Florida Senate - 2015 (PROPOSED BILL) SPB 2508
FOR CONSIDERATION By the Committee on Appropriations
576-01720G-15 20152508pb
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education; amending s. 1001.7065,
3 F.S.; requiring a state research university to enter
4 into and maintain a formal agreement with a specified
5 organization to offer college-sponsored merit
6 scholarship awards as a condition of designation as a
7 preeminent state research university; specifying that
8 continuation of a state research university’s
9 institute for online learning is contingent on the
10 university entering into and maintaining such an
11 agreement; amending s. 1011.61, F.S.; revising the
12 term “full-time student” for the purposes of the
13 Florida Education Finance Program; amending s.
14 1011.62, F.S.; requiring supplemental academic
15 instruction categorical funds and research-based
16 reading instruction allocation funds to be used by a
17 school district with at least one of certain lowest
18 performing elementary schools for additional intensive
19 reading instruction at such school during the summer
20 program in addition to the school year; providing that
21 the additional instruction requirements continue in
22 the subsequent year for certain students; revising the
23 funding of full-time equivalent values for students
24 who earn CAPE industry certifications through dual
25 enrollment; increasing the bonus awarded to teachers
26 who provided instruction in courses that led to
27 certain CAPE industry certifications; specifying a
28 maximum bonus amount per teacher per school year;
29 revising the calculation of the discretionary millage
30 compression supplement amount; revising the
31 computation of district sparsity index for districts
32 with a specified full-time equivalent student
33 membership; deleting obsolete language; revising the
34 calculation of the virtual education contribution;
35 creating a federally connected student supplement for
36 school districts; specifying eligibility requirements
37 and calculations for the supplement; amending s.
38 1011.71, F.S.; a conforming a cross-reference;
39 authorizing enterprise resource software to be
40 acquired by certain fees and agreements; amending s.
41 1012.71, F.S.; requiring a classroom teacher to
42 provide the school district with receipts for the
43 expenditure of certain funds; requiring the Board of
44 Governors and the State Board of Education to base
45 state performance funds for the State University
46 System and the Florida College System, respectively,
47 on specified metrics adopted by each board; specifying
48 allocation of the funds; requiring certain funds to be
49 withheld from an institution based on specified
50 performance; requiring the boards to submit reports by
51 a specified time to the Governor and the Legislature;
52 requiring the boards to adopt rules; providing an
53 effective date.
54
55 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
56
57 Section 1. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 1001.7065,
58 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
59 1001.7065 Preeminent state research universities program.—
60 (3) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY DESIGNATION.—The
61 Board of Governors shall designate each state research
62 university that meets at least 11 of the 12 academic and
63 research excellence standards identified in subsection (2) and
64 that enters into and maintains a formal agreement with the
65 National Merit Scholarship Corporation to offer college
66 sponsored merit scholarship awards a preeminent state research
67 university.
68 (4) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR
69 ONLINE LEARNING.—A state research university that, as of July 1,
70 2013, met meets all 12 of the academic and research excellence
71 standards identified in subsection (2), as verified by the Board
72 of Governors, shall establish an institute for online learning.
73 Continuation of the institute for online learning is contingent
74 upon a state research university entering into and maintaining a
75 formal agreement with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation
76 to offer college-sponsored merit scholarship awards. The
77 institute shall establish a robust offering of high-quality,
78 fully online baccalaureate degree programs at an affordable cost
79 in accordance with this subsection.
80 (a) By August 1, 2013, the Board of Governors shall convene
81 an advisory board to support the development of high-quality,
82 fully online baccalaureate degree programs at the university.
83 (b) The advisory board shall:
84 1. Offer expert advice, as requested by the university, in
85 the development and implementation of a business plan to expand
86 the offering of high-quality, fully online baccalaureate degree
87 programs.
88 2. Advise the Board of Governors on the release of funding
89 to the university upon approval by the Board of Governors of the
90 plan developed by the university.
91 3. Monitor, evaluate, and report on the implementation of
92 the plan to the Board of Governors, the Governor, the President
93 of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
94 (c) The advisory board shall be composed of the following
95 five members:
96 1. The chair of the Board of Governors or the chair’s
97 permanent designee.
98 2. A member with expertise in online learning, appointed by
99 the Board of Governors.
100 3. A member with expertise in global marketing, appointed
101 by the Governor.
102 4. A member with expertise in cloud virtualization,
103 appointed by the President of the Senate.
104 5. A member with expertise in disruptive innovation,
105 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
106 (d) The president of the university shall be consulted on
107 the advisory board member appointments.
108 (e) A majority of the advisory board shall constitute a
109 quorum, elect the chair, and appoint an executive director.
