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





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 309

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
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10                                                                

11  Senator Kirkpatrick moved the following amendment:

12

13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         On page 1, between lines 25 and 26,

15

16  insert:

17         Section 2.  Subsection (1) of section 11.51, Florida

18  Statutes, is amended to read:

19         11.51  Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government

20  Accountability.--

21         (1)  There is hereby created the Office of Program

22  Policy Analysis and Government Accountability as a unit of the

23  Office of the Auditor General appointed pursuant to s. 11.42.

24  Such office shall perform program evaluation and justification

25  reviews as required by s. 11.513 and performance audits as

26  defined in s. 11.45 and shall conduct or contract for best

27  financial management practices performance reviews of school

28  districts pursuant to ss. 11.515 and 230.23025 230.2302.

29         Section 3.  Section 11.515, Florida Statutes, is

30  amended to read:

31         11.515  School district best financial management

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 309

    Amendment No.    





 1  practices performance review.--

 2         (1)  Any best financial management practices

 3  performance review of a school district pursuant to this

 4  section shall be conducted by a private firm selected by the

 5  Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government

 6  Accountability. The director of the Office of Program Policy

 7  Analysis and Government Accountability may, at his or her

 8  discretion, contract with a private consultant selected

 9  through a formal request for proposal process to perform part

10  or all of the review of any district.

11         (2)  In developing the scope of the review, the Office

12  of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability shall

13  seek input from the school district subject to a review.  The

14  scope of the review shall include, but not be limited to:

15         (a)  School district organization and Management

16  structures.

17         (b)  Educational service delivery.

18         (c)  Community involvement.

19         (d)  Facilities use and management.

20         (e)  Personnel systems and benefits management.

21         (f)  Asset and risk management.

22         (g)  Financial management.

23         (h)  Purchasing.

24         (f)(i)  Student transportation.

25         (g)(j)  Food service operations.

26         (h)(k)  Safety and security.

27         (i)  Performance accountability.

28         (j)  Use of lottery proceeds.

29         (k)  Cost control systems.

30         (l)  Instructional and administrative technology.

31         Section 4.  Section 230.23025, Florida Statutes, 1998

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 309

    Amendment No.    





 1  Supplement, as amended by chapters 97-384 and 98-225, Laws of

 2  Florida, is amended to read:

 3         230.23025  Best financial management practices;

 4  standards; reviews; designation of districts.--

 5         (1)  The purpose of a best financial management

 6  practices review is to improve a school district's management

 7  and use of resources, and to identify cost savings. The Office

 8  of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

 9  (OPPAGA) and the Office of the Auditor General are directed to

10  develop a system for reviewing the financial management

11  practices of school districts. In this system, OPPAGA and the

12  Auditor General shall jointly examine district operations to

13  determine whether they meet "best financial management

14  practices." The best financial management practices adopted by

15  the Commissioner of Education may be updated periodically

16  after consultation with the Legislature, the Governor, the

17  SMART Schools Clearinghouse, OPPAGA, and the Auditor General.

18  In areas for which the commissioner has not adopted best

19  practices, OPPAGA may develop additional best practices, with

20  input from a broad range of stakeholders. OPPAGA shall present

21  any additional best practices or updates to existing best

22  practices to the commissioner for review and adoption. The

23  best financial management practices adopted by the

24  commissioner must be used in a school district review

25  conducted according to this section. The best financial

26  management practices, at a minimum, must instill public

27  confidence by addressing the following areas:

28         (a)  Efficient use of resources, use of lottery

29  proceeds, student transportation and food service operations,

30  management structures, and personnel systems and benefits,

31  educational service delivery, community involvement, safety

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 309

    Amendment No.    





 1  and security, facilities, and administrative and instructional

 2  technology;

 3         (b)  Compliance with generally accepted accounting

 4  principles and state and federal laws relating to financial

 5  management;

 6         (c)  Performance accountability systems, including

 7  performance measurement reports to the public, internal

 8  auditing, financial auditing, and information made available

 9  to support decisionmaking;

10         (d)  Cost control systems, including asset, risk, and

11  financial management, purchasing, and information system

12  controls.

