HB 7097

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to postsecondary education; amending s.
31001.44, F.S.; authorizing an articulation agreement for
4delivery of associate in applied science degree programs
5by career centers; providing requirements for use of the
6designation "technical college"; providing a definition;
7amending s. 1002.34, F.S.; providing for a charter
8technical career center to use the designation "technical
9college"; providing a definition; amending s. 1007.22,
10F.S.; revising provisions relating to establishment of
11interinstitutional mechanisms by public postsecondary
12educational institutions; amending s. 1007.23, F.S.;
13revising components of the statewide articulation
14agreement; revising terminology; requiring the State Board
15of Education to establish articulated career paths for
16specific professions; requiring career paths to provide
17credit for certain programs and experiential learning;
18amending s. 1009.50, F.S.; authorizing certain students in
19postsecondary career certificate programs to receive
20Florida public student assistance grants; creating s.
211009.521, F.S.; creating the GED Success Scholarship
22Program; providing for administration; providing for the
23award of scholarships from appropriated funds; providing
24eligibility criteria; providing for transmittal of funds
25to eligible institutions; providing for reporting;
26providing for rulemaking; creating s. 1011.802, F.S.;
27establishing the School District Career Center Facility
28Enhancement Challenge Grant Program; authorizing a school
29district direct-support organization to solicit funds and
30establish a separate career center capital facilities
31matching account for private contributions for
32instructional facility construction projects; providing
33for match by state appropriations; providing for a portion
34of the cost of a facility construction project to be
35provided from a school district's local capital funds;
36providing State Board of Education requirements relating
37to capital outlay budget requests for such projects;
38providing for reversion of funds; requiring the Office of
39Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to
40assess articulation agreements and identify career center
41programs that may articulate to certain degree programs;
42requiring recommendations; providing an effective date.
43
44Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
45
46     Section 1.  Subsection (4) is added to section 1001.44,
47Florida Statutes, to read:
48     1001.44  Career centers.--
49     (4)  DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD CAREER CENTER PROGRAM
50DELIVERY.--
51     (a)  A district school board with an established career
52center as part of the district school system may enter into an
53articulation agreement for the delivery of specified associate
54in applied science degree programs.
55     (b)  A career center that offers a postsecondary adult
56vocational program designed to articulate into an associate in
57applied science degree program and enters into an articulation
58agreement for the delivery of such an associate in applied
59science degree program may use the designation "technical
60college."
61     (c)  For purposes of this subsection, "postsecondary adult
62vocational program" is a job preparatory program, excluding
63continuing workforce education, through which a student receives
64a vocational certificate upon completion of instruction.
65     Section 2.  Subsection (20) is added to section 1002.34,
66Florida Statutes, to read:
67     1002.34  Charter technical career centers.--
68     (20)  DESIGNATION AS A TECHNICAL COLLEGE.--A charter
69technical career center that offers a postsecondary adult
70vocational program designed to articulate into an associate in
71applied science degree program and enters into an articulation
72agreement for the delivery of such an associate in applied
73science degree program may use the designation "technical
74college." For purposes of this subsection, "postsecondary adult
75vocational program" is a job preparatory program, excluding
76continuing workforce education, through which a student receives
77a vocational certificate upon completion of instruction.
78     Section 3.  Subsection (3) of section 1007.22, Florida
79Statutes, is amended to read:
80     1007.22  Articulation; postsecondary institution
81coordination and collaboration.--
82     (3)  Public postsecondary educational institutions serving
83the same students in a geographic and service area are
84encouraged to establish appropriate interinstitutional
85mechanisms to achieve cooperative planning and delivery of
86academic programs and related services, share a high-cost
87instructional facility and equipment, coordinate credit and
88noncredit outreach activities, have access to each other's
89library and media holdings and services, and provide cooperative
90campus activities and consultative relationships for the
91discussion and resolution of interinstitutional issues and
92problems which discourage student access or transfer.
93     Section 4.  Subsections (1) and (3) of section 1007.23,
94Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
95     1007.23  Statewide articulation agreement.--
96     (1)  The State Board of Education shall establish in rule a
97statewide articulation agreement that governs:
98     (a)  Articulation between secondary and postsecondary
99education, including credit earned through high school career
100and technical education majors and career academies;
101     (b)  Admission of associate in arts degree graduates from
102community colleges and state universities;
103     (c)  Admission of applied technology diploma program
104graduates from community colleges or career centers;
105     (d)  Admission of associate in science degree and associate
106in applied science degree graduates from community colleges;
107     (e)  The use of acceleration mechanisms, including
108nationally standardized examinations through which students may
109earn credit;
110     (f)  General education requirements and statewide course
111numbers as provided for in ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25; and
112     (g)  Articulation among programs in nursing; and.
113     (h)  Admission of postsecondary vocational, technical, or
114career certificate or diploma graduates from school district
115career centers or charter technical career centers.
