| 1 | Representative Goodlette offered the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Amendment to Amendment (308089) (with title amendment) |
| 4 | Remove line(s) 476-897 and insert: |
| 5 | this section is $88 million. However, effective for tax years |
| 6 | beginning January 1, 2004, at least 1 percent of the total |
| 7 | statewide amount authorized for tax credits shall be reserved |
| 8 | for taxpayers who meet the definition of a small business |
| 9 | provided in s. 288.703(1) at the time of application. |
| 10 | (c) A taxpayer who files a Florida consolidated return as |
| 11 | a member of an affiliated group pursuant to s. 220.131(1) may be |
| 12 | allowed the credit on a consolidated return basis; however, the |
| 13 | total credit taken by the affiliated group is subject to the |
| 14 | limitation established under paragraph (a). |
| 15 | (d) Effective for tax years beginning January 1, 2004, a |
| 16 | taxpayer may rescind all or part of its allocated tax credit |
| 17 | under this section. The amount of the rescindment shall become |
| 18 | available for purposes of the cap for that state fiscal year |
| 19 | under this section to an eligible taxpayer as approved by the |
| 20 | department if the taxpayer receives notice from the department |
| 21 | that the rescindment has been accepted by the department, the |
| 22 | taxpayer has rescinded its tax credit prior to the conclusion of |
| 23 | the taxpayer's tax year, and the taxpayer has not previously |
| 24 | rescinded any or all of its tax credit allocation under this |
| 25 | section more than once in the previous 3 tax years. Any amount |
| 26 | rescinded under this paragraph shall become available to an |
| 27 | eligible taxpayer on a first-come, first-served basis based on |
| 28 | tax credit applications received after the date the rescindment |
| 29 | is accepted by the department. |
| 30 | (4) OBLIGATIONS OF ELIGIBLE NONPROFIT SCHOLARSHIP-FUNDING |
| 31 | ORGANIZATIONS.--An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding |
| 32 | organization participating in the scholarship program |
| 33 | established in this section shall have the following |
| 34 | obligations: |
| 35 | (a) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization |
| 36 | shall provide corporate tax credit scholarships, from eligible |
| 37 | contributions, to qualified students for: |
| 38 | 1. Tuition or textbook expenses for, or transportation to, |
| 39 | an eligible private nonpublic school. At least 75 percent of |
| 40 | each the scholarship funding must be used to pay tuition |
| 41 | expenses; or |
| 42 | 2. Transportation expenses to a Florida public school that |
| 43 | is located outside the district in which the student resides or |
| 44 | to a lab school as defined in s. 1002.32. |
| 45 | (b) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization |
| 46 | shall give priority to qualified students who received a |
| 47 | scholarship from an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding |
| 48 | organization during the previous school year. |
| 49 | (c) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization |
| 50 | shall not provide a scholarship to a student who is receiving an |
| 51 | opportunity scholarship pursuant to s. 1002.38 or a John M. |
| 52 | McKay Scholarship pursuant to s. 1002.39. In addition, an |
| 53 | eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization shall not |
| 54 | provide a scholarship to a student who is receiving a corporate |
| 55 | tax credit scholarship from another eligible nonprofit |
| 56 | scholarship-funding organization. |
| 57 | (d)(c) The amount of a scholarship provided to any child |
| 58 | for any single school year by an all eligible nonprofit |
| 59 | scholarship-funding organization organizations from eligible |
| 60 | contributions shall not exceed the following annual limits: |
| 61 | 1. Three thousand five hundred dollars for a scholarship |
| 62 | awarded to a student enrolled in an eligible private nonpublic |
| 63 | school. |
| 64 | 2. Five hundred dollars for a scholarship awarded to a |
| 65 | student enrolled in a Florida public school that is located |
| 66 | outside the district in which the student resides or in a lab |
| 67 | school as defined in s. 1002.32. |
| 68 | (e)(d) The amount of an eligible contribution which may be |
| 69 | accepted by an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding |
| 70 | organization is limited to the amount needed to provide |
| 71 | scholarships for qualified students which the organization has |
| 72 | identified and for which vacancies in eligible private nonpublic |
| 73 | schools have been identified. |
| 74 | (f)(e) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding |
| 75 | organization that receives an eligible contribution must spend |
| 76 | 100 percent of the eligible contribution to provide scholarships |
