Senate Bill 0536

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 536

    By Senator Kirkpatrick





    5-533-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to education; amending ss.

  3         239.117, 239.301, 240.117, F.S.; increasing the

  4         number of times state funding will support a

  5         student enrolled in the same

  6         college-preparatory class within a skill area;

  7         revising certain funding amounts; providing an

  8         effective date.

  9

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

11

12         Section 1.  Subsection (7) of section 239.117, Florida

13  Statutes, is amended to read:

14         239.117  Postsecondary student fees.--

15         (7)(a)  Each year the State Board of Community Colleges

16  shall review and evaluate the percentage of the cost of adult

17  programs and certificate career education programs supported

18  through student fees.  If this review indicates that student

19  fees generate less than the percentage targeted for the

20  program, the State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt a

21  schedule of fee increases by December 31 for the following

22  fall semester.  For students who are residents for tuition

23  purposes, the schedule so adopted must produce revenues equal

24  to 25 percent of the prior year's program cost for

25  college-preparatory and supplemental vocational programs and

26  50 10 percent of the prior year's program cost for student

27  enrollment in a single course of study not leading to a

28  certificate or degree certificate career education and

29  vocational preparatory programs. The fee schedule for lifelong

30  learning programs shall be based on student fees and nonstate

31  funds necessary to produce 50 percent of the prior year's cost

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 536
    5-533-98




  1  of lifelong learning programs. State funds may not exceed 50

  2  percent of the prior year's cost of lifelong learning

  3  programs.  The state board may not increase fees more than 10

  4  percent for students who are residents for tuition purposes.

  5  Unless otherwise specified in the General Appropriations Act,

  6  the fee schedule shall take effect and the college shall

  7  expend student fees on instruction.  If the Legislature enacts

  8  a calculation different than that adopted by the state board,

  9  the state board shall adopt a fee schedule that generates the

10  same revenues as the calculation contained in the General

11  Appropriations Act.  Each community college board of trustees

12  shall establish matriculation, tuition, and noncredit fees

13  that may vary no more than 10 percent from the schedule

14  approved by the State Board of Education. Fees for students

15  who are not residents for tuition purposes must offset the

16  full cost of instruction.

17         (b)  Students enrolled in college-preparatory

18  instruction shall pay fees equal to the fees charged for

19  college credit courses.  Students enrolled in the same

20  college-preparatory class within a skill area more than two

21  times one time shall pay fees at 100 percent of the full cost

22  of instruction and shall not be included in calculations of

23  full-time equivalent enrollments for state funding purposes;

24  however, students who withdraw or fail a class due to

25  extenuating circumstances may be granted an exception only

26  once for each class, provided approval is granted according to

27  policy established by the board of trustees. Each community

28  college shall have the authority to review and reduce payment

29  for increased fees due to continued enrollment in a

30  college-preparatory class on an individual basis, contingent

31  upon a student's financial hardship, pursuant to definitions

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 536
    5-533-98




  1  and fee levels established by the State Board of Community

  2  Colleges. Fee-nonexempt students enrolled in

  3  vocational-preparatory instruction shall be charged fees equal

  4  to the fees charged for certificate career education

  5  instruction. Each community college that conducts

  6  college-preparatory and vocational-preparatory instruction in

  7  the same class section may charge a single fee for both types

  8  of instruction.

  9         Section 2.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (4) of section

10  239.301, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

11         239.301  Adult general education.--

12         (4)

13         (d)  Expenditures for college-preparatory and lifelong

14  learning students shall be reported separately. Allocations

15  for college-preparatory courses shall be based on proportional

16  full-time equivalent enrollment. Program review results shall

17  be included in the determination of subsequent allocations.  A

18  student shall be funded to enroll in the same

19  college-preparatory class within a skill area only twice once,

20  after which time the student shall pay 100 percent of the full

21  cost of instruction to support the continuous enrollment of

22  that student in the same class;  however, students who

23  withdraw or fail a class due to extenuating circumstances may

24  be granted an exception only once for each class, provided

25  approval is granted according to policy established by the

26  board of trustees. Each community college shall have the

27  authority to review and reduce payment for increased fees due

28  to continued enrollment in a college-preparatory class on an

29  individual basis contingent upon the student's financial

30  hardship, pursuant to definitions and fee levels established

31  by the State Board of Community Colleges. College-preparatory

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 536
    5-533-98




  1  and lifelong learning courses do not generate credit toward an

  2  associate or baccalaureate degree.

  3         Section 3.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section

  4  240.117, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

  5         240.117  Common placement testing for public

  6  postsecondary education.--

  7         (4)(a)  Community college or state university students

  8  who have been identified as requiring additional preparation

  9  pursuant to subsection (1) shall enroll in college-preparatory

10  or other adult education pursuant to s. 239.301 in community

11  colleges to develop needed college-entry skills.  These

12  students shall be permitted to take courses within their

13  degree program concurrently in other curriculum areas for

14  which they are qualified while enrolled in college-preparatory

15  instruction courses.  A student enrolled in a

16  college-preparatory course may concurrently enroll only in

17  college credit courses that do not require the skills

18  addressed in the college-preparatory course.  The State Board

19  of Community Colleges shall specify the college credit courses

20  that are acceptable for students enrolled in each

21  college-preparatory skill area, pursuant to s. 240.311(3)(q).

22  A student who wishes to earn an associate in arts or a

23  baccalaureate degree, but who is required to complete a

24  college-preparatory course, must successfully complete the

25  required college-preparatory studies by the time the student

26  has accumulated 12 hours of lower-division college credit

27  degree coursework; however, a student may continue enrollment

28  in degree-earning coursework provided the student maintains

29  enrollment in college-preparatory coursework for each

30  subsequent semester until college-preparatory coursework

31  requirements are completed, and the student demonstrates

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 536
    5-533-98




  1  satisfactory performance in degree-earning coursework.  A

  2  passing score on a standardized, institutionally developed

  3  test must be achieved before a student is considered to have

  4  met basic computation and communication skills requirements;

  5  however, no student shall be required to retake any test or

  6  subtest that was previously passed by that said student.  A

  7  student shall be funded to enroll in the same

  8  college-preparatory class within a skill area only twice once,

  9  after which time the student shall pay 100 percent of the full

10  cost of instruction to support continuous enrollment of that

11  student in the same class and such student shall not be

12  included in calculations of full-time equivalent enrollments

13  for state funding purposes; however, students who withdraw or

14  fail a class due to extenuating circumstances may be granted

15  an exception only once for each class, provided approval is

16  granted according to policy established by the board of

17  trustees. Each community college shall have the authority to

18  review and reduce fees paid by students due to continued

19  enrollment in a college-preparatory class on an individual

20  basis contingent upon the student's financial hardship,

21  pursuant to definitions and fee levels established by the

22  State Board of Community Colleges. Credit awarded for

23  college-preparatory instruction may not be counted towards

24  fulfilling the number of credits required for a degree.

25         Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

26  law.

27

28            *****************************************

29                          SENATE SUMMARY

30    Increases to two the number of times a student will be
      funded to enroll in the same college-preparatory course
31    within a skill area.

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