Florida Senate - 2019 SB 1284
By Senator Diaz
36-00620A-19 20191284__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the district cost differential;
3 amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; revising the method of
4 calculating the district cost differential used in
5 determining the annual allocation to school districts
6 from the Florida Education Finance Program; requiring
7 the Department of Education to consult with specified
8 individuals and entities during the development of the
9 wage level index; amending s. 213.053, F.S.;
10 conforming provisions to changes made by the act;
11 reenacting ss. 402.22(6), 1002.37(3), 1002.71(3)(b),
12 1003.52(13)(a), F.S., relating to the education
13 program for students who reside in residential care
14 facilities operated by the Department of Children and
15 Families or the Agency for Persons with Disabilities;
16 the Florida Virtual School; funding and financial and
17 attendance reporting relating to the Voluntary
18 Prekindergarten Education Program; and educational
19 services in Department of Juvenile Justice programs,
20 respectively, to incorporate the amendment made to s.
21 1011.62, F.S., in references thereto; providing an
22 effective date.
23
24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
25
26 Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 1011.62, Florida
27 Statutes, is amended to read:
28 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
29 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
30 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
31 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
32 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
33 follows:
34 (2) DETERMINATION OF DISTRICT COST DIFFERENTIALS.—The
35 Commissioner of Education shall annually compute for each
36 district the current year’s district cost differential. The
37 district cost differential shall be calculated by multiplying
38 the most recent 3-year average wage level index for each school
39 district by 0.008 and then adding 0.200 to the product. The data
40 for the most recent 3 years must include, but is not limited to,
41 county-level wage index data and occupational-level wage index
42 data. During the development of the wage level index, the
43 Department of Education shall consult with informed
44 stakeholders, including school districts, industry
45 representatives, the Department of Economic Opportunity, and
46 academic and private sector experts in econometric modeling and
47 data adding each district’s price level index as published in
48 the Florida Price Level Index for the most recent 3 years and
49 dividing the resulting sum by 3. The result for each district
50 shall be multiplied by 0.008 and to the resulting product shall
51 be added 0.200; the sum thus obtained shall be the cost
52 differential for that district for that year.
53 Section 2. Paragraphs (a) and (d) of subsection (7) of
54 section 213.053, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
55 213.053 Confidentiality and information sharing.—
56 (7)(a) Any information received by the Department of
57 Revenue in connection with the administration of taxes,
58 including, but not limited to, information contained in returns,
59 reports, accounts, or declarations filed by persons subject to
60 tax, shall be made available to the following in performance of
61 their official duties:
62 1. The Auditor General or his or her authorized agent;
63 2. The director of the Office of Program Policy Analysis
64 and Government Accountability or his or her authorized agent;
65 3. The Chief Financial Officer or his or her authorized
66 agent;
67 4. The Director of the Office of Insurance Regulation of
68 the Financial Services Commission or his or her authorized
69 agent;
70 5. A property appraiser or tax collector or their
71 authorized agents pursuant to s. 195.084(1);
72 6. Designated employees of the Department of Education
73 solely for determination of each school district’s price level
74 index pursuant to s. 1011.62(2);
75 6.7. The executive director of the Department of Economic
76 Opportunity or his or her authorized agent;
77 7.8. The taxpayers’ rights advocate or his or her
78 authorized agent pursuant to s. 20.21(3); and
79 8.9. The coordinator of the Office of Economic and
80 Demographic Research or his or her authorized agent.
81 (d) For the purpose of this subsection, “designated
82 employees of the Department of Education” means only those
83 employees directly responsible for calculation of price level
84 indices pursuant to s. 1011.62(2). It does not include the
85 supervisors of such employees or any other employees or elected
86 officials within the Department of Education.
87 Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
88 made by this act to section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, in a
89 reference thereto, subsection (6) of section 402.22, Florida
90 Statutes, is reenacted to read:
91 402.22 Education program for students who reside in
92 residential care facilities operated by the Department of
93 Children and Families or the Agency for Persons with
94 Disabilities.—
95 (6) Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 1001.42(4)(n), the
96 educational program at the Marianna Sunland Center in Jackson
97 County shall be operated by the Department of Education, either
98 directly or through grants or contractual agreements with other
99 public educational agencies. The annual state allocation to any
100 such agency shall be computed pursuant to s. 1011.62(1), (2),
101 and (6) and allocated in the amount that would have been
102 provided the local school district in which the residential
103 facility is located.
