of section
28 229.592, Florida Statutes, 1996 Supplement, is amended to
29 read:
30 229.592 Implementation of state system of school
31 improvement and education accountability.--
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1 (4) DEPARTMENT.--
2 (c) Pursuant to s. 24.121(5)(d), the department shall
3 not release funds from the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund
4 to any district in which a school does not have an approved
5 school improvement plan, pursuant to s. 230.23(18), after one
6 full school year of planning and development. The department
7 shall send a technical assistance team to each school without
8 an approved plan to develop such school improvement plan. The
9 department shall release the funds upon approval of the plan.
10 Notice shall be given to the public of the department's
11 intervention and shall identify each school without a plan.
12 Section 3. Paragraph (f) of subsection (18) of section
13 230.23, Florida Statutes, 1996 Supplement, is amended to read:
14 230.23 Powers and duties of school board.--The school
15 board, acting as a board, shall exercise all powers and
16 perform all duties listed below:
17 (18) IMPLEMENT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND
18 ACCOUNTABILITY.--Maintain a system of school improvement and
19 education accountability as provided by statute and State
20 Board of Education rule. This system of school improvement and
21 education accountability shall be consistent with, and
22 implemented through, the district's continuing system of
23 planning and budgeting required by this section and ss.
24 229.555 and 237.041. This system of school improvement and
25 education accountability shall include, but not be limited to,
26 the following:
27 (f) School improvement funds.--Provide funds to
28 schools for developing and implementing school improvement
29 plans. Such funds shall include those funds appropriated for
30 the purpose of school improvement pursuant to s. 24.121(5)(c).
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1 Section 4. Subsections (1), (3), and (7) of section
2 240.4024, Florida Statutes, 1996 Supplement, are amended to
3 read:
4 240.4024 Florida Postsecondary Tuition Program.--
5 (1) The Florida Postsecondary Tuition Program is
6 hereby created to reward outstanding high school students with
7 financial assistance in degree, diploma, or certificate
8 programs at any eligible postsecondary institution. As used
9 in this section, the term "eligible postsecondary institution"
10 means any Florida public university, community college, or
11 technical institute, or any Florida private college or
12 university which has been in existence for a minimum of 2
13 years and has been afforded the appropriate Florida licensure
14 or exception from licensure. This financial assistance shall
15 be in the form of scholarships and may be used to assist with
16 the cost of education, not to exceed the cost of tuition,
17 mandatory fees, and books. Except as otherwise provided in
18 this section, the scholarship shall cover the full cost of
19 tuition subject to the availability of funds. The scholarship
20 may not be used for remedial courses.
21 (3) Students may receive annual awards for the first
22 30 semester credit hours attempted at any eligible Florida
23 postsecondary educational institution. As used in this
24 section, the term "eligible Florida postsecondary institution"
25 means an institution within the State University System, the
26 community college system, or a public vocational-technical
27 institution. The maximum amount of the award shall include
28 tuition, mandatory fees, and a book allowance of up to $300,
29 except that students who receive a grade point average of 3.5
30 on a 4.0 scale, or above, in a college preparatory curriculum
31 may receive a higher award as determined by the department.
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1 Awards shall be disbursed in equal installments each academic
2 term. Full-time enrollment shall not be required. Awards
3 through this program may be made to degree-seeking students
4 enrolled for a minimum of 6 credit hours who meet the general
5 requirements for student eligibility as provided in this
6 section. Students enrolled for 6 to 8 credit hours may receive
7 up to one-half of the maximum award; students enrolled for 9
8 to 11 credit hours may receive up to three-fourths of the
9 maximum award; and students enrolled for 12 or more credit
10 hours may receive up to the full award.
11 (a) A scholarship shall be awarded prior to the
12 certification or award of a federal family education loan or
13 federal direct loan and shall be considered in the
14 certification or calculation of the student's loan
15 eligibility.
16 (b) Students attending a Florida public technical
17 institute in order to earn a certificate or diploma may
18 qualify for tuition scholarships for the cost of tuition,
19 mandatory fees, and up to $150 per semester for a book
20 allowance. Awards through this program may be made to students
21 enrolled for a minimum of 6 credit hours in a job preparatory
22 vocational program who meet the general requirements for
23 student eligibility as provided in this section. Students
24 enrolled for 6 to 8 credit hours may receive up to one-half of
25 the maximum award; students enrolled for 9 to 11 credit hours
26 may receive up to three-fourths of the maximum award; and
27 students enrolled for 12 or more credit hours may receive up
28 to the full award.
29 (7) The program shall be implemented to the extent
30 authorized annually in the General Appropriations Act. If
31 funds are insufficient to provide the full amount of
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1 scholarships authorized in this section to each eligible
2 applicant, the department may prorate available funds and make
3 a partial award to each eligible applicant. Initial awards
4 shall be given to eligible students, as defined in subsection
5 (2), who graduate in June 1997.
6 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 1997.
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9 HOUSE SUMMARY
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Revises provisions relating to the apportionment and
11 expenditure of funds in the Educational Enhancement Trust
Fund. Revises provisions of the Florida Postsecondary
12 Tuition Program to include certain private institutions
as eligible institutions and to provide for initial
13 awards.
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