Downloads
CS/CS/CS/HB 1105 — Education
by Education & Employment Committee; Higher Education Budget Subcommittee; Careers & Workforce Subcommittee; and Rep. Kincart Jonsson and others (CS/CS/SB 270 by Appropriations Committee on Higher Education; Education Postsecondary Committee; and Senator Burgess)
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Education Postsecondary Committee (HE)
The bill revises multiple components of Florida’s K–20 education system, including charter school funding and accountability, high school graduation requirements, school bus safety, student device use, and postsecondary program eligibility.
Charter Schools
The bill establishes new funding and reporting requirements related to charter schools. The bill:
- Requires school districts to share any local government infrastructure surtax revenues with eligible charter schools based on enrollment, for levies approved on or after July 1, 2025.
- Requires school districts to provide to district charter schools information related to shared discretionary revenues.
- Requires use of a State Board of Education-adopted standard monitoring tool to monitor charter school performance.
The bill modifies charter school conversion procedures and establishes a new class of “job engine” charter schools focused on job creation and economic development. The bill:
- Requires that charter school conversion applications submitted by parents must originate from parents of students enrolled in the school to be converted and removes the requirement for demonstration of teacher support.
- Authorizes municipalities to apply to establish a job engine charter school, either as a new or conversion school, and allows such schools to give enrollment preference to children of employees of identified job-producing entities.
- Expands Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant eligibility to include job engine charter schools and clarifies eligibility for serving students in grades 6-12.
Private School Construction
The bill authorizes private schools located in counties with four incorporated municipalities to construct new facilities on property that housed specified facilities, such as a church or theater, under that facility’s preexisting zoning and land use designations without obtaining a special exception or a land use change and without complying with any mitigation requirements or conditions.
High School Instruction and Graduation Requirements
The bill modifies provisions related to high school instruction and graduation options. The bill:
- Allows marching band to substitute for a performing arts or physical education credit, with exceptions.
- Eliminates the certificate of completion and requires the DOE to develop, by January 1, 2026, guidance about adult education and postsecondary options for students who do not earn a diploma.
- Requires the DOE to develop new applied, equivalent, and integrated courses to substitute for course requirements, and to incorporate work-based internships in graduation planning.
- Expands the Florida Seal of Fine Arts to include Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) arts courses.
- Requires the DOE to establish, by August 1, 2026, competencies for a mathematics endorsement for teachers, which must include specified topics.
Bright Futures Scholarship Program
The bill:
- Expands Bright Futures Scholarship eligibility to include students who graduate from non-Florida high schools while residing with a parent or guardian who retired from military or public service within 12 months prior to graduation.
- Authorizes use of the Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone designation, with conditions, to meet specified diploma eligibility requirements for the Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) award, beginning with students graduating in the 2025–2026 school year, but clarifies that earning the AP Capstone designation does not satisfy the requirements for earning a standard high school diploma.
Career and Professional Education
The bill makes several changes to the Florida Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Act and associated Bright Futures scholarship programs. The bill:
- Updates references to reflect inclusion of the Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars and Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars awards in the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
- Requires CAPE academies and high schools offering career-themed courses to provide students the opportunity to earn the Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars award.
- Modifies eligibility for the Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award by:
- Shifting the requirement from a 3-course sequential program of studies to 3 career and technical education courses; and
- Requiring 75 hours of volunteer service, rather than the current 30, to satisfy the community service requirement for both Gold Seal Vocational and Gold Seal CAPE Scholars awards for students entering grade 9 in the 2024–2025 school year and thereafter.
Career Dual Enrollment Access
The bill requires dual enrollment agreements between career centers and the high schools they serve to specify how students will be notified of available transportation options and to address scheduling changes to increase access and participation. The bill also requires that dual enrollment articulation agreements between district school superintendents and public postsecondary institution presidents include any necessary scheduling changes.
Workforce Credential Program for Students with Disabilities
The bill creates a new program to help students with disabilities demonstrate job readiness through employer-recognized credentials. The bill:
- Establishes a DOE-led credentialing program for students with autism or cognitive disabilities, to be implemented by January 1, 2026.
- Requires validation by exceptional student education (ESE) instructors and collaboration with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on a safety badge.
- Mandates annual reports through 2030, on participation and outcomes.
Student Wireless Communications Device Use
The bill establishes statewide restrictions on student cell phone use and creates a pilot to evaluate full-day prohibitions. The bill:
- Prohibits device use by elementary and middle school students during the school day.
- Prohibits high school use during instructional time, except as authorized, with teacher-designated storage areas and board-adopted usage zones.
- Provides exceptions for medical or educational needs.
- Requires the DOE to study full-day restrictions in high schools in six districts and submit a report with a model policy by December 1, 2026.
School Bus Trespass
The bill modifies enforcement of trespassing laws on school property by:
- Expanding the definition of “school” for purposes of the school trespass statute to include any vehicle operated, owned, or contracted by a school district for student transportation.
- Clarifying that verbal notice or a posted sign is sufficient to support prosecution for trespass.
- Authorizing arrest without a warrant based on probable cause for trespass on a school bus.
Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys
The bill revises the structure and operations of the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys by:
- Transferring the council and administrative support from the Department of Legal Affairs to Florida Memorial University.
- Reducing the quorum requirement from 11 to 9 members, and allowing members participating via communications media technology to count toward a quorum and vote.
ABLE Program Governance
The bill authorizes the chair of the Florida Prepaid College Board to designate a representative to serve on the board of directors of Florida ABLE, Inc. It also revises the governance structure of Florida ABLE, Inc. by requiring its board to annually elect a chair from among its members, rather than designating the chair of the Florida Prepaid College Board to serve in that role.
If approved by the Governor, or allowed to become law without the Governor’s signature, these provisions take effect July 1, 2025.
Vote: Senate 26-5; House 85-14