Florida Senate - 2009                                     SB 598
       
       
       
       By Senator Baker
       
       
       
       
       20-00561-09                                            2009598__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to funds for the operation of schools;
    3         amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; revising provisions
    4         relating to the computation of the statewide adjusted
    5         aggregate amount for the required local effort millage
    6         rate of each school district; providing an effective
    7         date.
    8         
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10         
   11         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section
   12  1011.62, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   13         1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
   14  allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
   15  district for operation of schools is not determined in the
   16  annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
   17  the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
   18  follows:
   19         (4) COMPUTATION OF DISTRICT REQUIRED LOCAL EFFORT.—The
   20  Legislature shall prescribe the aggregate required local effort
   21  for all school districts collectively as an item in the General
   22  Appropriations Act for each fiscal year. The amount that each
   23  district shall provide annually toward the cost of the Florida
   24  Education Finance Program for kindergarten through grade 12
   25  programs shall be calculated as follows:
   26         (a) Estimated taxable value calculations.—
   27         1.a. Not later than 2 working days prior to July 19, the
   28  Department of Revenue shall certify to the Commissioner of
   29  Education its most recent estimate of the taxable value for
   30  school purposes in each school district and the total for all
   31  school districts in the state for the current calendar year
   32  based on the latest available data obtained from the local
   33  property appraisers. Not later than July 19, the Commissioner of
   34  Education shall compute a millage rate, rounded to the next
   35  highest one one-thousandth of a mill, which, when applied to 95
   36  percent of the estimated state total taxable value for school
   37  purposes, would generate the prescribed aggregate required local
   38  effort for that year for all districts. The Commissioner of
   39  Education shall certify to each district school board the
   40  millage rate, computed as prescribed in this subparagraph, as
   41  the minimum millage rate necessary to provide the district
   42  required local effort for that year.
   43         b. The General Appropriations Act shall direct the
   44  computation of the statewide adjusted aggregate amount for
   45  required local effort for all school districts collectively from
   46  ad valorem taxes to ensure that no school district's revenue
   47  from required local effort millage will produce more than 90
   48  percent of the district's total Florida Education Finance
   49  Program calculation for students residing in the county, and the
   50  adjustment of the required local effort millage rate of each
   51  district that produces more than 90 percent of its total Florida
   52  Education Finance Program entitlement to a level that will
   53  produce only 90 percent of its total Florida Education Finance
   54  Program entitlement in the July calculation.
   55         2. As revised data are received from property appraisers,
   56  the Department of Revenue shall amend the certification of the
   57  estimate of the taxable value for school purposes.
   58         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.