| 77 | in the same state fiscal year in which the contribution was |
| 78 | received. No portion of eligible contributions may be used for |
| 79 | administrative expenses. All interest accrued from contributions |
| 80 | must be used for scholarships. |
| 81 | (g) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization |
| 82 | must maintain separate accounts for scholarship funds and |
| 83 | operating funds. |
| 84 | (h) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization |
| 85 | may transfer funds to another eligible nonprofit scholarship- |
| 86 | funding organization when additional funds are required to meet |
| 87 | scholarship demand. The scholarship-funding organization |
| 88 | transferring funds must request approval for the transfer from |
| 89 | the Department of Education and provide documentation to support |
| 90 | the transfer, including a listing of the scholarships to be |
| 91 | funded from the transfer. The Department of Education shall |
| 92 | verify the listing of students to receive scholarships from the |
| 93 | transfer. No funds may be transferred unless matching eligible |
| 94 | scholarship recipients can be identified by the scholarship- |
| 95 | funding organization receiving the transfer. |
| 96 | (i)(f) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding |
| 97 | organization that receives eligible contributions must provide |
| 98 | to the Auditor General and the Department of Education an annual |
| 99 | financial and compliance audit of its accounts and records |
| 100 | conducted by an independent certified public accountant and in |
| 101 | accordance with rules adopted by the Auditor General. The audit |
| 102 | must be conducted in compliance with generally accepted auditing |
| 103 | standards and must include a report on financial statements |
| 104 | presented in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting |
| 105 | Principles set forth by the American Institute of Certified |
| 106 | Public Accountants for not-for-profit organizations and a |
| 107 | determination of compliance with the statutory eligibility and |
| 108 | expenditure requirements set forth in this section. Audits must |
| 109 | be provided to the Auditor General and the Department of |
| 110 | Education within 180 days after completion of the nonprofit |
| 111 | scholarship-funding organization's fiscal year. |
| 112 | (j)(g) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding |
| 113 | organization shall obtain verification from the private school |
| 114 | of a student's continued attendance at the school prior to each |
| 115 | scholarship payment. Payment of the scholarship shall be made by |
| 116 | the eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization no less |
| 117 | frequently than on a quarterly basis. Payment of the scholarship |
| 118 | by the eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization shall |
| 119 | be by individual warrant or check made payable to the student's |
| 120 | parent. If the parent chooses for his or her child to attend an |
| 121 | eligible private nonpublic school, the warrant or check must be |
| 122 | mailed by the eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding |
| 123 | organization to the private nonpublic school of the parent's |
| 124 | choice, and the parent shall restrictively endorse the warrant |
| 125 | or check to the private nonpublic school. An eligible nonprofit |
| 126 | scholarship-funding organization shall ensure that, upon receipt |
| 127 | of a scholarship warrant or check, the parent to whom the |
| 128 | warrant or check is made restrictively endorses the warrant or |
| 129 | check to the private nonpublic school of the parent's choice for |
| 130 | deposit into the account of the private nonpublic school. |
| 131 | (k) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization |
| 132 | must prepare and submit quarterly reports to the Department of |
| 133 | Education pursuant to subsection (7). In addition, an eligible |
| 134 | nonprofit scholarship-funding organization must submit in a |
| 135 | timely manner any information requested by the Department of |
| 136 | Education relating to the scholarship program. |
| 137 | (l) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization |
| 138 | must verify the income of all applicants participating in the |
| 139 | scholarship program each year with independent income |
| 140 | documentation. |
| 141 | (m)1. An owner or operator of an eligible nonprofit |
| 142 | scholarship-funding organization must, within 5 days after |
| 143 | assuming ownership or decisionmaking authority, file with the |
| 144 | Department of Law Enforcement a complete set of fingerprints for |
| 145 | state processing for a criminal background check and the |
| 146 | Department of Law Enforcement shall in turn submit the |
| 147 | fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for federal |
