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| 1 | A bill to be entitled | ||
| 2 | An act relating to education finance; creating s. 1011.63, | ||
| 3 | F.S.; authorizing school districts to opt out of the | ||
| 4 | restrictions applied to allocations for formula-funded | ||
| 5 | categorical programs and to use such funds at their | ||
| 6 | discretion; providing requirements to obtain such | ||
| 7 | discretionary spending authority; requiring school | ||
| 8 | districts to meet certain performance standards; requiring | ||
| 9 | public notice in local newspapers; requiring reporting; | ||
| 10 | providing an effective date. | ||
| 11 | |||
| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: | ||
| 13 | |||
| 14 | Section 1. Section 1011.63, Florida Statutes, is created | ||
| 15 | to read: | ||
| 16 | 1011.63 Local option for categorical funding.-- | ||
| 17 | (1) Notwithstanding s. 1011.62 or any other provision of | ||
| 18 | law to the contrary, any school district receiving funds | ||
| 19 | appropriated in the General Appropriations Act for formula- | ||
| 20 | funded categorical programs may, upon request submitted to the | ||
| 21 | Commissioner of Education before the convening of the initial | ||
| 22 | Florida Education Finance Program Appropriation Allocation | ||
| 23 | Conference as provided in s. 1011.65 and approval by the | ||
| 24 | commissioner, receive those categorical funds in a lump sum and | ||
| 25 | use the funds for any or all of the purposes for which the funds | ||
| 26 | were appropriated or apply the funds to other classroom | ||
| 27 | education purposes, as determined by the district school board | ||
| 28 | after meeting performance standards determined by the Department | ||
| 29 | of Education. Such performance standards must ensure that the | ||
| 30 | purpose for which the categorical funds were appropriated is | ||
| 31 | otherwise provided for prior to diverting those funds to another | ||
| 32 | purpose. The district school board must provide public notice in | ||
| 33 | a local newspaper of general circulation when such approval is | ||
| 34 | granted. In addition, within 14 business days after receiving | ||
| 35 | such funds, the district school board must provide public notice | ||
| 36 | in a local newspaper of general circulation of the purposes for | ||
| 37 | which the funds will be used and the necessity for reallocating | ||
| 38 | the funds. | ||
| 39 | (2) In reporting its expenditures under s. 1010.20, a | ||
| 40 | school district granted discretionary spending authority under | ||
| 41 | this section shall report on a school-by-school and a district- | ||
| 42 | aggregate basis how all funds, including federal funds, | ||
| 43 | allocated to the district for formula-funded categorical | ||
| 44 | programs were expended. | ||
| 45 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003. | ||
| 46 | |||