Florida Senate - 2021              PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
       Bill No. CS for SB 52
       
       
       
       
       
                               Ì684342#Î684342                          
       
       576-02036-21                                                    
       Proposed Committee Substitute by the Committee on Appropriations
       (Appropriations Subcommittee on Education)
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to postsecondary education; amending
    3         s. 1007.273, F.S.; renaming collegiate high school
    4         programs as early college programs; defining the term
    5         “early college program”; requiring early college
    6         programs to prioritize certain courses; deleting
    7         obsolete language; conforming provisions to changes
    8         made by the act; authorizing charter schools to
    9         execute contracts with certain institutions to
   10         establish an early college program; amending
   11         s. 1009.25, F.S.; clarifying fee exemptions for the
   12         Department of Children and Families; creating s.
   13         1009.30, F.S.; providing legislative findings;
   14         establishing the Dual Enrollment Scholarship Program;
   15         providing for the administration of the program;
   16         providing for the reimbursement of tuition and costs
   17         to eligible postsecondary institutions; requiring
   18         students participating in dual enrollment programs to
   19         meet specified minimum eligibility requirements in
   20         order for institutions to receive reimbursements;
   21         requiring participating institutions to annually
   22         report specified information to the Department of
   23         Education by certain dates; providing a reimbursement
   24         schedule for tuition and instructional materials
   25         costs; requiring the Department of Education to
   26         reimburse institutions by specified dates; providing
   27         that reimbursement for dual enrollment courses is
   28         contingent upon appropriations; providing for the
   29         prorating of reimbursements under certain
   30         circumstances; requiring the State Board of Education
   31         to adopt rules; creating s. 1012.978, F.S.;
   32         authorizing state university boards of trustees to
   33         implement a bonus scheme for state university system
   34         employees based on awards for work performance or
   35         employee recruitment and retention; requiring a board
   36         of trustees to submit the bonus scheme to the Board of
   37         Governors; requiring the Board of Governors to approve
   38         such bonus scheme before its implementation; amending
   39         ss. 1002.20 and 1003.4282, F.S.; conforming provisions
   40         to changes made by the act; providing an effective
   41         date.
   42          
   43  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   44  
   45         Section 1. Section 1007.273, Florida Statutes, is amended
   46  to read:
   47         1007.273 Early college Collegiate high school program.—
   48         (1) Each Florida College System institution shall work with
   49  each district school board in its designated service area to
   50  establish one or more early college collegiate high school
   51  programs. As used in this section, the term “early college
   52  program” means a structured high school acceleration program in
   53  which a cohort of students is enrolled full time in
   54  postsecondary courses toward an associate degree. The early
   55  college program must prioritize courses applicable as general
   56  education core courses under s. 1007.25 for an associate degree
   57  or a baccalaureate degree.
   58         (2) At a minimum, collegiate high school programs must
   59  include an option for public school students in grade 11 or
   60  grade 12 participating in the program, for at least 1 full
   61  school year, to earn CAPE industry certifications pursuant to s.
   62  1008.44 and to successfully complete 30 credit hours through the
   63  dual enrollment program under s. 1007.271 toward the first year
   64  of college for an associate degree or baccalaureate degree while
   65  enrolled in the program.
   66         (3) Each district school board and its local Florida
   67  College System institution shall execute a contract to establish
   68  one or more early college collegiate high school programs at a
   69  mutually agreed upon location or locations. Beginning with the
   70  2015-2016 school year, If the institution does not establish a
   71  program with a district school board in its designated service
   72  area, another Florida College System institution may execute a
   73  contract with that district school board to establish the
   74  program. The contract must be executed by January 1 of each
   75  school year for implementation of the program during the next
   76  school year. The contract must:
   77         (a) Identify the grade levels to be included in the early
   78  college collegiate high school program which must, at a minimum,
   79  include grade 12.
   80         (b) Describe the early college collegiate high school
   81  program, including the delineation of courses and industry
   82  certifications offered, including online course availability;
   83  the high school and college credits earned for each
   84  postsecondary course completed and industry certification
   85  earned; student eligibility criteria; and the enrollment process
   86  and relevant deadlines.
   87         (c) Describe the methods, medium, and process by which
   88  students and their parents are annually informed about the
   89  availability of the early college collegiate high school
   90  program, the return on investment associated with participation
   91  in the program, and the information described in paragraphs (a)
   92  and (b).
   93         (d) Identify the delivery methods for instruction and the
   94  instructors for all courses.