| 148 | processing for a background check. The costs of fingerprinting |
| 149 | and the background check shall not be borne by the state. |
| 150 | 2. The results of a criminal background check shall be |
| 151 | reported to the owner or operator of the eligible nonprofit |
| 152 | scholarship-funding organization and to the Department of |
| 153 | Education. |
| 154 | 3. A nonprofit scholarship-funding organization whose |
| 155 | owner or operator has been convicted of a crime involving moral |
| 156 | turpitude or a crime that bears upon the fitness of the owner or |
| 157 | operator to have responsibility for the safety and well-being of |
| 158 | children shall not be eligible to provide scholarships under |
| 159 | this section. |
| 160 | (n) A nonprofit scholarship-funding organization whose |
| 161 | owner or operator in the last 7 years has filed for personal |
| 162 | bankruptcy or corporate bankruptcy in a corporation in which he |
| 163 | or she owned more than 20 percent of the corporation shall not |
| 164 | be eligible to provide scholarships under this section. |
| 165 | (o) An owner or operator of an eligible nonprofit |
| 166 | scholarship-funding organization is prohibited from owning or |
| 167 | operating an eligible private school that is participating in |
| 168 | the scholarship program. |
| 169 | (p) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization |
| 170 | shall report to the Department of Education any private school |
| 171 | that is not in compliance with the requirements of the |
| 172 | scholarship program. The eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding |
| 173 | organization shall not provide additional scholarship funds to a |
| 174 | parent for a student to attend the private school until a |
| 175 | determination is made by the Commissioner of Education that the |
| 176 | school is in compliance with the requirements of the scholarship |
| 177 | program. |
| 178 | (q) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization |
| 179 | must comply with the antidiscrimination provisions of 42 U.S.C. |
| 180 | s. 2000d. |
| 181 | (r) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization |
| 182 | shall allow a qualified student to attend any eligible private |
| 183 | school and shall allow a parent to transfer a scholarship during |
| 184 | a school year to any other eligible private school of the |
| 185 | parent's choice. |
| 186 | (s) An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization |
| 187 | must provide a scholarship to a qualified student on a first- |
| 188 | come, first-served basis unless the student qualifies for |
| 189 | priority pursuant to paragraph (b). An eligible nonprofit |
| 190 | scholarship-funding organization may not target scholarships to |
| 191 | a particular private school or provide scholarships to a child |
| 192 | of an owner or operator. |
| 193 | (5) PARENT OBLIGATIONS OF PARENTS AND STUDENTS.-- |
| 194 | (a) As a condition for scholarship payment pursuant to |
| 195 | paragraph (4)(j)(g), if the parent chooses for his or her child |
| 196 | to attend an eligible private nonpublic school, the parent must |
| 197 | inform the child's school district within 15 days after such |
| 198 | decision. |
| 199 | (b) Upon receipt of a scholarship warrant or check from |
| 200 | the eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization, the |
| 201 | parent to whom the warrant or check is made must restrictively |
| 202 | endorse the warrant or check to the private school for deposit |
| 203 | into the account of the private school. A private school may not |
| 204 | act as attorney in fact for parents of a scholarship student |
| 205 | under the authority of a power of attorney executed by such |
| 206 | parents or under any other authority allowing endorsement of |
| 207 | scholarship warrants on behalf of parents. If a parent refuses |
| 208 | to restrictively endorse a warrant to which a private school is |
| 209 | entitled, that student's scholarship shall be forfeited |
| 210 | immediately. |
| 211 | (c) Any student participating in the scholarship program |
| 212 | must remain in attendance throughout the school year unless |
| 213 | excused by the school for illness or other good cause and must |
| 214 | comply fully with the school's code of conduct. |
| 215 | (d) The parent of a student participating in the |
| 216 | scholarship program must comply fully with the private school's |
| 217 | parental involvement requirements unless excused by the school |
| 218 | for illness or other good cause. |
| 219 | (e) The parent of a student participating in the |
| 220 | scholarship program must ensure that the student participates in |
| 221 | the nationally norm-referenced testing required by this section. |
| 222 | Students with disabilities for whom standardized testing is not |
| 223 | appropriate are exempt from this requirement. |
