Florida Senate - 2010                             CS for SB 2262
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Thrasher
       
       
       
       
       581-04933-10                                          20102262c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to charter virtual schools; creating
    3         s. 1002.46, F.S.; providing for the establishment of
    4         charter virtual schools; providing requirements for
    5         participation in the program; providing requirements
    6         for student eligibility; providing for funding;
    7         providing exceptions from certain requirements;
    8         providing an effective date.
    9  
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Section 1002.46, Florida Statutes, is created to
   13  read:
   14         1002.46 Charter virtual school.—
   15         (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—A charter virtual school shall be part
   16  of the state’s program of public education.
   17         (2) VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION.—A provider of virtual instruction
   18  that has been approved by the Department of Education pursuant
   19  to s. 1002.45 and that has a charter school agreement approved
   20  by a district school board pursuant to s. 1002.33 may be
   21  established as a charter virtual school as provided in this
   22  section and may provide virtual instruction to students who
   23  reside in the district in which the charter is granted.
   24         (3) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—A charter virtual school must
   25  meet the requirements of program definitions, provider
   26  qualifications, virtual instruction, contract requirements,
   27  student participation, and assessment and accountability as
   28  provided in s. 1002.45(1)(a) and (b), (2), (3), (4), (6), and
   29  (8).
   30         (4) STUDENT ELGIBILITY.—A charter virtual school may enroll
   31  a student who resides in the school district in which the
   32  charter is granted and meets the requirements of s.
   33  1002.45(5)(a), (b), or (c).
   34         (5) FUNDING.—Funding for a charter virtual school shall be
   35  through the Florida Education Finance Program as follows:
   36         (a) A full-time equivalent student shall be reported as
   37  required under s. 1011.61(1)(c)1.b.(III) or (IV).
   38         (b) A charter virtual school shall report its full-time
   39  equivalent students to the school district in which the charter
   40  is granted in the manner prescribed by the Department of
   41  Education.
   42         (c) School districts shall report charter virtual school
   43  full-time equivalent students to the Department of Education in
   44  the manner prescribed by the department and the eligible FTE
   45  shall be funded through the Florida Education Finance Program.
   46         (d) For each eligible full-time equivalent student reported
   47  by a charter virtual school and funded in the Florida Education
   48  Finance Program, the school district shall receive an annual
   49  allocation for operation which is equivalent to the funds per
   50  unweighted student as provided to the Florida Virtual School.
   51  This amount shall be included in the basic amount to be included
   52  for operation under the Florida Education Finance Program for
   53  each district; however, these payments and full-time equivalent
   54  students may not be used for any other calculation under the
   55  Florida Education Finance Program. The school district may
   56  retain an administrative fee pursuant to s. 1002.33(20)(a) prior
   57  to the distribution of funds to the charter virtual school.
   58         (6) EXCEPTIONS.—A charter virtual school is not required to
   59  meet the educational facilities or student transportation
   60  requirements for charter schools under s. 1002.33.
   61         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.