110 (f) By September 1, 2013, the university shall submit to
111 the advisory board a comprehensive plan to expand high-quality,
112 fully online baccalaureate degree program offerings. The plan
113 shall include:
114 1. Existing on-campus general education courses and
115 baccalaureate degree programs that will be offered online.
116 2. New courses that will be developed and offered online.
117 3. Support services that will be offered to students
118 enrolled in online baccalaureate degree programs.
119 4. A tuition and fee structure that meets the requirements
120 in paragraph (k) for online courses, baccalaureate degree
121 programs, and student support services.
122 5. A timeline for offering, marketing, and enrolling
123 students in the online baccalaureate degree programs.
124 6. A budget for developing and marketing the online
125 baccalaureate degree programs.
126 7. Detailed strategies for ensuring the success of students
127 and the sustainability of the online baccalaureate degree
128 programs.
129
130 Upon recommendation of the plan by the advisory board and
131 approval by the Board of Governors, the Board of Governors shall
132 award the university $10 million in nonrecurring funds and $5
133 million in recurring funds for fiscal year 2013-2014 and $5
134 million annually thereafter, subject to appropriation in the
135 General Appropriations Act.
136 (g) Beginning in January 2014, the university shall offer
137 high-quality, fully online baccalaureate degree programs that:
138 1. Accept full-time, first-time-in-college students.
139 2. Have the same rigorous admissions criteria as equivalent
140 on-campus degree programs.
141 3. Offer curriculum of equivalent rigor to on-campus degree
142 programs.
143 4. Offer rolling enrollment or multiple opportunities for
144 enrollment throughout the year.
145 5. Do not require any on-campus courses. However, for
146 courses or programs that require clinical training or
147 laboratories that cannot be delivered online, the university
148 shall offer convenient locational options to the student, which
149 may include, but are not limited to, the option to complete such
150 requirements at a summer-in-residence on the university campus.
151 The university may provide a network of sites at convenient
152 locations and contract with commercial testing centers or
153 identify other secure testing services for the purpose of
154 proctoring assessments or testing.
155 6. Apply the university’s existing policy for accepting
156 credits for both freshman applicants and transfer applicants.
157 (h) The university may offer a fully online Master’s in
158 Business Administration degree program and other master’s degree
159 programs.
160 (i) The university may develop and offer degree programs
161 and courses that are competency based as appropriate for the
162 quality and success of the program.
163 (j) The university shall periodically expand its offering
164 of online baccalaureate degree programs to meet student and
165 market demands.
166 (k) The university shall establish a tuition structure for
167 its online institute in accordance with this paragraph,
168 notwithstanding any other provision of law.
169 1. For students classified as residents for tuition
170 purposes, tuition for an online baccalaureate degree program
171 shall be set at no more than 75 percent of the tuition rate as
172 specified in the General Appropriations Act pursuant to s.
173 1009.24(4) and 75 percent of the tuition differential pursuant
174 to s. 1009.24(16). No distance learning fee, fee for campus
175 facilities, or fee for on-campus services may be assessed,
176 except that online students shall pay the university’s
177 technology fee, financial aid fee, and Capital Improvement Trust
178 Fund fee. The revenues generated from the Capital Improvement
179 Trust Fund fee shall be dedicated to the university’s institute
180 for online learning.
181 2. For students classified as nonresidents for tuition
182 purposes, tuition may be set at market rates in accordance with
183 the business plan.
184 3. Tuition for an online degree program shall include all
185 costs associated with instruction, materials, and enrollment,
186 excluding costs associated with the provision of textbooks
187 pursuant to s. 1004.085 and physical laboratory supplies.
188 4. Subject to the limitations in subparagraph 1., tuition
189 may be differentiated by degree program as appropriate to the
190 instructional and other costs of the program in accordance with
191 the business plan. Pricing must incorporate innovative
192 approaches that incentivize persistence and completion,
193 including, but not limited to, a fee for assessment, a bundled
194 or all-inclusive rate, and sliding scale features.
195 5. The university must accept advance payment contracts and
196 student financial aid.
197 6. Fifty percent of the net revenues generated from the
198 online institute of the university shall be used to enhance and
199 enrich the online institute offerings, and 50 percent of the net
200 revenues generated from the online institute shall be used to
201 enhance and enrich the university’s campus state-of-the-art
202 research programs and facilities.
203 7. The institute may charge additional local user fees
204 pursuant to s. 1009.24(14) upon the approval of the Board of
205 Governors.
206 8. The institute shall submit a proposal to the president
207 of the university authorizing additional user fees for the
208 provision of voluntary student participation in activities and
209 additional student services.
210 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
211 1011.61, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
212 1011.61 Definitions.—Notwithstanding the provisions of s.
