Florida Senate - 2012 SB 512
By Senator Bogdanoff
25-00499-12 2012512__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to class size; amending s. 1003.03,
3 F.S.; deleting a provision relating to the calculation
4 of class size categorical allocations and the
5 reduction and reallocation of funds; deleting a
6 provision that requires the Commissioner of Education
7 to prepare a reallocation of funds for school
8 districts that have met the class size requirements;
9 deleting a provision that adds remaining funds to a
10 school district’s class size categorical allocation if
11 the school district submits a certified plan to the
12 commissioner; providing an effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Subsection (4) of section 1003.03, Florida
17 Statutes, is amended to read:
18 1003.03 Maximum class size.—
19 (4) ACCOUNTABILITY.—
20 (a) If the department determines that the number of
21 students assigned to any individual class exceeds the class size
22 maximum, as required in subsection (1), based upon the October
23 student membership survey, the department shall:
24 1. Identify, for each grade group, the number of classes in
25 which the number of students exceeds the maximum and the total
26 number of students which exceeds the maximum for all classes.
27 2. Determine the number of FTE students which exceeds the
28 maximum for each grade group.
29 3. Multiply the total number of FTE students which exceeds
30 the maximum for each grade group by the district’s FTE dollar
31 amount of the class size categorical allocation for that year
32 and calculate the total for all three grade groups.
33 4. Multiply the total number of FTE students which exceeds
34 the maximum for all classes by an amount equal to 50 percent of
35 the base student allocation adjusted by the district cost
36 differential for the 2010-2011 fiscal year and by an amount
37 equal to the base student allocation adjusted by the district
38 cost differential beginning in the 2011-2012 fiscal year and
39 thereafter.
40 4.5. Reduce the district’s class size categorical
41 allocation by an amount equal to the sum of the calculation
42 calculations in subparagraph subparagraphs 3. and 4.
43 (b) The amount of funds reduced shall be the lesser of the
44 amount calculated in paragraph (a) or the undistributed balance
45 of the district’s class size categorical allocation. The Florida
46 Education Finance Program Appropriation Allocation Conference
47 shall verify the department’s calculation in paragraph (a). The
48 commissioner may withhold distribution of the class size
49 categorical allocation to the extent necessary to comply with
50 paragraph (a).
51 (c) In lieu of the reduction calculation in paragraph (a),
52 if the Commissioner of Education has evidence that a district
53 was unable to meet the class size requirements despite
54 appropriate efforts to do so or because of an extreme emergency,
55 the commissioner may recommend by February 15, subject to
56 approval of the Legislative Budget Commission, the reduction of
57 an alternate amount of funds from the district’s class size
58 categorical allocation.
59 (d) Upon approval of the reduction calculation in
60 paragraphs (a)-(c), the commissioner must prepare a reallocation
61 of the funds made available for the districts that have fully
62 met the class size requirements. The funds shall be reallocated
63 by calculating an amount of up to 5 percent of the base student
64 allocation multiplied by the total district FTE students. The
65 reallocation total may not exceed 25 percent of the total funds
66 reduced.
67 (d)(e) Each district that has not complied with the
68 requirements in subsection (1) shall submit to the commissioner
69 by February 15 a plan certified by the district school board
70 which that describes the specific actions the district will take
71 in order to fully comply with the requirements in subsection (1)
72 by October of the following school year. If a district submits
73 the certified plan by the required deadline, the funds remaining
74 after the reallocation calculation in paragraph (d) shall be
75 added back to the district’s class size categorical allocation
76 based on each qualifying district’s proportion of the total
77 reduction for all qualifying districts for which a reduction was
78 calculated in paragraphs (a)-(c). However, no district shall
79 have an amount added back that is greater than the amount that
80 was reduced.
81 (e)(f) The department shall adjust school district class
82 size reduction categorical allocation distributions based on the
83 calculations in paragraphs (a)-(d) (a)-(e).
84 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.