104 Section 4. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
105 made by this act to section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, in a
106 reference thereto, subsection (3) of section 1002.37, Florida
107 Statutes, is reenacted to read:
108 1002.37 The Florida Virtual School.—
109 (3) Funding for the Florida Virtual School shall be
110 provided as follows:
111 (a)1. The calculation of “full-time equivalent student”
112 shall be as prescribed in s. 1011.61(1)(c)1.b.(V) and is subject
113 to s. 1011.61(4).
114 2. For a student in a home education program, funding shall
115 be provided in accordance with this subsection upon course
116 completion if the parent verifies, upon enrollment for each
117 course, that the student is registered with the school district
118 as a home education student pursuant to s. 1002.41(1)(a).
119 (b) Full-time equivalent student credit completed through
120 the Florida Virtual School, including credits completed during
121 the summer, shall be reported to the Department of Education in
122 the manner prescribed by the department and shall be funded
123 through the Florida Education Finance Program.
124 (c) School districts may not limit student access to
125 courses offered through the Florida Virtual School.
126 (d) Full-time equivalent student credit completion for
127 courses offered through the Florida Virtual School shall be
128 reported only by the Florida Virtual School. School districts
129 shall report full-time equivalent student membership only for
130 courses for which the district provides the instruction. Courses
131 delivered by the Florida Virtual School on a public school
132 campus shall be reported only by the school district in which
133 the student is enrolled.
134 (e) The district cost differential as provided in s.
135 1011.62(2) shall be established as 1.000.
136 (f) The Florida Virtual School shall receive funds for
137 operating purposes in an amount determined as follows: multiply
138 the maximum allowable nonvoted discretionary millage for
139 operations pursuant to s. 1011.71(1) and (3) by the value of 96
140 percent of the current year’s taxable value for school purposes
141 for the state; divide the result by the total full-time
142 equivalent membership of the state; and multiply the result by
143 the full-time equivalent membership of the school. The amount
144 thus obtained shall be discretionary operating funds and shall
145 be appropriated from state funds in the General Appropriations
146 Act.
147 (g) The Florida Virtual School shall receive additional
148 state funds as may be provided in the General Appropriations
149 Act; however, such funds may not be provided for the purpose of
150 fulfilling the class size requirements in ss. 1003.03 and
151 1011.685.
152 (h) In addition to the funds provided in the General
153 Appropriations Act, the Florida Virtual School may receive other
154 funds from grants and donations.
155 Section 5. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
156 made by this act to section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, in a
157 reference thereto, paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
158 1002.71, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
159 1002.71 Funding; financial and attendance reporting.—
160 (3)
161 (b) Each county’s allocation per full-time equivalent
162 student in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program shall
163 be calculated annually by multiplying the base student
164 allocation provided in the General Appropriations Act by the
165 county’s district cost differential provided in s. 1011.62(2).
166 Each private prekindergarten provider and public school shall be
167 paid in accordance with the county’s allocation per full-time
168 equivalent student.
169 Section 6. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
170 made by this act to section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, in a
171 reference thereto, paragraph (a) of subsection (13) of section
172 1003.52, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
173 1003.52 Educational services in Department of Juvenile
174 Justice programs.—
175 (13)(a) Funding for eligible students enrolled in juvenile
176 justice education programs shall be provided through the Florida
177 Education Finance Program as provided in s. 1011.62 and the
178 General Appropriations Act. Funding shall include, at a minimum:
179 1. Weighted program funding or the basic amount for current
180 operation multiplied by the district cost differential as
181 provided in s. 1011.62(2);
182 2. The supplemental allocation for juvenile justice
183 education as provided in s. 1011.62(10);
184 3. A proportionate share of the district’s exceptional
185 student education guaranteed allocation, the supplemental
186 academic instruction allocation, and the instructional materials
187 allocation;
188 4. An amount equivalent to the proportionate share of the
189 state average potential discretionary local effort for
190 operations, which shall be determined as follows:
191 a. If the district levies the maximum discretionary local
192 effort and the district’s discretionary local effort per FTE is
193 less than the state average potential discretionary local effort
194 per FTE, the proportionate share shall include both the
195 discretionary local effort and the compression supplement per
196 FTE. If the district’s discretionary local effort per FTE is
197 greater than the state average per FTE, the proportionate share
198 shall be equal to the state average; or
199 b. If the district does not levy the maximum discretionary
200 local effort and the district’s actual discretionary local
201 effort per FTE is less than the state average potential
202 discretionary local effort per FTE, the proportionate share
203 shall be equal to the district’s actual discretionary local
204 effort per FTE. If the district’s actual discretionary local
205 effort per FTE is greater than the state average per FTE, the
206 proportionate share shall be equal to the state average
207 potential local effort per FTE; and
208 5. A proportionate share of the district’s proration to
209 funds available, if necessary.
210 Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.