213 1000.21, the following terms are defined as follows for the
214 purposes of the Florida Education Finance Program:
215 (1) A “full-time equivalent student” in each program of the
216 district is defined in terms of full-time students and part-time
217 students as follows:
218 (a) A “full-time student” is one student on the membership
219 roll of one school program or a combination of school programs
220 listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) for the school year or the equivalent
221 for:
222 1. Instruction in a standard school, comprising not less
223 than 900 net hours for a student in or at the grade level of 4
224 through 12, or not less than 720 net hours for a student in or
225 at the grade level of kindergarten through grade 3 or in an
226 authorized prekindergarten exceptional program;
227 2. Instruction in a school that is operating with more than
228 one session approved by the Department of Education because of a
229 natural disaster, comprising not less than the equivalent of 810
230 net hours per session in grades 4 through 12 or not less than
231 630 net hours per session in kindergarten through grade 3;
232 3.2. Instruction in a double-session school or a school
233 utilizing an experimental school calendar approved by the
234 Department of Education, comprising not less than the equivalent
235 of 810 net hours in grades 4 through 12 or not less than 630 net
236 hours in kindergarten through grade 3; or
237 4.3. Instruction comprising the appropriate number of net
238 hours set forth in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 3.
239 subparagraph 2. for students who, within the past year, have
240 moved with their parents for the purpose of engaging in the farm
241 labor or fish industries, if a plan furnishing such an extended
242 school day or week, or a combination thereof, has been approved
243 by the commissioner. Such plan may be approved to accommodate
244 the needs of migrant students only or may serve all students in
245 schools having a high percentage of migrant students. The plan
246 described in this subparagraph is optional for any school
247 district and is not mandated by the state.
248
249 The department shall determine and implement an equitable method
250 of equivalent funding for experimental schools and for schools
251 operating under emergency conditions, which schools have been
252 approved by the department to operate for less than the minimum
253 school day.
254 Section 3. Paragraphs (f) and (o) of subsection (1),
255 paragraph (a) of subsection (4), subsection (5), paragraph (b)
256 of subsection (7), paragraph (a) of subsection (9), subsection
257 (11), and present subsection (13) of section 1011.62, Florida
258 Statutes, are amended, present subsections (13), (14), and (15)
259 of that section are redesignated as subsections (14), (15), and
260 (16), respectively, and a new subsection (13) is added to that
261 section, to read:
262 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
263 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
264 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
265 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
266 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
267 follows:
268 (1) COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR
269 OPERATION.—The following procedure shall be followed in
270 determining the annual allocation to each district for
271 operation:
272 (f) Supplemental academic instruction; categorical fund.—
273 1. There is created a categorical fund to provide
274 supplemental academic instruction to students in kindergarten
275 through grade 12. This paragraph may be cited as the
276 “Supplemental Academic Instruction Categorical Fund.”
277 2. Categorical funds for supplemental academic instruction
278 shall be allocated annually to each school district in the
279 amount provided in the General Appropriations Act. These funds
280 shall be in addition to the funds appropriated on the basis of
281 FTE student membership in the Florida Education Finance Program
282 and shall be included in the total potential funds of each
283 district. These funds shall be used to provide supplemental
284 academic instruction to students enrolled in the K-12 program.
285 For the 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 fiscal
286 years year, each school district that has one or more of the 300
287 lowest-performing elementary schools based on the state reading
288 assessment shall use these funds, together with the funds
289 provided in the district’s research-based reading instruction
290 allocation and other available funds, to provide an additional
291 hour of instruction beyond the normal school day for each day of
292 the entire school year, and to provide the equivalent hours of
293 instruction in a summer program, for intensive reading
294 instruction for the students in each of these schools. If a
295 participating school is no longer classified as one of the 300
296 lowest-performing elementary schools in the subsequent year, the
297 school must continue to provide the additional hour of intensive
298 reading instruction to all students who have Level 1 or Level 2
299 reading assessment scores. This additional hour of instruction
300 must be provided by teachers or reading specialists who are
301 effective in teaching reading or by a K-5 mentoring reading
302 program that is supervised by a teacher who is effective at
303 teaching reading. Students enrolled in these schools who have
304 level 5 assessment scores may participate in the additional hour
305 of instruction on an optional basis. Exceptional student
306 education centers may shall not be included in the 300 schools.
307 After this requirement has been met, supplemental instruction
308 strategies may include, but are not limited to: modified
309 curriculum, reading instruction, after-school instruction,
310 tutoring, mentoring, class size reduction, extended school year,
311 intensive skills development in summer school, and other methods
312 for improving student achievement. Supplemental instruction may
313 be provided to a student in any manner and at any time during or
314 beyond the regular 180-day term identified by the school as
315 being the most effective and efficient way to best help that
316 student progress from grade to grade and to graduate.
317 3. Effective with the 1999-2000 fiscal year, funding on the
318 basis of FTE membership beyond the 180-day regular term shall be
319 provided in the FEFP only for students enrolled in juvenile
320 justice education programs or in education programs for
321 juveniles placed in secure facilities or programs under s.