116     (3)  The articulation agreement must guarantee the
117statewide articulation of appropriate workforce education
118development programs and courses between school districts and
119community colleges and specifically provide that every applied
120technology diploma graduate must be granted the same amount of
121credit upon admission to an associate in science degree or
122associate in applied science degree program unless it is a
123limited access program. Preference for admission must be given
124to graduates who are residents of Florida. By March 1, 2007, the
125State Board of Education shall establish an articulated career
126path for specific workforce education professions, including,
127but not limited to, the program areas of criminal justice,
128business, nursing, allied health, and early childhood education.
129The career paths shall provide for the articulation of:
130     (a)  Credit earned in vocational, technical, or career
131certificate or diploma programs to associate in science degrees
132or associate in applied science degrees.
133     (b)  Credit earned in associate in science degree programs
134to credit in baccalaureate degree programs.
135     (c)  Credit awarded by public and private institutions.
136     (d)  Credit for experiential learning associated with
137minimum training requirements for employment.
138     Section 5.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
1391009.50, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
140     1009.50  Florida Public Student Assistance Grant Program;
141eligibility for grants.--
142     (2)(a)  State student assistance grants through the program
143may be made only to degree-seeking students who enroll in at
144least 6 semester hours, or the equivalent per term, or students
145who enroll in a postsecondary career certificate program of at
146least 450 clock hours, and who meet the general requirements for
147student eligibility as provided in s. 1009.40, except as
148otherwise provided in this section. The grants shall be awarded
149annually for the amount of demonstrated unmet need for the cost
150of education and may not exceed an amount equal to the average
151prior academic year cost of tuition fees and other registration
152fees for 30 credit hours at state universities or such other
153amount as specified in the General Appropriations Act, to any
154recipient. A demonstrated unmet need of less than $200 shall
155render the applicant ineligible for a state student assistance
156grant. Recipients of the grants must have been accepted at a
157state university, or community college, school district career
158center, or charter technical career center authorized by Florida
159law. A student is eligible for the award for 110 percent of the
160number of credit hours required to complete the program in which
161enrolled, except as otherwise provided in s. 1009.40(3).
162     Section 6.  Section 1009.521, Florida Statutes, is created
163to read:
164     1009.521  GED Success Scholarship Program.--
165     (1)  The GED Success Scholarship Program is created to
166establish a scholarship program to encourage students who
167successfully complete a GED program to attend a program offered
168by an accredited public or private technical or career center or
169a community college program identified by the Department of
170Education as a program that provides a career path to one of the
171top 15 occupations in number of annual openings as listed on the
172Agency for Workforce Innovation's Florida Statewide Targeted
173Occupations List or on a regional targeted occupations list at
174the time of the student's initial enrollment.
175     (2)  The scholarship program shall be administered by the
176department pursuant to the requirements of this section and
177rules of the State Board of Education.
178     (3)  For each year in which funds are appropriated in the
179General Appropriations Act, the department shall allocate funds
180to eligible students in the amount of one $500 scholarship per
181eligible student. The scholarships shall be awarded by the
182department on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible
183recipients until all funds specifically designated for the GED
184Success Scholarships for that fiscal year have been allocated.
185     (4)  A student who meets all of the following requirements
186is eligible to receive a scholarship pursuant to this section:
187     (a)  The student is a Florida resident for tuition purposes
188pursuant to s. 1009.21.
189     (b)  The student has successfully completed all sections of
190the GED tests.
191     (c)  The student has enrolled in a program identified by
192the department as a program in an accredited public or private
193technical or career center or a community college that provides
194a career path to one of the top 15 occupations in number of
195annual openings as listed on the Agency for Workforce
196Innovation's Florida Statewide Targeted Occupations List or on a
197regional targeted occupations list at the time of the student's
198initial enrollment.
199     (d)  The student has submitted an application for the
200scholarship to the department, in the manner prescribed by the
201department, after December 1 for the following school year and
202before June 1 of the year in which funding is requested.
203     (5)(a)  Payment of GED Success Scholarships shall be
204transmitted to the director or president of the eligible
205institution, or his or her representative, in advance of the
206registration period. Institutions shall notify students of the
207amount of their awards.
208     (b)  Each participating institution shall report to the
209department by the established date the eligible students to whom
210scholarship moneys were disbursed each academic term. Each
211institution shall also report to the department necessary
212demographic and eligibility data for such students.
213     (c)  Each accredited private institution that receives
214moneys through the GED Success Scholarship Program shall prepare
215a biennial report that includes a financial audit, conducted by
216an independent certified public accountant, of the institution's
217administration of the program and a complete accounting of the
218moneys allocated to the institution for the program. The report
219shall be submitted to the department no later than March 1 of
220every even-numbered year.
