House Bill 0393

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 393

        By the Committee on Community Colleges & Career Prep and
    Representatives Harrington, Merchant, Wise, Goodlette,
    Greenstein, Stafford, A. Greene, Kelly and Bloom




  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Workforce Development

  3         Education; amending s. 236.081; providing for

  4         reimbursement for certain instruction outside

  5         the required number of school days; amending s.

  6         239.105, F.S.; defining "literacy completion

  7         point"; amending s. 239.115, F.S.; providing

  8         for adult general education programs to include

  9         courses that lead to a literacy completion

10         point; revising performance output measures for

11         adult general education courses of study;

12         authorizing formulas for the distribution of

13         workforce development education performance

14         funds to provide performance exemptions for new

15         programs; amending s. 239.117, F.S.; revising

16         requirements regarding fee schedules for

17         workforce development education; requiring that

18         fees for continuing workforce education be

19         locally determined; providing an effective

20         date.

21

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

23

24         Section 1.  Paragraph (h) of subsection (1) of section

25  236.081, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement is amended to read:

26         236.081  Funds for operation of schools.--If the annual

27  allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each

28  district for operation of schools is not determined in the

29  annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing

30  the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as

31  follows:

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  1         (1)  COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR

  2  OPERATION.--The following procedure shall be followed in

  3  determining the annual allocation to each district for

  4  operation:

  5         (h)  Instruction outside required number of school

  6  days.--Students in grades 9 through 12 may be counted as

  7  full-time equivalent students for instruction provided outside

  8  the required school days or year if such instruction counts as

  9  credit toward high school graduation. However, if a high

10  school student wishes to earn high school credits from a

11  community college or school district offering an adult

12  education program and enrolls in one or more adult secondary

13  education courses at the community college or school district,

14  the community college or school district's adult education

15  program shall be reimbursed for the costs incurred because of

16  the high school student's coenrollment as provided in the

17  General Appropriations Act.  The school district may claim

18  basic FTE for this program from the Florida Education Finance

19  Program on an hourly basis, provided that such a claim shall

20  not exceed .3 FTE per student annually, and provided that the

21  reimbursement to the community college or school district's

22  adult education program shall not exceed the basic revenue

23  received by the school district per student.

24         Section 2.  Subsections (21) through (29) of section

25  239.105, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, are renumbered as

26  subsections (22) through (30), respectively, and a new

27  subsection (21) is added to said section to read:

28         239.105  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, the

29  term:

30         (21)  "Literacy completion point" means the academic or

31  workforce readiness competencies that qualify a person for

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  1  further basic education, vocational education, or for

  2  employment.

  3         Section 3.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (1), paragraph

  4  (b) of subsection (4), and subsection (9) of section 239.115,

  5  Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, are amended to read:

  6         239.115  Funds for operation of adult general education

  7  and vocational education programs.--

  8         (1)  As used in this section, the terms "workforce

  9  development education" and "workforce development program"

10  include:

11         (a)  Adult general education programs, including

12  courses that lead to a literacy completion point within a

13  program, designed to improve the employability skills of the

14  state's workforce through adult basic education, adult

15  secondary education, GED preparation, and

16  vocational-preparatory education.

17         (4)  The Florida Workforce Development Education Fund

18  is created to provide performance-based funding for all

19  workforce development programs, whether the programs are

20  offered by a school district or a community college. Funding

21  for all workforce development education programs must be from

22  the Workforce Development Education Fund and must be based on

23  cost categories, performance output measures, and performance

24  outcome measures. This subsection takes effect July 1, 1999.

25         (b)1.  The performance output measure for vocational

26  education programs of study is student completion of a

27  vocational program of study that leads to an occupational

28  completion point associated with a certificate; an

29  apprenticeship program; or a program that leads to an applied

30  technology diploma or an associate in science degree.

31  Performance output measures for registered apprenticeship

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  1  programs shall be based on program lengths that coincide with

  2  lengths established pursuant to the requirements of chapter

  3  446.

  4         2.  The performance output measure for an adult general

  5  education course of study is measurable improvement in student

  6  skills. This measure shall include student completion of an

  7  adult general education program of study that leads to a

  8  literacy completion point improvement in literacy skills,

  9  grade level improvement as measured by an approved test, or

10  attainment of a general education development diploma or an

11  adult high school diploma.