322 985.19. Funding for instruction beyond the regular 180-day
323 school year for all other K-12 students shall be provided
324 through the supplemental academic instruction categorical fund
325 and other state, federal, and local fund sources with ample
326 flexibility for schools to provide supplemental instruction to
327 assist students in progressing from grade to grade and
328 graduating.
329 4. The Florida State University School, as a lab school, is
330 authorized to expend from its FEFP or Lottery Enhancement Trust
331 Fund allocation the cost to the student of remediation in
332 reading, writing, or mathematics for any graduate who requires
333 remediation at a postsecondary educational institution.
334 5. Beginning in the 1999-2000 school year, dropout
335 prevention programs as defined in ss. 1003.52, 1003.53(1)(a),
336 (b), and (c), and 1003.54 shall be included in group 1 programs
337 under subparagraph (d)3.
338 (o) Calculation of additional full-time equivalent
339 membership based on successful completion of a career-themed
340 course pursuant to ss. 1003.491, 1003.492, and 1003.493, or
341 courses with embedded CAPE industry certifications or CAPE
342 Digital Tool certificates, and issuance of industry
343 certification identified on the CAPE Industry Certification
344 Funding List pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of
345 Education or CAPE Digital Tool certificates pursuant to s.
346 1003.4203.—
347 1.a. A value of 0.025 full-time equivalent student
348 membership shall be calculated for CAPE Digital Tool
349 certificates earned by students in elementary and middle school
350 grades.
351 b. A value of 0.1 or 0.2 full-time equivalent student
352 membership shall be calculated for each student who completes a
353 course as defined in s. 1003.493(1)(b) or courses with embedded
354 CAPE industry certifications and who is issued an industry
355 certification identified annually on the CAPE Industry
356 Certification Funding List approved under rules adopted by the
357 State Board of Education. A value of 0.2 full-time equivalent
358 membership shall be calculated for each student who is issued a
359 CAPE industry certification that has a statewide articulation
360 agreement for college credit approved by the State Board of
361 Education. For CAPE industry certifications that do not
362 articulate for college credit, the Department of Education shall
363 assign a full-time equivalent value of 0.1 for each
364 certification. Middle grades students who earn additional FTE
365 membership for a CAPE Digital Tool certificate pursuant to sub
366 subparagraph a. may not use the previously funded examination to
367 satisfy the requirements for earning an industry certification
368 under this sub-subparagraph. Additional FTE membership for an
369 elementary or middle grades student may shall not exceed 0.1 for
370 certificates or certifications earned within the same fiscal
371 year. The State Board of Education shall include the assigned
372 values on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List under
373 rules adopted by the state board. Such value shall be added to
374 the total full-time equivalent student membership for grades 6
375 through 12 in the subsequent year for courses that were not
376 provided through dual enrollment. CAPE industry certifications
377 earned through dual enrollment must be reported and funded
378 pursuant to s. 1011.80. However, if a student earns a
379 certification through a dual enrollment course and the
380 certification is not a fundable certification on the
381 postsecondary certification funding list, or the dual enrollment
382 certification is earned as a result of an agreement between a
383 school district and a nonpublic postsecondary institution, the
384 bonus value shall be funded in the same manner as for other
385 nondual enrollment course industry certifications. In such
386 cases, the school district may provide for an agreement between
387 the high school and the technical center, or the school district
388 and the postsecondary institution may enter into an agreement
389 for equitable distribution of the bonus funds.
390 c. A value of 0.3 full-time equivalent student membership
391 shall be calculated for student completion of the courses and
392 the embedded certifications identified on the CAPE Industry
393 Certification Funding List and approved by the commissioner
394 pursuant to ss. 1003.4203(5)(a) and 1008.44.
395 d. A value of 0.5 full-time equivalent student membership
396 shall be calculated for CAPE Acceleration Industry
397 Certifications that articulate for 15 to 29 college credit
398 hours, and 1.0 full-time equivalent student membership shall be
399 calculated for CAPE Acceleration Industry Certifications that
400 articulate for 30 or more college credit hours pursuant to CAPE
401 Acceleration Industry Certifications approved by the
402 commissioner pursuant to ss. 1003.4203(5)(b) and 1008.44.
403 2. Each district must allocate at least 80 percent of the
404 funds provided for CAPE industry certification, in accordance
405 with this paragraph, to the program that generated the funds.
406 This allocation may not be used to supplant funds provided for
407 basic operation of the program.