221     (6)  The State Board of Education may adopt rules pursuant
222to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 relating to the administration of
223the scholarship program.
224     Section 7.  Section 1011.802, Florida Statutes, is created
225to read:
226     1011.802  School District Career Center Facility
227Enhancement Challenge Grant Program.--
228     (1)  There is established the School District Career Center
229Facility Enhancement Challenge Grant Program for the purpose of
230assisting career centers in building high priority instructional
231capital facilities consistent with s. 1001.44, including common
232areas connecting such facilities. The direct-support
233organizations that serve the school districts may solicit gifts
234from private sources which are eligible for state matching funds
235for capital facilities. For purposes of this section, private
236sources of funds shall not include any federal, state, or local
237government funds that a school district may receive.
238     (2)  The School District Career Center Facility Enhancement
239Challenge Grant Program shall provide funds to match private
240contributions for the development of high priority instructional
241capital facilities, including common areas connecting such
242facilities, within the career centers.
243     (3)  Within the direct-support organization of each school
244district, a separate career center capital facilities matching
245account must be established for the purpose of providing
246matching funds from the direct-support organization's
247unrestricted donations or other private contributions for the
248development of high priority instructional capital facilities,
249including common areas connecting such facilities. The
250Legislature may appropriate funds for distribution to a school
251district after matching funds are certified by the direct-
252support organization and school district to the Department of
253Education. The Public Education Capital Outlay and Debt Service
254Trust Fund shall not be used as the source of the state match
255for private contributions.
256     (4)  A project may not be initiated unless all private
257funds for planning, construction, and equipping the facility
258have been received and deposited in the direct-support
259organization's matching account and the state's share for the
260minimum amount of funds needed to begin the project has been
261appropriated by the Legislature. The Legislature may appropriate
262the state's matching funds in one or more fiscal years for the
263planning, construction, and equipping of an eligible facility.
264However, these requirements shall not preclude the school
265district or direct-support organization from expending available
266funds from private sources to develop a prospectus, including
267preliminary architectural schematics or models, for use in its
268efforts to raise private funds for a facility. Additionally, any
269private sources of funds expended for this purpose are eligible
270for state matching funds if the project is awarded grant funds
271under this section.
272     (5)  To be eligible to participate in the School District
273Career Center Facility Enhancement Challenge Grant Program, a
274school district, through its direct-support organization, shall
275raise contributions from private sources equal to one-third of
276the total cost of a facility construction project. After raising
277such contributions, the school district shall be eligible for a
278match by a state appropriation equal to the amount raised for a
279facility construction project up to one-third of the cost of the
280project, subject to the General Appropriations Act. Another one-
281third of the total cost must be provided from the school
282district's local capital funds.
283     (6)  If the state's share of the required match is
284insufficient to meet the requirements of subsection (5), the
285school district shall renegotiate the terms of the contribution
286with the donors. If the project is terminated, each private
287donation, plus accrued interest, shall revert to the direct-
288support organization for remittance to the donor at the donor's
289discretion.
290     (7)  By September 1 of each year, the State Board of
291Education shall transmit to the Legislature, in the capital
292outlay budget request, a list of projects that meet all
293eligibility requirements to participate in the School District
294Career Center Facility Enhancement Challenge Grant Program and a
295budget request that includes the recommended schedule necessary
296to complete each project.
297     (8)  In order for a project to be eligible under this
298program, it must be survey-recommended under the provisions of
299s. 1013.31, included in the school district's 5-year capital
300improvement plan, and receive prior approval from the State
301Board of Education.
302     (9)  Any project funds that are unexpended after a project
303is completed shall revert to the school district direct-support
304organization's career center capital facilities matching
305account. One-third of such unexpended funds shall be reserved
306for the school district career center that originally received
307the private contribution for the purpose of providing private
308matching funds for future facility construction projects as
309provided in this section. One-third of such unexpended funds
310shall be returned to the General Revenue Fund. One-third of such
311unexpended funds shall be returned to the school district.
312     (10)  The surveys, architectural plans, facility, and
313equipment shall be the property of the participating school
314district.
315     Section 8.  (1)  As part of determining the appropriate
316courses and programs for statewide articulation, the Office of
317Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability shall
318collect, review, and conduct an assessment of all existing
319statewide articulation agreements and all existing articulation
320agreements between school district career centers or charter
321technical career centers and community colleges by September 30,
3222006.
323     (2)  The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
324Accountability shall use the information compiled pursuant to
325subsection (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of local and
326statewide interinstitutional articulation agreements and to
327identify other postsecondary technical or career programs within
328a school district career center or charter technical career
329center that may articulate to an associate in science degree
330program or an associate in applied science degree program on an
331individual course or block basis for statewide
332interinstitutional articulation agreements. By December 31,
3332006, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
334Accountability shall submit a report to the President of the
335Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
336     Section 9.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.


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