Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1858
By Senator Rodriguez
37-00414-20 20201858__
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 beginning
7 in a specified school year; requiring the Department
8 of Education to consult with specified individuals and
9 entities during the development of the wage level
10 index; requiring the department to complete the
11 development and calculation of the wage level index by
12 a specified date for application beginning in the
13 2021-2022 fiscal year; amending s. 213.053, F.S.;
14 conforming provisions to changes made by the act;
15 reenacting ss. 402.22(6), 1002.37(3)(e),
16 1002.71(3)(b), and 1003.52(13)(a), F.S., relating to
17 the education program for students who reside in
18 residential care facilities operated by the Department
19 of Children and Families or the Agency for Persons
20 with Disabilities; the Florida Virtual School; funding
21 and financial and attendance reporting relating to the
22 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program; and
23 educational services in Department of Juvenile Justice
24 programs, respectively, to incorporate the amendment
25 made to s. 1011.62, F.S., in references thereto;
26 providing an effective date.
27
28 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
29
30 Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 1011.62, Florida
31 Statutes, is amended to read:
32 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
33 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
34 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
35 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
36 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
37 follows:
38 (2) DETERMINATION OF DISTRICT COST DIFFERENTIALS.—
39 (a) Through the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the Commissioner of
40 Education shall annually compute for each district the current
41 year’s district cost differential. The district cost
42 differential shall be calculated by adding each district’s price
43 level index as published in the Florida Price Level Index for
44 the most recent 3 years and dividing the resulting sum by 3. The
45 result for each district shall be multiplied by 0.008 and to the
46 resulting product shall be added 0.200; the sum thus obtained
47 shall be the cost differential for that district for that year.
48 (b) Beginning in the 2021-2022 fiscal year, the district
49 cost differential shall be calculated by multiplying the most
50 recent 3-year average wage level index for each school district
51 by 0.008 and then adding 0.200 to the product. The data for the
52 most recent 3 years must include, but is not limited to, county
53 level wage index data and occupational-level wage index data.
54 During the development of the wage level index, the Department
55 of Education shall consult with informed stakeholders, including
56 school districts, industry representatives, the Department of
57 Economic Opportunity, and academic and private sector experts in
58 econometric modeling and data. The Department of Education shall
59 develop and calculate the wage level index by January 1, 2021.
60 Section 2. Paragraphs (a) and (d) of subsection (7) of
61 section 213.053, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
62 213.053 Confidentiality and information sharing.—
63 (7)(a) Any information received by the Department of
64 Revenue in connection with the administration of taxes,
65 including, but not limited to, information contained in returns,
66 reports, accounts, or declarations filed by persons subject to
67 tax, shall be made available to the following in performance of
68 their official duties:
69 1. The Auditor General or his or her authorized agent;
70 2. The director of the Office of Program Policy Analysis
71 and Government Accountability or his or her authorized agent;
72 3. The Chief Financial Officer or his or her authorized
73 agent;
74 4. The Director of the Office of Insurance Regulation of
75 the Financial Services Commission or his or her authorized
76 agent;
77 5. A property appraiser or tax collector or their
78 authorized agents pursuant to s. 195.084(1);
79 6. Designated employees of the Department of Education
80 solely for determination of each school district’s price level
81 index pursuant to s. 1011.62(2);
82 6.7. The executive director of the Department of Economic
83 Opportunity or his or her authorized agent;
84 7.8. The taxpayers’ rights advocate or his or her
85 authorized agent pursuant to s. 20.21(3); and
86 8.9. The coordinator of the Office of Economic and
87 Demographic Research or his or her authorized agent.
88 (d) For the purpose of this subsection, “designated
89 employees of the Department of Education” means only those
90 employees directly responsible for calculation of price level
91 indices pursuant to s. 1011.62(2). It does not include the
92 supervisors of such employees or any other employees or elected
93 officials within the Department of Education.
94 Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
95 made by this act to section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, in a
96 reference thereto, subsection (6) of section 402.22, Florida
97 Statutes, is reenacted to read:
98 402.22 Education program for students who reside in
99 residential care facilities operated by the Department of
100 Children and Families or the Agency for Persons with
101 Disabilities.—
102 (6) Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 1001.42(4)(n), the
103 educational program at the Marianna Sunland Center in Jackson
104 County shall be operated by the Department of Education, either
105 directly or through grants or contractual agreements with other
106 public educational agencies. The annual state allocation to any
107 such agency shall be computed pursuant to s. 1011.62(1), (2),
108 and (6) and allocated in the amount that would have been
109 provided the local school district in which the residential
110 facility is located.
111 Section 4. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
112 made by this act to section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, in a
113 reference thereto, paragraph (e) of subsection (3) of section
114 1002.37, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
115 1002.37 The Florida Virtual School.—
116 (3) Funding for the Florida Virtual School shall be
117 provided as follows:
118 (e) The district cost differential as provided in s.
119 1011.62(2) shall be established as 1.000.
120 Section 5. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
121 made by this act to section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, in a
122 reference thereto, paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
123 1002.71, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
124 1002.71 Funding; financial and attendance reporting.—
125 (3)
126 (b) Each county’s allocation per full-time equivalent
127 student in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program shall
128 be calculated annually by multiplying the base student
129 allocation provided in the General Appropriations Act by the
130 county’s district cost differential provided in s. 1011.62(2).
131 Each private prekindergarten provider and public school shall be
132 paid in accordance with the county’s allocation per full-time
133 equivalent student.
134 Section 6. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
135 made by this act to section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, in a
136 reference thereto, paragraph (a) of subsection (13) of section
137 1003.52, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
138 1003.52 Educational services in Department of Juvenile
139 Justice programs.—
140 (13)(a) Funding for eligible students enrolled in juvenile
141 justice education programs shall be provided through the Florida
142 Education Finance Program as provided in s. 1011.62 and the
143 General Appropriations Act. Funding shall include, at a minimum:
144 1. Weighted program funding or the basic amount for current
145 operation multiplied by the district cost differential as
146 provided in s. 1011.62(2);
147 2. The supplemental allocation for juvenile justice
148 education as provided in s. 1011.62(10);
149 3. A proportionate share of the district’s exceptional
150 student education guaranteed allocation, the supplemental
151 academic instruction allocation, and the instructional materials
152 allocation;
153 4. An amount equivalent to the proportionate share of the
154 state average potential discretionary local effort for
155 operations, which shall be determined as follows:
156 a. If the district levies the maximum discretionary local
157 effort and the district’s discretionary local effort per FTE is
158 less than the state average potential discretionary local effort
159 per FTE, the proportionate share shall include both the
160 discretionary local effort and the compression supplement per
161 FTE. If the district’s discretionary local effort per FTE is
162 greater than the state average per FTE, the proportionate share
163 shall be equal to the state average; or
164 b. If the district does not levy the maximum discretionary
165 local effort and the district’s actual discretionary local
166 effort per FTE is less than the state average potential
167 discretionary local effort per FTE, the proportionate share
168 shall be equal to the district’s actual discretionary local
169 effort per FTE. If the district’s actual discretionary local
170 effort per FTE is greater than the state average per FTE, the
171 proportionate share shall be equal to the state average
172 potential local effort per FTE; and
173 5. A proportionate share of the district’s proration to
174 funds available, if necessary.
175 Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.