Senate Bill 1882

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



    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1882

    By Senator Clary





    7-784-99                                            See HB 501

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to personnel of the school

  3         system; amending s. 24.121, F.S.; providing for

  4         funding of the Project Teach Tuition

  5         Reimbursement Program from the Educational

  6         Enhancement Trust Fund; creating s. 231.64,

  7         F.S.; creating the Project Teach Tuition

  8         Reimbursement Program; providing eligibility

  9         requirements; providing for funding and

10         distribution of funds; providing an effective

11         date.

12

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

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15         Section 1.  Paragraph (e) of subsection (5) of section

16  24.121, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to read:

17         24.121  Allocation of revenues and expenditure of funds

18  for public education.--

19         (5)

20         (b)  Except as provided in paragraphs (c), (d), and

21  (e), the Legislature shall equitably apportion moneys in the

22  trust fund among public schools, community colleges, and

23  universities.

24         (e)  All components of the Florida Bright Futures

25  Scholarship Program and the Project Teach Tuition

26  Reimbursement Program shall be funded annually from the

27  Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. Funds shall be allocated

28  to these programs this program prior to application of the

29  formula for equitable distribution to public schools,

30  community colleges, and state universities. If shortages

31  require reductions in estimated distributions from the

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






    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1882
    7-784-99                                            See HB 501




  1  Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, funds for the Florida

  2  Bright Futures Scholarship Program and the Project Teach

  3  Tuition Reimbursement Program shall be reduced only after

  4  reductions in all other distributions are made.

  5         Section 2.  Section 231.64, Florida Statutes, is

  6  created to read:

  7         231.64  Project Teach Tuition Reimbursement Program.--

  8         (1)  The Project Teach Tuition Reimbursement Program is

  9  created to establish a lottery-funded tuition reimbursement

10  program for instructional personnel, instructional

11  specialists, and educational support personnel who enroll in a

12  qualified education program and who meet the standards of

13  performance as defined in subsection (4).

14         (2)  The program shall be administered by the school

15  district or other public school where the instructional

16  employee, instructional specialist, or educational support

17  employee is employed. The school district or other public

18  school must advertise the program and its requirements to the

19  eligible school personnel.

20         (3)  To be eligible for the program, an employee must

21  be a full-time instructional employee, instructional

22  specialist, or educational support employee.

23         (4)(a)  Instructional personnel and instructional

24  specialists eligible to receive funds from the program must be

25  enrolled in a qualified program of study which will result in

26  the awarding of an advanced degree in the employee's

27  specialization area or in a program of study which qualifies

28  the employee to teach in a critical teacher shortage area, as

29  defined in s. 231.62. Reimbursement for tuition and books

30  shall be made for each course included in the qualified

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






    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1882
    7-784-99                                            See HB 501




  1  program of study in which the student has earned at least a

  2  3.0 average on a 4.0 grading scale.

  3         (b)  Educational support personnel eligible to receive

  4  funds from the program must be enrolled in a qualified program

  5  of study that will result in the awarding of the required

  6  degree and certification to teach in Florida. Reimbursement

  7  for tuition and books shall be made for each course included

  8  in the qualified program of study in which the student has

  9  earned at least a 3.0 average on a 4.0 grading scale.

10         (c)  An employee receiving reimbursement from this

11  program must agree to teach in a Florida public school for at

12  least 1 year after completing the qualified program of study.

13  This provision is deemed satisfied if, after 2 years from

14  completion of the qualified program, an employee has applied

15  for teaching positions within the employee's school district

16  or school, but has been unsuccessful in securing a position.

17         (d)  An employee who does not complete the qualified

18  program of study within 5 years after receiving the first

19  tuition reimbursement award or who does not teach in Florida

20  pursuant to paragraph (c) shall repay to the school district

21  or public school that issued the reimbursement awards an

22  amount equal to the total reimbursements the employee

23  received. Any repayment of tuition reimbursements shall be

24  used to reduce the school district's or school's future

25  distribution of Project Teach Tuition Reimbursement Program

26  funds from the Department of Education.

27         (5)  Funding for the program must be allocated from the

28  Educational Enhancement Trust Fund in accordance with s.

29  24.121. If allocated funds are not adequate to provide the

30  maximum allowable reimbursement, reimbursements must be

31  prorated using the same percentage reduction.

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






    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1882
    7-784-99                                            See HB 501




  1         (6)  The Department of Education shall distribute funds

  2  for the program twice during the fiscal year, by October 1 and

  3  March 1. School districts and other eligible public schools

  4  shall submit a request for funds on a form approved by the

  5  department. Each school district and public school that

  6  receives funds from this program shall establish a process

  7  that documents an employee's eligibility to receive the

  8  reimbursement.

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

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12                       LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY

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      Creates the lottery-funded Project Teach Tuition
14    Reimbursement Program for instructional personnel,
      instructional specialists, and educational support
15    personnel. Provides criteria for eligibility.

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