House Bill hb0517c1

    Florida House of Representatives - 2001              CS/HB 517

        By the Committee on Education Innovation and
    Representative Henriquez





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to student financial aid;

  3         creating s. 240.40645, F.S.; establishing the

  4         Instructional Paraprofessional Tuition

  5         Reimbursement Program to provide tuition

  6         reimbursements for eligible program

  7         participants; providing limitations on the

  8         amount, number of semester hours or equivalent

  9         quarter hours, and award of such

10         reimbursements; providing eligibility

11         requirements; limiting implementation to the

12         amount funded in the General Appropriations

13         Act; requiring funds appropriated to be

14         deposited in the State Student Financial

15         Assistance Trust Fund; providing an effective

16         date.

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

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20         Section 1.  Section 240.40645, Florida Statutes, is

21  created to read:

22         240.40645  Instructional Paraprofessional Tuition

23  Reimbursement Program.--

24         (1)  There is hereby created the Instructional

25  Paraprofessional Tuition Reimbursement Program to be

26  administered by the Department of Education for the purpose of

27  encouraging instructional paraprofessionals to become

28  certified to teach in subject areas of critical state or local

29  need.

30         (2)  To the extent that funding is available, eligible

31  program participants shall receive a tuition reimbursement for

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001              CS/HB 517

    603-157-01






  1  up to 9 semester hours, or the equivalent in quarter hours,

  2  per semester, at a rate established annually in the General

  3  Appropriations Act. If funds appropriated are not adequate to

  4  provide the maximum allowable reimbursement to each eligible

  5  applicant, awards shall be reduced by a prorated amount. All

  6  tuition reimbursements shall be contingent on passing an

  7  approved course with a minimum grade of 3.0 or its equivalent.

  8         (3)  To be eligible to receive tuition reimbursement

  9  pursuant to this act, an instructional paraprofessional, as

10  defined by s. 228.041(9)(e), must:

11         (a)  Have been employed by a district school board or a

12  charter school established pursuant to s. 228.056 as an

13  instructional paraprofessional for at least 1 year; and

14         (b)  Be enrolled in a program of study leading to

15  certification in an area of critical teacher shortage, as

16  identified pursuant to s. 231.62.

17         (4)  This section shall be implemented only to the

18  extent specifically funded by the Legislature in the General

19  Appropriations Act. Such funds shall be deposited in the State

20  Student Financial Assistance Trust Fund.

21         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

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