   95         (e) Identify student advising services and progress
   96  monitoring mechanisms.
   97         (f) Establish a program review and reporting mechanism
   98  regarding student performance outcomes.
   99         (g) Describe the terms of funding arrangements to implement
  100  the early college collegiate high school program.
  101         (3)(4) Each student participating in an early college a
  102  collegiate high school program must enter into a student
  103  performance contract which must be signed by the student, the
  104  parent, and a representative of the school district and the
  105  applicable Florida College System institution, state university,
  106  or other institution participating pursuant to subsection (4)
  107  (5). The performance contract must include the schedule of
  108  courses, by semester, and industry certifications to be taken by
  109  the student, student attendance requirements, and course grade
  110  requirements.
  111         (4)(5) In addition to executing a contract with the local
  112  Florida College System institution under this section, a
  113  district school board may execute a contract to establish an
  114  early college a collegiate high school program with a state
  115  university or an institution that is eligible to participate in
  116  the William L. Boyd, IV, Effective Access to Student Education
  117  Grant Program, that is a nonprofit independent college or
  118  university located and chartered in this state, and that is
  119  accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern
  120  Association of Colleges and Schools to grant baccalaureate
  121  degrees. Such university or institution must meet the
  122  requirements specified under subsections (2) and (3) (3) and
  123  (4).
  124         (5) A charter school may execute a contract directly with
  125  the local Florida College System institution or another
  126  institution as authorized under this section to establish an
  127  early college program at a mutually agreed upon location.
  128         (6) The early college collegiate high school program must
  129  shall be funded pursuant to ss. 1007.271 and 1011.62. The State
  130  Board of Education shall enforce compliance with this section by
  131  withholding the transfer of funds for the school districts and
  132  the Florida College System institutions in accordance with s.
  133  1008.32.
  134         Section 2. Paragraphs (c) and (d) of subsection (1) of
  135  section 1009.25, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  136         1009.25 Fee exemptions.—
  137         (1) The following students are exempt from the payment of
  138  tuition and fees, including lab fees, at a school district that
  139  provides workforce education programs, Florida College System
  140  institution, or state university:
  141         (c) A student who is, or was at the time he or she reached
  142  18 years of age, in the custody of the Department of Children
  143  and Families or who, after spending at least 6 months in the
  144  custody of the department after reaching 16 years of age, was
  145  placed in a guardianship by the court. Such exemption includes
  146  fees associated with enrollment in applied academics for adult
  147  education instruction. The exemption remains valid until the
  148  student reaches 28 years of age.
  149         (d) A student who is, or was at the time he or she reached
  150  18 years of age, in the custody of a relative or nonrelative
  151  under s. 39.5085 or s. 39.6225 or who was adopted from the
  152  Department of Children and Families after May 5, 1997. Such
  153  exemption includes fees associated with enrollment in applied
  154  academics for adult education instruction. The exemption remains
  155  valid until the student reaches 28 years of age.
  156         Section 3. Section 1009.30, Florida Statutes, is created to
  157  read:
  158         1009.30Dual Enrollment Scholarship Program.—
  159         (1) The Legislature finds and declares that dual enrollment
  160  is an integral part of the education system in this state and
  161  should be available for all eligible secondary students without
  162  cost to the student. There is established the Dual Enrollment
  163  Scholarship Program to support postsecondary institutions in
  164  providing dual enrollment.
  165         (2) The Department of Education shall administer the Dual
  166  Enrollment Scholarship Program in accordance with rules adopted
  167  by the State Board of Education pursuant to subsection (9).
  168         (3)(a) Beginning in the 2021 fall term, the program shall
  169  reimburse eligible postsecondary institutions for tuition and
  170  related instructional materials costs for dual enrollment
  171  courses taken by private school or home education program
  172  secondary students during the fall or spring terms.
  173         (b) Beginning in the 2022 summer term, the program shall
  174  reimburse institutions for tuition and related instructional
  175  materials costs for dual enrollment courses taken by public
  176  school, private school, or home education program secondary
  177  students during the summer term.
  178         (4) A student participating in a dual enrollment program
  179  must meet the minimum eligibility requirements specified in s.
  180  1007.271 in order for the institution to receive a
  181  reimbursement.
