Florida Senate - 2020 SB 486
By Senator Bradley
5-00798-20 2020486__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Florida Best and Brightest
3 programs; repealing s. 1012.731, F.S., relating to the
4 Florida Best and Brightest Teacher Program; repealing
5 s. 1012.732, F.S., relating to the Florida Best and
6 Brightest Principal Program; amending s. 1011.62,
7 F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the
8 act; amending s. 1011.71, F.S.; conforming a cross
9 reference; providing an effective date.
10
11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13 Section 1. Section 1012.731, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
14 Section 2. Section 1012.732, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
15 Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) and subsections
16 (11), (14), and (18) of section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, are
17 amended to read:
18 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
19 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
20 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
21 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
22 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
23 follows:
24 (4) COMPUTATION OF DISTRICT REQUIRED LOCAL EFFORT.—The
25 Legislature shall prescribe the aggregate required local effort
26 for all school districts collectively as an item in the General
27 Appropriations Act for each fiscal year. The amount that each
28 district shall provide annually toward the cost of the Florida
29 Education Finance Program for kindergarten through grade 12
30 programs shall be calculated as follows:
31 (a) Estimated taxable value calculations.—
32 1.a. Not later than 2 working days before July 19, the
33 Department of Revenue shall certify to the Commissioner of
34 Education its most recent estimate of the taxable value for
35 school purposes in each school district and the total for all
36 school districts in the state for the current calendar year
37 based on the latest available data obtained from the local
38 property appraisers. The value certified shall be the taxable
39 value for school purposes for that year, and no further
40 adjustments shall be made, except those made pursuant to
41 paragraphs (c) and (d), or an assessment roll change required by
42 final judicial decisions as specified in paragraph (18)(b)
43 (19)(b). Not later than July 19, the Commissioner of Education
44 shall compute a millage rate, rounded to the next highest one
45 one-thousandth of a mill, which, when applied to 96 percent of
46 the estimated state total taxable value for school purposes,
47 would generate the prescribed aggregate required local effort
48 for that year for all districts. The Commissioner of Education
49 shall certify to each district school board the millage rate,
50 computed as prescribed in this subparagraph, as the minimum
51 millage rate necessary to provide the district required local
52 effort for that year.
53 b. The General Appropriations Act shall direct the
54 computation of the statewide adjusted aggregate amount for
55 required local effort for all school districts collectively from
56 ad valorem taxes to ensure that no school district’s revenue
57 from required local effort millage will produce more than 90
58 percent of the district’s total Florida Education Finance
59 Program calculation as calculated and adopted by the
60 Legislature, and the adjustment of the required local effort
61 millage rate of each district that produces more than 90 percent
62 of its total Florida Education Finance Program entitlement to a
63 level that will produce only 90 percent of its total Florida
64 Education Finance Program entitlement in the July calculation.
65 2. On the same date as the certification in sub
66 subparagraph 1.a., the Department of Revenue shall certify to
67 the Commissioner of Education for each district:
68 a. Each year for which the property appraiser has certified
69 the taxable value pursuant to s. 193.122(2) or (3), if
70 applicable, since the prior certification under sub-subparagraph
71 1.a.
72 b. For each year identified in sub-subparagraph a., the
73 taxable value certified by the appraiser pursuant to s.
74 193.122(2) or (3), if applicable, since the prior certification
75 under sub-subparagraph 1.a. This is the certification that
76 reflects all final administrative actions of the value
77 adjustment board.
78 (11) VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONTRIBUTION.—The Legislature may
79 annually provide in the Florida Education Finance Program a
80 virtual education contribution. The amount of the virtual
81 education contribution shall be the difference between the
82 amount per FTE established in the General Appropriations Act for
83 virtual education and the amount per FTE for each district and
84 the Florida Virtual School, which may be calculated by taking
85 the sum of the base FEFP allocation, the discretionary local
86 effort, the state-funded discretionary contribution, the
87 discretionary millage compression supplement, the research-based
88 reading instruction allocation, the best and brightest teacher
89 and principal allocation, and the instructional materials
90 allocation, and then dividing by the total unweighted FTE. This
91 difference shall be multiplied by the virtual education
92 unweighted FTE for programs and options identified in s.
93 1002.455 and the Florida Virtual School and its franchises to
94 equal the virtual education contribution and shall be included
95 as a separate allocation in the funding formula.
96 (14) QUALITY ASSURANCE GUARANTEE.—The Legislature may
97 annually in the General Appropriations Act determine a
98 percentage increase in funds per K-12 unweighted FTE as a
99 minimum guarantee to each school district. The guarantee shall
100 be calculated from prior year base funding per unweighted FTE
101 student, which shall include the adjusted FTE dollars as
102 provided in subsection (18) (19), quality guarantee funds, and
103 actual nonvoted discretionary local effort from taxes. From the
104 base funding per unweighted FTE, the increase shall be
105 calculated for the current year. The current year funds from
106 which the guarantee shall be determined shall include the
107 adjusted FTE dollars as provided in subsection (18) (19) and
108 potential nonvoted discretionary local effort from taxes. A
109 comparison of current year funds per unweighted FTE to prior
110 year funds per unweighted FTE shall be computed. For those
111 school districts which have less than the legislatively assigned
112 percentage increase, funds shall be provided to guarantee the
113 assigned percentage increase in funds per unweighted FTE
114 student. Should appropriated funds be less than the sum of this
115 calculated amount for all districts, the commissioner shall
116 prorate each district’s allocation. This provision shall be
117 implemented to the extent specifically funded.
118 (18) THE FLORIDA BEST AND BRIGHTEST TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL
119 ALLOCATION.—
120 (a) The Florida Best and Brightest Teacher and Principal
121 Allocation is created to recruit, retain, and recognize
122 classroom teachers and instructional personnel who meet the
123 criteria established in s. 1012.731 and reward principals who
124 meet the criteria established in s. 1012.732. Subject to annual
125 appropriation, each school district shall receive an allocation
126 based on the district’s proportionate share of FEFP base
127 funding. The Legislature may specify a minimum allocation for
128 all districts in the General Appropriations Act.
129 (b) From the allocation, each district shall provide the
130 following:
131 1. A one-time recruitment award, as provided in s.
132 1012.731(3)(a);
133 2. A retention award, as provided in s. 1012.731(3)(b); and
134 3. A recognition award, as provided in s. 1012.731(3)(c)
135 from the remaining balance of the appropriation after the
136 payment of all other awards authorized under ss. 1012.731 and
137 1012.732.
138 (c) From the allocation, each district shall provide
139 eligible principals an award as provided in s. 1012.732(3).
140
141 If a district’s calculated awards exceed the allocation, the
142 district may prorate the awards.
143 Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 1011.71, Florida
144 Statutes, is amended to read:
145 1011.71 District school tax.—
146 (1) If the district school tax is not provided in the
147 General Appropriations Act or the substantive bill implementing
148 the General Appropriations Act, each district school board
149 desiring to participate in the state allocation of funds for
150 current operation as prescribed by s. 1011.62(18) s. 1011.62(19)
151 shall levy on the taxable value for school purposes of the
152 district, exclusive of millage voted under s. 9(b) or s. 12,
153 Art. VII of the State Constitution, a millage rate not to exceed
154 the amount certified by the commissioner as the minimum millage
155 rate necessary to provide the district required local effort for
156 the current year, pursuant to s. 1011.62(4)(a)1. In addition to
157 the required local effort millage levy, each district school
158 board may levy a nonvoted current operating discretionary
159 millage. The Legislature shall prescribe annually in the
160 appropriations act the maximum amount of millage a district may
161 levy.
162 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.