408 3. For CAPE industry certifications earned in the 2013-2014
409 school year and in subsequent years, the school district shall
410 distribute to each classroom teacher who provided direct
411 instruction toward the attainment of a CAPE industry
412 certification that qualified for additional full-time equivalent
413 membership under subparagraph 1.:
414 a. A bonus in the amount of $25 for each student taught by
415 a teacher who provided instruction in a course that led to the
416 attainment of a CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry
417 Certification Funding List with a weight of 0.1.
418 b. A bonus in the amount of $50 for each student taught by
419 a teacher who provided instruction in a course that led to the
420 attainment of a CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry
421 Certification Funding List with a weight of 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, and
422 1.0.
423 c. A bonus of $75 for each student taught by a teacher who
424 provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment of a
425 CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification
426 Funding List with a weight of 0.3.
427 d. A bonus of $100 for each student taught by a teacher who
428 provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment of a
429 CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification
430 Funding List with a weight of 0.5 or 1.0.
431
432 Bonuses awarded pursuant to this paragraph shall be provided to
433 teachers who are employed by the district in the year in which
434 the additional FTE membership calculation is included in the
435 calculation. Bonuses shall be calculated based upon the
436 associated weight of a CAPE industry certification on the CAPE
437 Industry Certification Funding List for the year in which the
438 certification is earned by the student. In a single school year,
439 a Any bonus awarded to a teacher under sub-subparagraph 3.a. or
440 sub-subparagraph 3.b. this paragraph may not exceed $2,000 or
441 under sub-subparagraph 3.c. or sub-subparagraph 3.d. may not
442 exceed $4,000. The maximum bonus that may be awarded to a
443 teacher under this paragraph is $4,000 in a single school year.
444 This bonus in any given school year and is in addition to any
445 regular wage or other bonus the teacher received or is scheduled
446 to receive.
447 (4) COMPUTATION OF DISTRICT REQUIRED LOCAL EFFORT.—The
448 Legislature shall prescribe the aggregate required local effort
449 for all school districts collectively as an item in the General
450 Appropriations Act for each fiscal year. The amount that each
451 district shall provide annually toward the cost of the Florida
452 Education Finance Program for kindergarten through grade 12
453 programs shall be calculated as follows:
454 (a) Estimated taxable value calculations.—
455 1.a. Not later than 2 working days prior to July 19, the
456 Department of Revenue shall certify to the Commissioner of
457 Education its most recent estimate of the taxable value for
458 school purposes in each school district and the total for all
459 school districts in the state for the current calendar year
460 based on the latest available data obtained from the local
461 property appraisers. The value certified shall be the taxable
462 value for school purposes for that year, and no further
463 adjustments shall be made, except those made pursuant to
464 paragraphs (c) and (d), or an assessment roll change required by
465 final judicial decisions as specified in paragraph (15)(b)
466 (14)(b). Not later than July 19, the Commissioner of Education
467 shall compute a millage rate, rounded to the next highest one
468 one-thousandth of a mill, which, when applied to 96 percent of
469 the estimated state total taxable value for school purposes,
470 would generate the prescribed aggregate required local effort
471 for that year for all districts. The Commissioner of Education
472 shall certify to each district school board the millage rate,
473 computed as prescribed in this subparagraph, as the minimum
474 millage rate necessary to provide the district required local
475 effort for that year.
476 b. The General Appropriations Act shall direct the
477 computation of the statewide adjusted aggregate amount for
478 required local effort for all school districts collectively from
479 ad valorem taxes to ensure that no school district’s revenue
480 from required local effort millage will produce more than 90
481 percent of the district’s total Florida Education Finance
482 Program calculation as calculated and adopted by the
483 Legislature, and the adjustment of the required local effort
484 millage rate of each district that produces more than 90 percent
485 of its total Florida Education Finance Program entitlement to a
486 level that will produce only 90 percent of its total Florida
487 Education Finance Program entitlement in the July calculation.
488 2. On the same date as the certification in sub
489 subparagraph 1.a., the Department of Revenue shall certify to
490 the Commissioner of Education for each district:
491 a. Each year for which the property appraiser has certified
492 the taxable value pursuant to s. 193.122(2) or (3), if
493 applicable, since the prior certification under sub-subparagraph
494 1.a.
495 b. For each year identified in sub-subparagraph a., the
496 taxable value certified by the appraiser pursuant to s.
497 193.122(2) or (3), if applicable, since the prior certification
498 under sub-subparagraph 1.a. This is the certification that
499 reflects all final administrative actions of the value
500 adjustment board.
501 (5) DISCRETIONARY MILLAGE COMPRESSION SUPPLEMENT.—The
502 Legislature shall prescribe in the General Appropriations Act,
503 pursuant to s. 1011.71(1), the rate of nonvoted current
504 operating discretionary millage that shall be used to calculate
505 a discretionary millage compression supplement. If the
506 prescribed millage generates an amount of funds per unweighted
507 FTE for the district that is less than 105 percent of the state
508 average, the district shall receive an amount per FTE that, when
509 added to the funds per FTE generated by the designated levy,
510 shall equal 105 percent of the state average.
