House Bill 0721
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 721
By Representative Fiorentino
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Florida Teaching
3 Scholarship; amending s. 240.40201, F.S.;
4 revising general provisions relating to the
5 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program to
6 reflect the addition of the Florida Teaching
7 Scholarship; amending s. 240.40202, F.S.;
8 revising provisions relating to general student
9 eligibility requirements for the Florida Bright
10 Futures Scholarship Program to reflect the
11 addition of the Florida Teaching Scholarship;
12 amending s. 240.40203, F.S.; revising student
13 eligibility requirements for renewal awards to
14 reflect the addition of the Florida Teaching
15 Scholarship; creating s. 240.40215, F.S.;
16 creating the Florida Teaching Scholars award
17 within the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship
18 Program; establishing student eligibility
19 requirements; specifying the amount of the
20 award; establishing a grade point average
21 requirement for the renewal of a Florida
22 Teaching Scholars award; requiring a Florida
23 Teaching Scholar to fulfill a teaching
24 requirement within a specified time period
25 after graduation; requiring the repayment of an
26 award under certain circumstances; specifying
27 the use of repaid funds; authorizing the
28 adoption of rules; providing an effective date.
29
30 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 721
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1 Section 1. Subsections (2), (3), and (7) and paragraph
2 (a) of subsection (4) of section 240.40201, Florida Statutes,
3 are amended to read:
4 240.40201 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship
5 Program.--
6 (2) The Bright Futures Scholarship Program consists of
7 four three types of awards, the Florida Academic Scholarship,
8 the Florida Merit Scholarship, and the Florida Vocational Gold
9 Seal Scholarship, and the Florida Teaching Scholarship.
10 (3) The Department of Education shall administer the
11 Bright Futures Scholarship Program according to rules and
12 procedures established by the Commissioner of Education. A
13 single application must be sufficient for a student to apply
14 for any of the four three types of awards. The department must
15 advertise the availability of the scholarship program and must
16 notify students, teachers, parents, guidance counselors, and
17 principals or other relevant school administrators of the
18 criteria and application procedures. The department must begin
19 this process of notification no later than January 1 of each
20 year.
21 (4) Funding for the Bright Futures Scholarship Program
22 must be allocated from the Education Enhancement Trust Fund
23 and must be provided before allocations from that fund are
24 calculated for disbursement to other educational entities.
25 (a) If funds appropriated are not adequate to provide
26 the maximum allowable award to each eligible applicant, awards
27 in all four three components of the program must be prorated
28 using the same percentage reduction.
29 (7) A student may receive only one type of award from
30 the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program at a time, but
31 may transfer from one type of award to another through the
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 721
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1 renewal application process, if the student's eligibility
2 status changes. However, a student is not eligible to transfer
3 from a Florida Merit Scholarship, or a Florida Vocational Gold
4 Seal Scholarship, or a Florida Teaching Scholarship to a
5 Florida Academic Scholarship. A student who receives an award
6 from the program may also receive a federal family education
7 loan or a federal direct loan, and the value of the award must
8 be considered in the certification or calculation of the
9 student's loan eligibility.
10 Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 240.40202,
11 Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
12 240.40202 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program;
13 student eligibility requirements for initial awards.--
14 (1) To be eligible for an initial award from any of
15 the four three types of scholarships under the Florida Bright
16 Futures Scholarship Program, a student must:
17 (a) Be a Florida resident as defined in s. 240.404 and
18 rules of the State Board of Education.
19 (b) Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its
20 equivalent as described in s. 232.246 or s. 229.814 unless:
21 1. The student is enrolled full time in the early
22 admission program of an eligible postsecondary education
23 institution or completes a home education program according to
24 s. 232.0201; or
25 2. The student earns a high school diploma from a
26 non-Florida school while living with a parent or guardian who
27 is on military or public service assignment away from Florida.
28 (c) Be accepted by and enroll in an eligible Florida
29 public or independent postsecondary education institution.
30 (d) Be enrolled for at least 6 semester credit hours
31 or the equivalent in quarter hours or clock hours.
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 721
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1 (e) Not have been found guilty of, or plead nolo
2 contendere to, a felony charge, unless the student has been
3 granted clemency by the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the
4 Executive Office of Clemency.
5 (f) Apply for a scholarship from the program by April
6 1 of the last semester before high school graduation.