12         (9)  The Department of Education, the State Board of

13  Community Colleges, and the Jobs and Education Partnership

14  shall provide the Legislature with recommended formulas,

15  criteria, timeframes, and mechanisms for distributing

16  performance funds. Such formulas may provide performance

17  exemptions for new programs. The commissioner shall

18  consolidate the recommendations and develop a consensus

19  proposal for funding. The Legislature shall adopt a formula

20  and distribute the performance funds to the Division of

21  Community Colleges and the Division of Workforce Development

22  through the General Appropriations Act. These recommendations

23  shall be based on formulas that would discourage

24  low-performing or low-demand programs and encourage through

25  performance-funding awards:

26         (a)  Programs that prepare people to enter high-wage

27  occupations identified by the Occupational Forecasting

28  Conference created by s. 216.136 and other programs as

29  approved by the Jobs and Education Partnership. At a minimum,

30  performance incentives shall be calculated for adults who

31  reach completion points or complete programs that lead to

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  1  specified high-wage employment and to their placement in that

  2  employment.

  3         (b)  Programs that successfully prepare adults who are

  4  eligible for public assistance, economically disadvantaged,

  5  disabled, not proficient in English, or dislocated workers for

  6  high-wage occupations.  At a minimum, performance incentives

  7  shall be calculated at an enhanced value for the completion of

  8  adults identified in this paragraph and job placement of such

  9  adults upon completion. In addition, adjustments may be made

10  in payments for job placements for areas of high unemployment.

11         (c)  Programs identified by the Jobs and Education

12  Partnership as increasing the effectiveness and cost

13  efficiency of education.

14         Section 4.  Subsections (6) and (7) of section 239.117,

15  Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, are amended to read:

16         239.117  Postsecondary student fees.--

17         (6)(a)  The Commissioner of Education shall provide to

18  the State Board of Education no later than December 31 of each

19  year a schedule of fees for workforce development education,

20  excluding continuing workforce education, for school districts

21  and community colleges. The fee schedule shall be based on the

22  amount of student fees necessary to produce 25 percent of the

23  prior year's average cost of a course of study leading to a

24  certificate or diploma and 50 percent of the prior year's cost

25  of a continuing workforce education course. At the discretion

26  of a school board or a community college, this fee schedule

27  may be implemented over a 3-year period, with full

28  implementation in the 1999-2000 school year. In years

29  preceding that year, if fee increases are necessary for some

30  programs or courses, the fees shall be raised in increments

31  designed to lessen their impact upon students already

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  1  enrolled. Fees for students who are not residents for tuition

  2  purposes must offset the full cost of instruction.

  3  Fee-nonexempt students enrolled in vocational-preparatory

  4  instruction shall be charged fees equal to the fees charged

  5  for certificate career education instruction. Each community

  6  college that conducts college-preparatory and

  7  vocational-preparatory instruction in the same class section

  8  may charge a single fee for both types of instruction.

  9         (b)  Fees for continuing workforce education shall be

10  locally determined by the school board or community college.

11         (c)(b)  The State Board of Education shall adopt a fee

12  schedule for school districts that produces the fee revenues

13  calculated pursuant to paragraph (a). The schedule so

14  calculated shall take effect, unless otherwise specified in

15  the General Appropriations Act.

16         (d)(c)  The State Board of Education shall adopt, by

17  rule, the definitions and procedures that school boards shall

18  use in the calculation of cost borne by students.

19         (7)  Each year the State Board of Community Colleges

20  shall review and evaluate the percentage of the cost of adult

21  programs and certificate career education programs supported

22  through student fees.  For students who are residents for

23  tuition purposes, the schedule so adopted must produce

24  revenues equal to 25 percent of the prior year's average

25  program cost for college-preparatory and certificate-level

26  workforce development programs and 50 percent of the prior

27  year's program cost for student enrollment in continuing

28  workforce education. Fees for continuing workforce education

29  shall be locally determined by the school board or community

30  college. Fees for students who are not residents for tuition

31  purposes must offset the full cost of instruction.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 393

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  1         Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

  2

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  4                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  5
      Provides for reimbursement for certain instruction
  6    outside the required number of school days. Defines the
      term "literacy completion point." Provides for adult
  7    general education programs to include courses that lead
      to a literacy completion point. Revises performance
  8    output measures for adult general education courses of
      study. Authorizes formulas for the distribution of
  9    workforce development education performance funds to
      provide exemptions for new programs. Requires fees for
10    continuing workforce education to be locally determined,
      rather than included in state adopted fee schedules.
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