13         (2)  It is the intent of the Legislature that each

14  school district shall be subject to a best financial

15  management practices review. OPPAGA shall develop a schedule

16  to review all school districts on a 10-year cycle unless

17  otherwise recommended by the director of OPPAGA and approved

18  by the Legislature in the General Appropriations Act. No later

19  than December 31 of each year, OPPAGA shall recommend to the

20  President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of

21  Representatives those districts proposed to undergo review and

22  a maximum number of school districts to be reviewed during the

23  next fiscal year. School districts may, by a unanimous vote of

24  the membership of the school board, apply to OPPAGA for a

25  complete best financial management practice review or a review

26  of components of the best financial management practices,

27  including management, personnel, transportation, and food and

28  nutrition services. OPPAGA shall prioritize districts for

29  review based on their growth rates and demonstrated need for

30  review. The director of OPPAGA may, at his or her discretion,

31  contract with private consultants to perform part or all of

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 309

    Amendment No.    





 1  the review of any district.

 2         (3)  The Legislature shall annually designate in the

 3  General Appropriations Act those school districts that will

 4  receive a best financial management practices review. The

 5  Legislature may specifically designate that certain districts

 6  receive fully funded reviews and that certain districts may

 7  receive matching funds equal to 50 percent of the total cost

 8  of the review as estimated by OPPAGA. Districts applying for a

 9  complete review shall contribute 50 percent of the total cost

10  of the review costs, unless funding for the entire cost of the

11  review is specifically provided by the Legislature. Districts

12  applying for a review of a component shall contribute 75

13  percent of the review cost. All moneys contributed by any

14  school district under this section toward the cost of a

15  complete or component best financial management practices

16  review of the district shall be deposited into the Florida

17  School District Review Trust Fund administered by OPPAGA.

18         (4)(3)  District reviews conducted under this section

19  must be completed within 6 months after commencement. OPPAGA

20  shall issue a report to the district regarding its financial

21  management practices and cost savings recommendations within

22  60 days after completing the reviews.

23         (5)  If the district is found not to conform to best

24  financial management practices, the report must contain an

25  action a plan of action detailing how the district could meet

26  the best practices within 2 years and be eligible for a "Seal

27  of Best Financial Management." The school board must vote,

28  within 90 days of receipt of the final report, to implement or

29  not to implement the action plan. In order to be eligible to

30  receive the seal, the school board must vote by a majority

31  plus one to implement the action plan.

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 309

    Amendment No.    





 1         (4)  No later than 1 year after receipt of the report,

 2  district school boards that agree by a majority plus one vote

 3  to institute the action plan must shall submit an initial

 4  annual report to the Legislature, the Governor, the SMART

 5  Schools Clearinghouse, OPPAGA, the Auditor General, and the

 6  Commissioner of Education on progress made towards

 7  implementing the plan and whether changes have occurred in

 8  other areas of operation which would affect compliance with

 9  the best practices. Thereafter, the report will be submitted

10  annually.  Such districts shall be reviewed annually by

11  OPPAGA, in addition to the annual financial audit required

12  under s. 11.45, to determine whether they have attained

13  compliance with the best financial management practices in the

14  areas covered by the plan.

15         (6)  Districts that are found to comply with the best

16  financial management practices shall receive a "Seal of Best

17  Financial Management" from by the State Board of Education

18  certifying that the district is adhering to the state's best

19  financial management practices. This designation shall be

20  effective for a 5-year period, beginning upon the

21  certification date, after which the district school board may

22  reapply for the designation to be granted after another best

23  financial management practice review. During the designation

24  period, the district school board shall annually notify, not

25  later than the anniversary date of the certification, the

26  SMART Schools Clearinghouse, OPPAGA, the Auditor General, and

27  the State Board of Education of any changes in policies or

28  operations or any other situations that would not conform to

29  the state's best financial management practices. The State

30  Board of Education may revoke the designation of a district at

31  any time if it determines that a district is no longer

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 309

    Amendment No.    





 1  complying with the state's best financial management

 2  practices.

 3         (7)(5)  Any audit or performance review of one or more

 4  of the designated components conducted or supervised by OPPAGA

 5  or the Department of Management Services, and completed within

 6  2 years before the district is scheduled in the General

 7  Appropriations Act date of application to OPPAGA for a best

 8  financial management practices review, may, at the OPPAGA

 9  director's discretion, serve as all or part of the audit or

10  review required as the examination of district operations

11  necessary for a determination of whether a district meets the

12  "best financial management practices" designation. The cost

13  contribution requirements of subsection (2) do not apply to

14  any such audit or performance review.