511 (7) DETERMINATION OF SPARSITY SUPPLEMENT.—
512 (b) The district sparsity index shall be computed by
513 dividing the total number of full-time equivalent students in
514 all programs in the district by the number of senior high school
515 centers in the district, not in excess of three, which centers
516 are approved as permanent centers by a survey made by the
517 Department of Education. For districts with a full-time
518 equivalent student membership of at least 20,000, but no more
519 than 24,000, the index shall be computed by dividing the total
520 number of full-time equivalent students in all programs by the
521 number of permanent senior high school centers in the district,
522 not to exceed four.
523 (9) RESEARCH-BASED READING INSTRUCTION ALLOCATION.—
524 (a) The research-based reading instruction allocation is
525 created to provide comprehensive reading instruction to students
526 in kindergarten through grade 12. For the 2014-2015, 2015-2016,
527 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 fiscal years year, in each school
528 district that has one or more of the 300 lowest-performing
529 elementary schools based on the state reading assessment,
530 priority shall be given to providing an additional hour per day
531 of intensive reading instruction beyond the normal school day
532 for each day of the entire school year, and to providing the
533 equivalent hours of instruction in a summer program, for the
534 students in each school. If a participating school is no longer
535 classified as one of the 300 lowest-performing elementary
536 schools in the subsequent year, the school must continue to
537 provide the additional hour of intensive reading instruction to
538 all students who have Level 1 or Level 2 reading assessment
539 scores. Students enrolled in these schools who have level 5
540 assessment scores may participate in the additional hour of
541 instruction on an optional basis. Exceptional student education
542 centers may shall not be included in the 300 schools. The
543 intensive reading instruction delivered in this additional hour
544 and for other students shall include: research-based reading
545 instruction that has been proven to accelerate progress of
546 students exhibiting a reading deficiency; differentiated
547 instruction based on student assessment data to meet students’
548 specific reading needs; explicit and systematic reading
549 development in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary,
550 and comprehension, with more extensive opportunities for guided
551 practice, error correction, and feedback; and the integration of
552 social studies, science, and mathematics-text reading, text
553 discussion, and writing in response to reading. For the 2012
554 2013 and 2013-2014 fiscal years, a school district may not hire
555 more reading coaches than were hired during the 2011-2012 fiscal
556 year unless all students in kindergarten through grade 5 who
557 demonstrate a reading deficiency, as determined by district and
558 state assessments, including students scoring Level 1 or Level 2
559 on the statewide, standardized reading assessment or, upon
560 implementation, the English Language Arts assessment, are
561 provided an additional hour per day of intensive reading
562 instruction beyond the normal school day for each day of the
563 entire school year.
564 (11) VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONTRIBUTION.—The Legislature may
565 annually provide in the Florida Education Finance Program a
566 virtual education contribution. The amount of the virtual
567 education contribution shall be the difference between the
568 amount per FTE established in the General Appropriations Act for
569 virtual education and the amount per FTE for each district and
570 the Florida Virtual School, which may be calculated by taking
571 the sum of the base FEFP allocation, the declining enrollment
572 supplement, the discretionary local effort, the state-funded
573 discretionary contribution, the discretionary millage
574 compression supplement, the research-based reading instruction
575 allocation, the exceptional student education guaranteed
576 allocation, and the instructional materials allocation, and then
577 dividing by the total unweighted FTE. This difference shall be
578 multiplied by the virtual education unweighted FTE for programs
579 and options identified in s. 1002.455(3) and the Florida Virtual
580 School and its franchises to equal the virtual education
581 contribution and shall be included as a separate allocation in
582 the funding formula.
583 (13) FEDERALLY CONNECTED STUDENT SUPPLEMENT.—The federally
584 connected student supplement is created to provide supplemental
585 funding for school districts to support the education of
586 students connected with federally owned military installations,
587 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) property,
588 and Indian lands. To be eligible for this supplement, the
589 district must be eligible for federal Impact Aid Program funds
590 under Title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
591 of 1965. The supplement shall be the sum of the student
592 allocation and an exempt property allocation.
593 (a) The student allocation shall be calculated based on the
594 number of students reported for federal Impact Aid Program
595 funds, including students with disabilities, who meet one of the
596 following criteria:
597 1. Resides with a parent who is on active duty in the
598 uniformed services or is an accredited foreign government
599 official and military officer. Students with disabilities shall
600 also be reported separately for this condition.
601 2. Resides on eligible federally owned Indian lands.
602 Students with disabilities shall also be reported separately for
603 this condition.
604 3. Resides with a civilian parent who lives or works on
605 eligible federal property connected with a military installation
606 or NASA. The number of these students shall be multiplied by a
607 factor of 0.5.
