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