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 Section 1012.731, Florida Statutes, is repealed.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 Section 1012.732, Florida Statutes, is repealed.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.