608 (b) The total number of federally connected students
609 calculated under paragraph (a) shall be multiplied by a
610 percentage of the base student allocation as provided in the
611 General Appropriations Act. The total of the number of students
612 with disabilities as reported separately under subparagraphs
613 (a)1. and (a)2. shall be multiplied by an additional percentage
614 of the base student allocation as provided in the General
615 Appropriations Act. The base amount and the amount for students
616 with disabilities shall be summed to provide the student
617 allocation.
618 (c) The exempt-property allocation shall be equal to the
619 tax-exempt value of federal impact aid lands reserved as
620 military installations, real property owned by NASA, or eligible
621 federally owned Indian lands located in the district, as of
622 January 1 of the previous year, multiplied by the millage
623 authorized and levied under s. 1011.71(2).
624 (14)(13) QUALITY ASSURANCE GUARANTEE.—The Legislature may
625 annually in the General Appropriations Act determine a
626 percentage increase in funds per K-12 unweighted FTE as a
627 minimum guarantee to each school district. The guarantee shall
628 be calculated from prior year base funding per unweighted FTE
629 student which shall include the adjusted FTE dollars as provided
630 in subsection (15)(14), quality guarantee funds, and actual
631 nonvoted discretionary local effort from taxes. From the base
632 funding per unweighted FTE, the increase shall be calculated for
633 the current year. The current year funds from which the
634 guarantee shall be determined shall include the adjusted FTE
635 dollars as provided in subsection (15)(14) and potential
636 nonvoted discretionary local effort from taxes. A comparison of
637 current year funds per unweighted FTE to prior year funds per
638 unweighted FTE shall be computed. For those school districts
639 which have less than the legislatively assigned percentage
640 increase, funds shall be provided to guarantee the assigned
641 percentage increase in funds per unweighted FTE student. Should
642 appropriated funds be less than the sum of this calculated
643 amount for all districts, the commissioner shall prorate each
644 district’s allocation. This provision shall be implemented to
645 the extent specifically funded.
646 Section 4. Subsection (1) and paragraph (d) of subsection
647 (2) of section 1011.71, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
648 1011.71 District school tax.—
649 (1) If the district school tax is not provided in the
650 General Appropriations Act or the substantive bill implementing
651 the General Appropriations Act, each district school board
652 desiring to participate in the state allocation of funds for
653 current operation as prescribed by s. 1011.62(15) s. 1011.62(14)
654 shall levy on the taxable value for school purposes of the
655 district, exclusive of millage voted under the provisions of s.
656 9(b) or s. 12, Art. VII of the State Constitution, a millage
657 rate not to exceed the amount certified by the commissioner as
658 the minimum millage rate necessary to provide the district
659 required local effort for the current year, pursuant to s.
660 1011.62(4)(a)1. In addition to the required local effort millage
661 levy, each district school board may levy a nonvoted current
662 operating discretionary millage. The Legislature shall prescribe
663 annually in the appropriations act the maximum amount of millage
664 a district may levy.
665 (2) In addition to the maximum millage levy as provided in
666 subsection (1), each school board may levy not more than 1.5
667 mills against the taxable value for school purposes for district
668 schools, including charter schools at the discretion of the
669 school board, to fund:
670 (d) The purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of new and
671 replacement equipment; computer hardware, including electronic
672 hardware and other hardware devices necessary for gaining access
673 to or enhancing the use of electronic content and resources or
674 to facilitate the access to and the use of a school district’s
675 digital classrooms plan pursuant to s. 1011.62, excluding
676 software other than the operating system necessary to operate
677 the hardware or device; and enterprise resource software
678 applications that are classified as capital assets in accordance
679 with definitions of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board,
680 have a useful life of at least 5 years, and are used to support
681 districtwide administration or state-mandated reporting
682 requirements. Enterprise resource software may be acquired by
683 annual license fees, maintenance fees, or lease agreements.
684 Section 5. Subsections (4), (5), and (6) of section
685 1012.71, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
686 1012.71 The Florida Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance
687 Program.—
688 (4) Each classroom teacher must provide the school district
689 with receipts for the expenditure of the funds. If the classroom
690 teacher is provided funds in advance of expenditure, the Each
691 classroom teacher must sign a statement acknowledging receipt of
692 the funds, provide keep receipts as requested by the school
693 district for no less than 4 years to show that funds expended
694 meet the requirements of this section, and return any unused
695 funds to the district school board by at the end of the regular
696 school year. Any unused funds that are returned to the district
697 school board shall be deposited into the school advisory council
698 account of the school at which the classroom teacher returning
699 the funds was employed when that teacher received the funds or
700 deposited into the Florida Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance
701 Program account of the school district in which a charter school
702 is sponsored, as applicable.
