Senate Bill sb0934

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                   SB 934

    By Senators Clary, Dyer, Sullivan and Miller





    7-286-01                                                See HB

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Florida School Improvement

  3         Academic Trust Fund matching grants; creating

  4         s. 236.1226, F.S.; creating the Florida School

  5         Improvement Academic Trust Fund matching grant

  6         program; providing legislative intent;

  7         requiring the Commissioner of Education to

  8         specify certain procedures; specifying uses of

  9         funds; providing for disbursement of funds;

10         providing for district-level and school-level

11         administration of funds; providing an effective

12         date.

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

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16         Section 1.  Section 236.1226, Florida Statutes, is

17  created to read:

18         236.1226  Florida School Improvement Academic Trust

19  Fund matching grants.--

20         (1)  LEGISLATIVE INTENT.--The Legislature recognizes

21  that private contributions can play a significant role in

22  enhancing, enriching, and improving academic programs for all

23  K-12 students in Florida's school districts and the Florida

24  School for the Deaf and the Blind. It is, therefore, the

25  intent of the Legislature to provide each school district and

26  the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind the opportunity

27  to strengthen private/public partnerships by offering private

28  donors the incentive of state matching funds for contributions

29  that support the improvement of academic programs within

30  public school districts and the Florida School for the Deaf

31  and the Blind.

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                   SB 934
    7-286-01                                                See HB




  1         (2)  MATCHING GRANTS.--The Florida School Improvement

  2  Academic Trust Fund shall be used to provide matching grants

  3  to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind Endowment

  4  Fund and to any public school district education foundation

  5  that meets the requirements of this section and is recognized

  6  by the local school district as its designated K-12 education

  7  foundation.

  8         (a)  The Commissioner of Education shall specify

  9  procedures for the administration, submission, documentation,

10  evaluation, and approval of requests for matching funds and

11  for maintaining accountability for endowments and the proceeds

12  of endowments.

13         (b)  Donations, state matching funds, or proceeds from

14  endowments established pursuant to this section shall be used

15  at the discretion of the public school district education

16  foundation or the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind

17  for the improvement of schools and academic achievement within

18  the school district or school, and shall not be expended for

19  the construction of facilities or for the support of

20  interscholastic athletics. Neither a public school district

21  education foundation nor the Florida School for the Deaf and

22  the Blind may accept or purchase facilities for which the

23  state will be asked for operating funds unless the Legislature

24  has granted prior approval for such acquisition.

25         (3)  ALLOCATION OF THE TRUST FUND.--Funds appropriated

26  to the Florida School Improvement Academic Trust Fund shall be

27  allocated by the Department of Education in the following

28  manner:

29         (a)  For every year in which there is a legislative

30  appropriation to the trust fund, an equal amount of the annual

31  appropriation, to be determined by dividing the total

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                   SB 934
    7-286-01                                                See HB




  1  legislative appropriation by the number of local education

  2  foundations, as well as the Florida School for the Deaf and

  3  the Blind, must be reserved for each public school district

  4  education foundation and the Florida School for the Deaf and

  5  the Blind Endowment Fund to provide each foundation and the

  6  Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind with an opportunity

  7  to receive and match appropriated funds. Trust funds that

  8  remain unmatched by contribution on April 1 of any year shall

  9  be made available for matching by any public school district

10  education foundation and by the Florida School for the Deaf

11  and the Blind, with an opportunity to apply for excess trust

12  funds prior to awarding such funds.

13         (b)  Challenge grants shall be proportionately

14  allocated from the trust fund on the basis of matching each $4

15  of state funds with $6 of private funds. To be eligible for

16  matching, a minimum of $4,500 must be raised from private

17  sources.

18         (c)  Funds sufficient to provide the match shall be

19  transferred from the state trust fund to the public school

20  education foundation or to the Florida School for the Deaf and

21  the Blind Endowment Fund upon notification that a

22  proportionate amount has been received and deposited by the

23  foundation or school into its own trust fund.

24         (d)  Matching dollars shall be distributed at the end

25  of the fourth quarter of each school district calendar year.

26  If the total of the amounts to be distributed in any quarter

27  pursuant to this subsection exceeds the amount of funds

28  remaining from specific appropriations made for the

29  implementation of this section, all grants shall be

30  proportionately reduced so that the total of matching grants

31  distributed does not exceed available appropriations.

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                   SB 934
    7-286-01                                                See HB




  1         (4)  DISTRICT-LEVEL AND SCHOOL-LEVEL ADMINISTRATION.--

  2         (a)  Each public school district education foundation

  3  and the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind

  4  participating in the Florida School Improvement and Academic

  5  Trust Fund shall separately account for all funds received

  6  pursuant to this section, and each may establish its own

  7  school improvement and academic trust fund as a depository for

  8  the private contributions, state matching funds, and earnings

  9  on investments of such funds. State matching funds shall be

10  transferred to the public school district education foundation

11  or to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind Endowment

12  Fund upon notification that the foundation or school has

13  received and deposited private contributions that meet the

14  criteria for matching as provided in this section. The public

15  school district education foundations and the Florida School

16  for the Deaf and the Blind are responsible for the

17  maintenance, investment, and administration of their school

18  improvement and academic improvement trust funds.

19         (b)  The public school district education foundations

20  and the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind shall be

21  responsible for soliciting and receiving contributions to be

22  deposited and matched with challenge grants for establishing

23  endowments for school improvement and academic achievement

24  within the school district or school.

25         (c)  Each public school district education foundation

26  and the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind shall be

27  responsible for proper expenditure of the funds received

28  pursuant to this section.

29         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                   SB 934
    7-286-01                                                See HB




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  2                       LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY

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      Creates the Florida School Improvement Academic Trust
  4    Fund matching grant program. Provides legislative intent.
      Requires the Commissioner of Education to specify certain
  5    procedures. Specifies uses of funds. Provides for
      disbursement of funds. Provides for district-level and
  6    school-level administration of funds.

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