| 224 | (f) A participant in the scholarship program who fails to |
| 225 | comply with this subsection forfeits the scholarship. |
| 226 | (6) ELIGIBLE PRIVATE NONPUBLIC SCHOOL OBLIGATIONS.--An |
| 227 | eligible private nonpublic school must: |
| 228 | (a) Demonstrate fiscal soundness by being in operation for |
| 229 | 2 or more consecutive school years or obtain one school year or |
| 230 | provide the Department of Education with a statement by a |
| 231 | certified public accountant confirming that the nonpublic school |
| 232 | desiring to participate is insured and the owner or owners have |
| 233 | sufficient capital or credit to operate the school for the |
| 234 | upcoming year serving the number of students anticipated with |
| 235 | expected revenues from tuition and other sources that may be |
| 236 | reasonably expected. In lieu of such a statement, a surety bond |
| 237 | or letter of credit for the amount equal to the scholarship |
| 238 | funds for any quarter to may be filed with the Department of |
| 239 | Education. The surety bond or letter of credit shall serve to |
| 240 | secure expenditures of scholarship funds should such funds be |
| 241 | found to have been used for unlawful purposes. However, if |
| 242 | during the school year a private school exhibits financial |
| 243 | difficulty or is otherwise not in compliance with this section, |
| 244 | the Commissioner of Education may impose additional requirements |
| 245 | on the private school, which may include additional security |
| 246 | bonding. |
| 247 | (b) Notify the Department of Education of its intent to |
| 248 | participate in the scholarship program. The notice must specify |
| 249 | the grade levels that the private school has available for |
| 250 | students participating in the scholarship program. |
| 251 | (c)(b) Comply with the antidiscrimination provisions of 42 |
| 252 | U.S.C. s. 2000d. |
| 253 | (d)(c) Meet state and local health and safety laws and |
| 254 | codes, including, but not limited to, laws pertaining to: |
| 255 | 1. Fire safety. |
| 256 | 2. Building codes. |
| 257 | (e)(d) Comply with all state laws relating to general |
| 258 | regulation of private nonpublic schools, including, but not |
| 259 | limited to, laws pertaining to: |
| 260 | 1. Annual private school survey required in s. 1002.42(2). |
| 261 | 2. Retention of records required in s. 1002.42(3). |
| 262 | 3. Attendance records and reports required in s. |
| 263 | 1003.23(2). |
| 264 | 4. School-entry health examinations and immunizations |
| 265 | required in s. 1003.22. |
| 266 | 5. Attendance requirements prescribed in ss. 1003.01(13) |
| 267 | and 1003.21(1). |
| 268 | (f) Employ or contract with teachers who hold |
| 269 | baccalaureate or higher degrees, have at least 3 years of |
| 270 | teaching experience in public or private schools, or have |
| 271 | special skills, knowledge, or expertise that qualifies them to |
| 272 | provide instruction in subjects taught. |
| 273 | (g) Annually administer or make provision for students |
| 274 | participating in the scholarship program to take the Iowa Test |
| 275 | of Basic Skills, the Stanford-9, or subsequent versions of these |
| 276 | tests, or an assessment identified by the Department of |
| 277 | Education under subsection (7). A participating private school |
| 278 | must report a student's scores to the parent and to the |
| 279 | independent private research organization selected by the |
| 280 | Department of Education pursuant to subsection (7). |
| 281 | (h) Within 60 days after employment, for any individual |
| 282 | with direct student contact with corporate tax credit |
| 283 | scholarship students, file with the Department of Law |
| 284 | Enforcement a complete set of fingerprints for state processing |
| 285 | for a criminal background check. The Department of Law |
| 286 | Enforcement shall in turn submit the fingerprints to the Federal |
| 287 | Bureau of Investigation for federal processing for a background |
| 288 | check. An "individual with direct student contact with corporate |
| 289 | tax credit scholarship students" means any individual who: |
| 290 | 1. Is employed by a private school in any capacity, |
| 291 | including an individual employed as a child care provider, a |
| 292 | teacher, or another member of school personnel, and who is |
| 293 | responsible for the provision of care, treatment, education, |
| 294 | training, instruction, supervision, or recreation of corporate |
| 295 | tax credit scholarship students; |
| 296 | 2. Is the owner or operator of the private school |
| 297 | accepting corporate tax credit scholarship students; or |
| 298 | 3. Has unsupervised access to a corporate tax credit |
| 299 | scholarship student for whom the private school is responsible. |
| 300 |
|
| 301 | The costs of fingerprinting and the background check shall not |
