CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1066

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
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11  Senator Sullivan moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14          Delete everything after the enacting clause

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16  and insert:

17         Section 1.  Subsections (1), (2), (5), and (6) of

18  section 228.0561, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, are

19  amended to read:

20         228.0561  Charter schools capital outlay funding.--

21         (1)  In each year in which funds are appropriated for

22  charter school capital outlay purposes from the Public

23  Education Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund for

24  charter schools, the Commissioner of Education shall allocate

25  the funds among eligible charter schools.  To be eligible for

26  a funding allocation, a charter school must meet the

27  provisions of subsection (6), must have received final

28  approval from its sponsor pursuant to s. 228.056 for operation

29  during that fiscal year, and must serve students in facilities

30  that are not provided by the charter school's sponsor, and

31  must be fiscally stable. Fiscal stability may be documented by

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1066

    Amendment No.    





 1  a statement from the school's sponsor, the school's most

 2  recent financial audit, or verification by a certified public

 3  accountant. Prior to the release of capital outlay funds to a

 4  school district on behalf of the charter school, the

 5  Department of Education shall ensure that the district school

 6  board and the charter school governing board enter into a

 7  written agreement that includes provisions for the reversion

 8  of any unencumbered funds and all equipment and property

 9  purchased with public education funds to the ownership of the

10  district school board, as provided for in subsection (3)

11  attaching a lien to property that has been improved through

12  the use of these funds, in the event that the school

13  terminates operations.  Any funds recovered by the state shall

14  be deposited in the General Revenue Fund Public Education

15  Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund.  A charter school

16  is not eligible for a funding allocation if it was created by

17  the conversion of a public school and operates in facilities

18  provided by the charter school's sponsor for a nominal fee or

19  at no charge. Unless otherwise provided in the General

20  Appropriations Act, the Commissioner of Education shall

21  allocate funds for charter school capital outlay purposes

22  among eligible charter schools based upon documented capital

23  outlay needs. If the funds appropriated are not sufficient to

24  meet all documented needs, the commissioner shall prorate

25  funds among eligible charter schools based upon the relative

26  magnitude and nature of their documented capital outlay needs.

27  The commissioner shall establish procedures for documenting

28  the magnitude and nature of each eligible charter school's

29  capital outlay needs and the criteria for evaluating relative

30  need. To document and determine relative capital outlay needs,

31  the commissioner may request and consider the academic

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1066

    Amendment No.    





 1  programs offered; the nature and condition of the school's

 2  current facilities; whether school facilities are leased,

 3  lease-purchased, or owned by the charter school;

 4  transportation methods and the geographic area covered;

 5  current and projected student enrollment; the geographic area

 6  served; proposed capital purchases or improvements; and the

 7  intended contribution to improved student performance. The

 8  commissioner shall specify the format and timeframes for

 9  submitting this information. funding allocation for each

10  eligible charter school shall be determined by multiplying the

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

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

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

14  funds appropriated are not sufficient, the commissioner shall

15  prorate the available funds among eligible charter schools.

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

17  distributed on the basis of projected enrollment as provided

18  in this section.  The commissioner shall adjust subsequent

19  distributions as necessary to reflect each charter school's

20  actual student enrollment.  The commissioner shall establish

21  the intervals and procedures for determining the projected and

22  actual student enrollment of eligible charter schools. If a

23  school district chooses to share funding for the capital

24  outlay purposes described in subsection (2) with the

25  applicable charter school or charter schools, any allocation

26  of charter school capital outlay funds from the Public

27  Education Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund

28  allocation to the charter school or charter schools shall be

29  reduced by the amount shared.

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

31  school capital outlay funds with the school board's permission

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1066

    Amendment No.    





 1  may use funds from the Public Education Capital Outlay and

 2  Debt Service Trust Fund for any capital outlay purpose that is

 3  directly related to the functioning of the charter school,

 4  including the:

 5         (a)  Purchase of real property.

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

 7  of school facilities.

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

 9  relocatable school facilities.

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

11  from the charter school.

12         (5)  The annual legislative budget request of the

13  Department of Education shall include a request for capital

14  outlay funding for charter schools from the Public Education

15  Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund.  The request shall

16  be based on the projected number of students to be served in

17  charter schools who meet the eligibility requirements of this

18  section.

19         (6)(a)  Effective July 1, 1998, any charter school

20  which has been in continuous operation in the district in

21  which its charter was approved for at least two school years

22  immediately preceding the school year in which the school

23  seeks an appropriation from the Public Education Capital

24  Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund shall be eligible to

25  receive funds from that trust fund.  No other charter schools

26  are eligible to receive funds from the Public Education

27  Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund.

28         (b)  Unless authorized otherwise by the Legislature,

29  allocation and proration of funds from the Public Education

30  Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund shall be made to

31  eligible charter schools by the Commissioner of Education in

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1066

    Amendment No.    





 1  an amount and in a manner authorized by subsection (1), and

 2  only schools eligible for such funds in this subsection shall

 3  be considered "eligible charter schools" for such an

 4  allocation or proration.

 5         (c)  There is appropriated from the Public Education

 6  Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund in fiscal year

 7  1998-1999 the amount of $5 million to be used for capital

 8  outlay purposes of charter schools eligible under this

 9  subsection and allocated or prorated in an amount and in a

10  manner authorized by this subsection.  This paragraph shall be

11  repealed July 1, 1999.

12         Section 2.  Subsection (7) of section 235.42, Florida

13  Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to read:

14         235.42  Educational and ancillary plant construction

15  funds; Public Education Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust

16  Fund; allocation of funds.--

17         (7)  Boards and entities authorized to participate in

18  the trust fund are district school boards, the community

19  college district boards of trustees, the Trustees of the

20  Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, the Board of

21  Regents, charter schools only if eligible pursuant to s.

22  228.0561(6), and other units of the state system of public

23  education, and other educational entities defined in s.

24  228.041 for which funds are authorized by the Legislature.

25         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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28  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

29  And the title is amended as follows:

30         On page 1, lines 14-19, delete those lines

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1066

    Amendment No.    





 1  and insert:

 2         receipt of capital outlay funds; revising the

 3         allocation and proration of funds; removing

 4         obsolete provisions; amending s. 235.42, F.S.,

 5         relating to educational and ancillary plant

 6         construction funds; removing a reference to

 7         charter schools; providing an effective date.

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