Florida Senate - 2009                                    SB 2254
       
       
       
       By Senator Detert
       
       
       
       
       23-01170A-09                                          20092254__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to school district funding;
    3         authorizing a school district to expend certain funds
    4         from its operating budget as nonrecurring expenditures
    5         allocated by specific appropriation; requiring that
    6         each school board adopt a resolution finding that such
    7         funds are urgently needed to maintain school board
    8         operating expenses; requiring that the school board
    9         amend the school district’s 2009-2010 operating budget
   10         by identifying the amount of funds to be expended;
   11         providing for repeal; requiring legislative review of
   12         the transfer of such funds; providing that the
   13         transfer of such funds may be reauthorized by the
   14         Legislature; amending s. 1011.71, F.S.; revising
   15         certain effective dates relating to the district
   16         school tax; providing an effective date.
   17  
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. School district funding flexibility.—
   21         (1)(a) Each district school board may expend the following
   22  funds from its operating budget as nonrecurring expenditures
   23  allocated to the school district by specific appropriation in
   24  the 2009-2010 General Appropriations Act:
   25         1. Funds for safe schools;
   26         2. Funds for supplemental academic instruction;
   27         3. Funds for supplemental reading instruction;
   28         4. Funds for the Teachers Lead Program; and
   29         5. Funds for the Florida School Recognition Program.
   30         (b) In order to expend funds for operating expenses under
   31  this subsection, a school board shall adopt a resolution at a
   32  regular school board meeting which finds that the funds are
   33  urgently needed to maintain school board operating expenses. The
   34  school board shall also approve an amendment to the school
   35  district's 2009-2010 operating budget which transfers the
   36  identified amount of funds to the appropriate account for
   37  expenditure.
   38         (2) This section is repealed June 30, 2010.
   39         Section 2. The transfer of funds authorized in section 1 of
   40  this act shall be reviewed by the Legislature and may be
   41  reauthorized for subsequent fiscal years.
   42         Section 3. Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) and subsection
   43  (4) of section 1011.71, Florida Statutes, as amended by section
   44  12 of chapter 2009-3, Laws of Florida, are amended to read:
   45         1011.71 District school tax.—
   46         (2) In addition to the maximum millage levy as provided in
   47  subsection (1), each school board may levy not more than 1.75
   48  mills against the taxable value for school purposes for district
   49  schools, including charter schools at the discretion of the
   50  school board, to fund:
   51         (d) Effective July 1, 2007 2008, the purchase, lease
   52  purchase, or lease of new and replacement equipment, and
   53  enterprise resource software applications that are classified as
   54  capital assets in accordance with definitions of the
   55  Governmental Accounting Standards Board, have a useful life of
   56  at least 5 years, and are used to support district-wide
   57  administration or state-mandated reporting requirements.
   58         (4) Effective July 1, 2008, and through June 30, 2010, a
   59  school district may expend, subject to the provisions of s.
   60  200.065, up to $100 per unweighted full-time equivalent student
   61  from the revenue generated by the millage levy authorized by
   62  subsection (2) to fund, in addition to expenditures authorized
   63  in paragraphs (2)(a)-(j), expenses for the following:
   64         (a) The purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of driver's
   65  education vehicles; motor vehicles used for the maintenance or
   66  operation of plants and equipment; security vehicles; or
   67  vehicles used in storing or distributing materials and
   68  equipment.
   69         (b) Payment of the cost of premiums for property and
   70  casualty insurance necessary to insure school district
   71  educational and ancillary plants. Operating revenues that are
   72  made available through the payment of property and casualty
   73  insurance premiums from revenues generated under this subsection
   74  may be expended only for nonrecurring operational expenditures
   75  of the school district.
   76         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.