| 302 | be borne by the state. The results of a criminal background |
| 303 | check for private school owners shall be reported to the |
| 304 | Department of Education. The owner or operator of the private |
| 305 | school shall receive the results of a criminal background check |
| 306 | for all other persons subject to the private school background |
| 307 | check requirements and immediately report to the Department of |
| 308 | Education any individual with direct student contact with |
| 309 | corporate tax credit scholarship students who has failed the |
| 310 | Level 2 background check. Employment of such an individual shall |
| 311 | cause a private school to be ineligible for participation in the |
| 312 | scholarship program. An individual holding a valid Florida |
| 313 | teaching certificate who has been fingerprinted pursuant to s. |
| 314 | 1012.32 shall not be required to comply with the provisions of |
| 315 | this paragraph. |
| 316 | (i) Annually comply with the requirements of the |
| 317 | Department of Education to complete a notarized sworn compliance |
| 318 | statement certifying compliance with state laws pursuant to |
| 319 | subsection (7). |
| 320 | (j) Notify the Department of Education and the eligible |
| 321 | nonprofit scholarship-funding organization if any participating |
| 322 | student is receiving a warrant or check from more than one |
| 323 | eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization. |
| 324 | (k) Comply with all applicable state agency rules relating |
| 325 | to private schools. |
| 326 | (l) Publish and report, as part of the annual database |
| 327 | survey form and notarized statement of compliance required |
| 328 | pursuant to s. 1002.42(2), to the Department of Education and |
| 329 | distribute to the scholarship applicants: |
| 330 | 1. Whether the private school is accredited by an in-state |
| 331 | or regional accrediting association that is validated by a |
| 332 | third-party accreditor at the state or national level which has |
| 333 | been in existence at least 3 years. |
| 334 | 2. The name of the accrediting association that accredits |
| 335 | the private school. |
| 336 | 3. Whether the private school is in the process of |
| 337 | receiving candidate status. |
| 338 |
|
| 339 | The inability of a private school to meet the requirements of |
| 340 | this subsection shall constitute a basis for the ineligibility |
| 341 | of the private school to participate in the scholarship program |
| 342 | as determined by the Department of Education. |
| 343 | (7) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION, |
| 344 | AND STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION OBLIGATIONS; RESPONSIBILITIES.-- |
| 345 | (a) The Department of Education shall: |
| 346 | 1. Annually submit to the Department of Revenue, by March |
| 347 | 15, a list of eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding |
| 348 | organizations that meet the requirements of paragraph (2)(c). |
| 349 | 2. Annually verify the eligibility of nonprofit |
| 350 | scholarship-funding organizations that meet the requirements of |
| 351 | paragraph (2)(c). |
| 352 | 3. Annually verify the eligibility of private schools that |
| 353 | meet the requirements of paragraph (2)(d). |
| 354 | 4. Annually verify the eligibility of expenditures as |
| 355 | provided in subsection (4). |
| 356 | 5. Establish a toll-free hotline that provides parents, |
| 357 | private schools, and nonprofit scholarship-funding organizations |
| 358 | with information on participation in the scholarship program. |
| 359 | 6. Establish a process by which individuals may notify the |
| 360 | Department of Education of any violation by a private school or |
| 361 | nonprofit scholarship-funding organization of state laws |
| 362 | relating to scholarship program participation. The department |
| 363 | shall conduct an investigation of any written complaint of a |
| 364 | violation of this section if the complaint is signed by the |
| 365 | complainant and is legally sufficient. A complaint is legally |
| 366 | sufficient if it contains ultimate facts that show that a |
| 367 | violation of this section or any rule adopted by the State Board |
| 368 | of Education or other state agency has occurred. In order to |
| 369 | determine legal sufficiency, the Department of Education may |
| 370 | require supporting information or documentation from the |
| 371 | complainant. In addition, the department is authorized to |
| 372 | investigate anonymous complaints. |
| 373 | 7. Require annual completion of a notarized sworn |
| 374 | compliance statement by participating private schools certifying |
| 375 | compliance with state laws and retain such records. |
| 376 | 8. Identify all nationally norm-referenced tests that are |
| 377 | comparable to the norm-referenced test portions of the Florida |
| 378 | Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). |