7 Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
8 240.40203, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
9 240.40203 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program;
10 student eligibility requirements for renewal awards.--
11 (1) To be eligible to renew a scholarship from any of
12 the four three types of scholarships under the Florida Bright
13 Futures Scholarship Program, a student must:
14 (b) Maintain the cumulative grade point average
15 required by the scholarship program, except that:
16 1. If a recipient's grades fall beneath the average
17 required to renew a Florida Academic Scholarship, but are
18 sufficient to renew a Florida Merit Scholarship, or a Florida
19 Vocational Gold Seal Scholarship, or a Florida Teaching
20 Scholarship, the Department of Education may grant a renewal
21 from one of those other scholarship programs, if the student
22 meets the renewal eligibility requirements; or
23 2. If, at any time during the eligibility period, a
24 student's grades are insufficient to renew the scholarship,
25 the student may restore eligibility by improving the grade
26 point average to the required level. A student is eligible for
27 such a reinstatement only once. The Legislature encourages
28 education institutions to assist students to calculate whether
29 or not it is possible to raise the grade point average during
30 the summer term. If the institution determines that it is
31 possible, the education institution may so inform the
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1 department, which may reserve the student's award if funds are
2 available. The renewal, however, must not be granted until the
3 student achieves the required cumulative grade point average.
4 If the summer term is not sufficient to raise the grade point
5 average to the required renewal level, the student's next
6 opportunity for renewal is the fall semester of the following
7 academic year.
8 Section 4. Section 240.40215, Florida Statutes, is
9 created to read:
10 240.40215 Florida Teaching Scholars award.--The
11 Florida Teaching Scholars award is created within the Florida
12 Bright Futures Scholarship Program to recognize and reward
13 academic achievement and to encourage high school students who
14 are interested in preparing to teach in the public schools of
15 the state to continue their education.
16 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Teaching
17 Scholars award if the student meets the general eligibility
18 requirements for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship
19 Program and the student:
20 (a) Has achieved a weighted grade point average of 3.0
21 as calculated pursuant to s. 240.40202, or the equivalent, in
22 high school courses that are adopted by the Board of Regents
23 and recommended by the State Board of Community Colleges as
24 college-preparatory academic courses; and attained at least
25 the score identified by rules of the Department of Education
26 on the combined verbal and quantitative parts of the
27 Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or
28 the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the College
29 Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the American
30 College Testing Program;
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1 (b) Has attended a home education program according to
2 s. 232.0201 during grades 11 and 12; and attained at least the
3 score identified by rules of the Department of Education on
4 the combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
5 Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the
6 recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance
7 Examination, or an equivalent score on the American College
8 Testing Program; or
9 (c) Has completed the International Baccalaureate
10 curriculum but failed to earn the International Baccalaureate
11 Diploma; and attained at least the score identified by rules
12 of the Department of Education on the combined verbal and
13 quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the
14 Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
15 Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
16 equivalent score on the American College Testing Program.
17 (2) A Florida Teaching Scholar is eligible for an
18 award equal to the amount required to pay 100 percent of
19 matriculation and fees, if the student is enrolled in a public
20 postsecondary education institution. A student who is enrolled
21 in a nonpublic postsecondary education institution is eligible
22 for an award equal to the amount that would be required to pay
23 100 percent of the matriculation and fees of a public
24 postsecondary education institution at the comparable level.
25 (3) To be eligible for a renewal award as a Florida
26 Teaching Scholar, a student must maintain the equivalent of a
27 grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale for all
28 postsecondary education work attempted, with an opportunity
29 for reinstatement one time as provided in this program.
30 (4)(a) A Florida Teaching Scholar must agree to teach
31 1 year for each year that he or she has received a Florida
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 721
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1 Teaching Scholars award at a Florida public school, within 7
2 years after graduation.
3 (b) Any Florida Teaching Scholars award recipient that
4 fails to fulfill the teaching requirement is responsible for
5 repaying the balance of the award that has not been reimbursed
6 through teaching service rendered.
7 (c) A Florida Teaching Scholars award recipient who is
8 unable to fulfill the teaching requirement due to his or her
9 death or permanent disability shall not be required to repay
10 the award.
11 (d) Funds repaid according to this subsection shall be
12 deposited into the Education Enhancement Trust Fund, to be
13 used for purposes of this section.
14 (5) The State Board of Education may adopt rules
15 pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the
16 provisions of this section.
17 Section 5. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
18 law.
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20 *****************************************
21 HOUSE SUMMARY
22
Creates the Florida Teaching Scholars award within the
23 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. Establishes
student eligibility requirements. Specifies the amount of
24 the award. Establishes a grade point average requirement
for the renewal of an award. Requires a Florida Teaching
25 Scholar to fulfill a teaching requirement within a
specified time period after graduation. Requires the
26 repayment of an award under certain circumstances.
Specifies the use of repaid funds. Revises general
27 provisions relating to the Florida Bright Futures
Scholarship Program, general student eligibility
28 requirements, and student eligibility requirements for
renewal awards to reflect the addition of the Florida
29 Teaching Scholarship.
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