703 (5) The statement must be signed and dated by each
704 classroom teacher before receipt of the Florida Teachers
705 Classroom Supply Assistance Program funds and shall include the
706 wording: “I, ...(name of teacher)..., am employed by the
707 ....County District School Board or by the ....Charter School as
708 a full-time classroom teacher. I acknowledge that Florida
709 Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance Program funds are
710 appropriated by the Legislature for the sole purpose of
711 purchasing classroom materials and supplies to be used in the
712 instruction of students assigned to me. In accepting custody of
713 these funds, I agree to keep the receipts for all expenditures
714 for no less than 4 years. I understand that if I do not keep the
715 receipts, it will be my personal responsibility to pay any
716 federal taxes due on these funds. I also agree to return any
717 unexpended funds to the district school board at the end of the
718 regular school year for deposit into the school advisory council
719 account of the school where I was employed at the time I
720 received the funds or for deposit into the Florida Teachers
721 Classroom Supply Assistance Program account of the school
722 district in which the charter school is sponsored, as
723 applicable.”
724 (5)(6) The Department of Education and district school
725 boards may, and are encouraged to, enter into public-private
726 partnerships in order to increase the total amount of Florida
727 Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance Programs funds available to
728 classroom teachers.
729 Section 6. (1) The State University System Performance
730 Based Incentive shall be based on indicators of institutional
731 attainment of performance metrics adopted by the Board of
732 Governors. The performance-based funding metrics must include,
733 but are not limited to, metrics that measure graduation and
734 retention rates; degree production; affordability;
735 postgraduation employment, salaries, or further education;
736 student loan default rates; access; and any other metrics
737 approved by the board.
738 (2) The Board of Governors shall evaluate the institutions’
739 performance on the metrics based on benchmarks adopted by the
740 board which measure the achievement of institutional excellence
741 or improvement. Each fiscal year, the amount of funds available
742 for allocation to the institutions based on the performance
743 funding model shall consist of the state’s investment in
744 performance funding, plus an institutional investment consisting
745 of funds to be redistributed from the base funding of the State
746 University System, as determined in the General Appropriations
747 Act. The institutional investment shall be restored for all
748 institutions that meet the board’s minimum performance threshold
749 under the performance funding model. An institution that is one
750 of the bottom three institutions or fails to meet the board’s
751 minimum performance funding threshold is not eligible for the
752 state’s investment, shall have a portion of its institutional
753 investment withheld, and shall submit an improvement plan to the
754 board that specifies the activities and strategies for improving
755 the institution’s performance.
756 (3) By October 1 of each year, the Board of Governors shall
757 submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
758 Speaker of the House of Representatives a report on the previous
759 year’s performance funding allocation which reflects the
760 rankings and award distributions.
761 (4) The Board of Governors shall adopt a regulation to
762 implement this section.
763 Section 7. (1) The Florida College System Performance Based
764 Incentive shall be based on indicators of institutional
765 attainment of performance metrics adopted by the State Board of
766 Education. The performance-based funding metrics must be limited
767 to metrics that measure retention; program completion and
768 graduation rates; student loan default rates; job placement; and
769 postgraduation employment, salaries, or further education.
770 (2) The State Board of Education shall evaluate the
771 institutions’ performance on the metrics based on benchmarks
772 adopted by the board which measure the achievement of
773 institutional excellence or improvement. Each fiscal year, the
774 amount of funds available for allocation to the institutions
775 based on the performance funding model shall consist of the
776 state’s investment in performance funding, plus an institutional
777 investment consisting of funds to be redistributed from the base
778 funding of the Florida College System Program Fund, as
779 determined in the General Appropriations Act. The board shall
780 establish a minimum performance threshold that institutions must
781 meet in order to be eligible for the state’s investment in
782 performance funds. The institutional investment shall be
783 restored for all institutions eligible for the state’s
784 investment under the performance funding model. Any institution
785 that fails to meet the board’s minimum performance funding
786 threshold is not eligible for the state’s investment, shall have
787 a portion of its institutional investment withheld, and shall
788 submit an improvement plan to the board that specifies the
789 activities and strategies for improving the institution’s
790 performance.
791 (3) The State Board of Education must review the
792 improvement plan, and if approved, must monitor the
793 institution’s progress on implementing the specified activities
794 and strategies. The institutions shall submit monitoring reports
795 to the board no later than December 31 and May 31 of each year.
796 (4) The Commissioner of Education shall withhold
797 disbursement of the institutional investment until such time as
798 the monitoring report for the institution is approved by the
799 State Board of Education. Any institution that fails to make
800 satisfactory progress will not have its full institutional
801 investment restored. If all institutional investment funds are
802 not restored, any remaining funds shall be redistributed in
803 accordance with the board’s performance funding model.
804 (5) By October 1 of each year, the State Board of Education
805 shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
806 the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report on the
807 previous year’s performance funding allocation which reflects
808 the rankings and award distributions.
809 (6) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
810 implement this section.
811 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.