15         Section 5.  Subsection (2) of section 230.23026,

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

17         230.23026  Florida School District Review Trust Fund.--

18         (2)  OPPAGA shall use the funds deposited in the trust

19  fund to pay costs of conducting best financial management

20  practices reviews, or reviews of components of the best

21  practices, in school districts under s. 230.23025. Funds may

22  be expended to pay the expenses of reviews conducted by

23  OPPAGA, by the Auditor General, or by private consultants at

24  the discretion of the director of OPPAGA. The expenses may

25  include professional services, travel expenses of OPPAGA and

26  the Auditor General, and any other necessary expenses incurred

27  as part of a complete or component best financial management

28  practices review. OPPAGA may refund to a school district any

29  portion of funds contributed by the school district that

30  OPPAGA determines are not needed to conduct the complete or

31  component best financial management practices review requested

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 309

    Amendment No.    





 1  by the district.

 2         Section 6.  Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (2) of

 3  section 235.2197, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, are

 4  amended to read:

 5         235.2197  Florida Frugal Schools Program.--

 6         (2)  The "Florida Frugal Schools Program" is created to

 7  recognize publicly each district school board that agrees to

 8  build frugal yet functional educational facilities and that

 9  implements "best financial management practices" when

10  planning, constructing, and operating educational facilities.

11  The State Board of Education shall recognize a district school

12  board as having a Florida Frugal Schools Program if the

13  district requests recognition and satisfies two or more of the

14  following criteria:

15         (a)  The district receives a "Seal of Best Financial

16  Management" as provided in s. 230.23025 s. 230.2302 or

17  implements best financial management practices in the area of

18  educational facilities as evidenced by a partial review under

19  s. 230.23025 s. 230.2302.

20         (c)  The district school board submits a plan to the

21  Commissioner of Education certifying how the revenues

22  generated by the levy of the capital outlay sales surtax

23  authorized by s. 212.055(7) will be spent. The plan must

24  include at least the following assurances about the use of the

25  proceeds of the surtax and any accrued interest:

26         1.  The district school board will use the surtax and

27  accrued interest only for the fixed capital outlay purposes

28  identified by s. 212.055(7)(d) which will reduce school

29  overcrowding that has been validated by the Department of

30  Education, or for the repayment of bonded indebtedness related

31  to such capital outlay purposes.

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 309

    Amendment No.    





 1         2.  The district school board will not spend the surtax

 2  or accrued interest to pay for operational expenses or for the

 3  construction, renovation, or remodeling of any administrative

 4  building or any other ancillary facility that is not directly

 5  related to the instruction, feeding, or transportation of

 6  students enrolled in the public schools.

 7         3.  The district school board's use of the surtax and

 8  accrued interest will be consistent with the best financial

 9  management practices identified and approved under s.

10  230.23025 s. 230.2302.

11         4.  The district school board will apply the

12  educational facilities contracting and construction techniques

13  authorized by s. 235.211 or other construction management

14  techniques to reduce the cost of educational facilities.

15         5.  The district school board will discontinue the

16  surtax levy when the district has provided the

17  survey-recommended educational facilities that were determined

18  to be necessary to relieve school overcrowding; when the

19  district has satisfied any bonded indebtedness incurred for

20  such educational facilities; or when the district's other

21  sources of capital outlay funds are sufficient to provide such

22  educational facilities, whichever occurs first.

23         6.  The district school board will use any excess

24  surtax collections or accrued interest to reduce the

25  discretionary outlay millage levied under s. 236.25(2).

26         Section 7.  Section 230.2302, Florida Statutes, is

27  repealed.

28

29  (Redesignate subsequent sections.)

30

31

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 309

    Amendment No.    





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

 2  And the title is amended as follows:

 3         On page 1, line 6, after the semicolon

 4

 5  insert:

 6         amending s. 11.51, F.S.; requiring the Office

 7         of Program Policy Analysis and Government

 8         Accountability to conduct or contract for best

 9         financial management practices reviews of

10         school districts; correcting a cross reference;

11         amending s. 11.515, F.S.; revising references

12         to "performance reviews" to "best financial

13         management practices reviews"; clarifying and

14         conforming the authorization for contracting

15         for reviews; revising the scope of such

16         reviews; amending s. 230.23025, F.S.; providing

17         the purpose of a best financial management

18         practices review; authorizing OPPAGA to develop

19         best practices for review and adoption by the

20         Commissioner of Education; revising areas

21         addressed by the review; establishing a

22         timeframe for school district review; requiring

23         districts to be reviewed to be specified in the

24         General Appropriations Act; providing funding

25         requirements; revising reporting requirements;

26         revising provisions relating to the "Seal of

27         Best Financial Management"; amending s.

28         230.23026, F.S.; conforming terminology;

29         amending s. 235.2197, F.S.; correcting cross

30         references; repealing s. 230.2302, F.S.,

31         relating to performance reviews;

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