| 379 | 9. Select an independent private research organization to |
| 380 | which participating private schools must report the scores of |
| 381 | participating students on the assessments administered by the |
| 382 | private school under paragraph (6)(g). The independent private |
| 383 | research organization must annually report to the Department of |
| 384 | Education on the year-to-year improvements of the participating |
| 385 | students. The independent private research organization must |
| 386 | analyze and report student performance data, including student |
| 387 | scores by grade level, in a manner that protects the rights of |
| 388 | students and parents as mandated in 20 U.S.C. s. 1232g and must |
| 389 | not disaggregate data to a level that will disclose the academic |
| 390 | level of individuals or of individual schools. To the extent |
| 391 | possible, the independent private research organization must |
| 392 | accumulate historical performance data on students from the |
| 393 | Department of Education and private schools to describe baseline |
| 394 | performance and to conduct longitudinal studies. To minimize |
| 395 | costs and reduce time required for third-party analysis and |
| 396 | evaluation, the Department of Education shall conduct analyses |
| 397 | of matched students from public school assessment data and |
| 398 | calculate control group learning gains using an agreed upon |
| 399 | methodology outlined in the contract with the third-party |
| 400 | evaluator. The sharing of student data must be in accordance |
| 401 | with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act requirements |
| 402 | and shall be for the sole purpose of conducting the evaluation. |
| 403 | All parties must preserve the confidentiality of such |
| 404 | information. |
| 405 | 10. Provide a private school profile on-line for those |
| 406 | private schools participating in the scholarship program. |
| 407 | 11. Notify an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding |
| 408 | organization of any of the organization's identified students |
| 409 | who are receiving an opportunity scholarship pursuant to s. |
| 410 | 1002.38 or a John M. McKay Scholarship pursuant to s. 1002.39. |
| 411 | 12. Notify an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding |
| 412 | organization of any of the organization's identified students |
| 413 | who are receiving a corporate tax credit scholarship from |
| 414 | another eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization. |
| 415 | 13. Require quarterly reports by an eligible nonprofit |
| 416 | scholarship-funding organization regarding the number of |
| 417 | students participating in the scholarship program, the private |
| 418 | schools at which the students are enrolled, and other |
| 419 | information deemed necessary by the Department of Education. |
| 420 | 14. Regularly cross-check the list of participating |
| 421 | scholarship students with the public school enrollment lists to |
| 422 | avoid duplication. |
| 423 | (b) The Commissioner of Education shall revoke the |
| 424 | eligibility of a nonprofit scholarship-funding organization, |
| 425 | private school, or student to participate in the scholarship |
| 426 | program for noncompliance with this section. |
| 427 |
|
| 428 | ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ============= |
| 429 | Remove line(s) 997-1021 and insert: |
| 430 | provision of a scholarship; requiring a separate account for |
| 431 | scholarship funds; authorizing transfer of funds between |
| 432 | scholarship-funding organizations; specifying audit |
| 433 | requirements; requiring quarterly scholarship payments and |
| 434 | reports; requiring income verification; requiring fingerprinting |
| 435 | and criminal background checks; providing restrictions on |
| 436 | scholarship-funding organization ownership or operation; |
| 437 | providing for reporting of noncompliant private schools; |
| 438 | providing parent and student obligations; prohibiting power of |
| 439 | attorney for endorsing scholarship checks; revising requirements |
| 440 | for private school fiscal soundness; providing additional |
| 441 | private school obligations, including compliance with specified |
| 442 | laws, employment of qualified teachers, and provision of student |
| 443 | testing; requiring fingerprinting and criminal background |
| 444 | checks; requiring annual completion of a notarized sworn |
| 445 | compliance statement; providing Department of Education and |
| 446 | Commissioner of Education obligations and responsibilities, |
| 447 | including verification of eligibility of program participants, |
| 448 | investigation of violations, selection of a research |
| 449 | organization to analyze student performance data, and revocation |
| 450 | of eligibility to participate in the scholarship program; |
| 451 | requiring |