  182         (5) Annually, by March 15, each participating institution
  183  must report to the department any eligible secondary students
  184  from private schools or home education programs who were
  185  enrolled during the previous fall or spring terms. Annually, by
  186  July 15, each participating institution must report to the
  187  department any eligible public school, private school, or home
  188  education program students who were enrolled during the summer
  189  term. For each dual enrollment course in which the student is
  190  enrolled, the report must include a unique student identifier,
  191  the postsecondary institution name, the postsecondary course
  192  number, and the postsecondary course name.
  193         (6)(a) Florida College System institutions shall be
  194  reimbursed at the in-state resident tuition rate established in
  195  s. 1009.23(3)(a).
  196         (b) State University System institutions and independent
  197  postsecondary institutions shall be reimbursed at the standard
  198  tuition rate established in s. 1009.24(4)(a).
  199         (c) Institutions shall be reimbursed for instructional
  200  materials costs based on a rate specified in the General
  201  Appropriations Act.
  202         (7) For dual enrollment courses taken during the fall and
  203  spring terms, the department must reimburse institutions by
  204  April 15 of the same year. For dual enrollment courses taken
  205  during the summer term, the department must reimburse
  206  institutions by August 15 of the same year, before the beginning
  207  of the next academic year.
  208         (8) Reimbursement for dual enrollment courses is contingent
  209  upon an appropriation in the General Appropriations Act each
  210  year. If the statewide reimbursement amount is greater than the
  211  appropriation, the institutional reimbursement amounts specified
  212  in subsection (6) shall be prorated among the institutions that
  213  have reported eligible students to the department by the
  214  deadlines specified in subsection (5).
  215         (9) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
  216  implement this section.
  217         Section 4. Section 1012.978, Florida Statutes, is created
  218  to read:
  219         1012.978 Bonuses for state university system employees.
  220  Notwithstanding s. 215.425(3), a university board of trustees
  221  may implement a bonus scheme based on awards for work
  222  performance or employee recruitment and retention. The board of
  223  trustees must submit to the Board of Governors the bonus scheme,
  224  including the evaluation criteria by which a bonus will be
  225  awarded. The Board of Governors must approve any bonus scheme
  226  created under this section before its implementation.
  227         Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (6) of section
  228  1002.20, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  229         1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.—Parents of public
  230  school students must receive accurate and timely information
  231  regarding their child’s academic progress and must be informed
  232  of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K-12
  233  students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory
  234  rights including, but not limited to, the following:
  235         (6) EDUCATIONAL CHOICE.—
  236         (a) Public educational school choices.—Parents of public
  237  school students may seek any public educational school choice
  238  options that are applicable and available to students throughout
  239  the state. These options may include controlled open enrollment,
  240  single-gender programs, lab schools, virtual instruction
  241  programs, charter schools, charter technical career centers,
  242  magnet schools, alternative schools, special programs, auditory
  243  oral education programs, advanced placement, dual enrollment,
  244  International Baccalaureate, International General Certificate
  245  of Secondary Education (pre-AICE), CAPE digital tools, CAPE
  246  industry certifications, early college collegiate high school
  247  programs, Advanced International Certificate of Education, early
  248  admissions, credit by examination or demonstration of
  249  competency, the New World School of the Arts, the Florida School
  250  for the Deaf and the Blind, and the Florida Virtual School.
  251  These options may also include the public educational choice
  252  options of the Opportunity Scholarship Program and the McKay
  253  Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program.
  254         Section 6. Paragraph (c) of subsection (10) of section
  255  1003.4282, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  256         1003.4282 Requirements for a standard high school diploma.—
  257         (10) STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.—Beginning with students
  258  entering grade 9 in the 2014-2015 school year, this subsection
  259  applies to a student with a disability.
  260         (c) A student with a disability who meets the standard high
  261  school diploma requirements in this section may defer the
  262  receipt of a standard high school diploma if the student:
  263         1. Has an individual education plan that prescribes special
  264  education, transition planning, transition services, or related
  265  services through age 21; and
  266         2. Is enrolled in accelerated college credit instruction
  267  pursuant to s. 1007.27, industry certification courses that lead
  268  to college credit, an early college a collegiate high school
  269  program, courses necessary to satisfy the Scholar designation
  270  requirements, or a structured work-study, internship, or
  271  preapprenticeship program.
  272  
  273  The State Board of Education shall adopt rules under ss.
  274  120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement this subsection, including
  275  rules that establish the minimum requirements for students
  276  described in this subsection to earn a standard high school
  277  diploma. The State Board of Education shall adopt emergency
  278  rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54.
  279         Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.