Senate Bill sb0840er

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.


    ENROLLED

    2006 Legislature                  CS for SB 840, 1st Engrossed



  1                                 

  2         An act relating to early childhood education;

  3         amending s. 402.3017, F.S.; authorizing the

  4         Agency for Workforce Innovation to contract for

  5         the administration of the Teacher Education and

  6         Compensation Helps (TEACH) scholarship program;

  7         providing for rulemaking; deleting provisions

  8         that limit agency administration of the program

  9         to the 2005-2006 fiscal year; amending s.

10         411.01, F.S.; requiring the Agency for

11         Workforce Innovation to recommend a school

12         readiness equity allocation formula; providing

13         for changes in the allocation of funds to be

14         specified in the General Appropriations Act;

15         eliminating approval of the allocation formula

16         by the Legislative Budget Commission;

17         eliminating an obsolete provision; providing an

18         effective date.

19  

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

21  

22         Section 1.  Section 402.3017, Florida Statutes, is

23  amended to read:

24         402.3017  Teacher Education and Compensation Helps

25  (TEACH) scholarship program.--

26         (1)  The Legislature finds that the level of early

27  child care teacher education and training is a key predictor

28  for determining program quality. The Legislature also finds

29  that low wages for child care workers prevent many from

30  obtaining increased training and education and contribute to

31  high turnover rates. The Legislature therefore intends to help


                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.




    ENROLLED

    2006 Legislature                  CS for SB 840, 1st Engrossed



 1  fund a program which links teacher training and education to

 2  compensation and commitment to the field of early childhood

 3  education.

 4         (2)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation Department of

 5  Children and Family Services is authorized to contract for the

 6  administration of the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps

 7  (TEACH) scholarship program, which provides educational

 8  scholarships to caregivers and administrators of early

 9  childhood programs, family day care homes, and large family

10  child care homes.

11         (3)  The agency department shall adopt rules as

12  necessary to implement this section.

13         (4)  For the 2005-2006 fiscal year only, the Agency for

14  Workforce Innovation shall administer this section. This

15  subsection expires July 1, 2006.

16         Section 2.  Subsection (9) of section 411.01, Florida

17  Statutes, is amended to read:

18         411.01  School readiness programs; early learning

19  coalitions.--

20         (9)  FUNDING; SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM.--

21         (a)  It is the intent of this section to establish an

22  integrated and quality seamless service delivery system for

23  all publicly funded early childhood education and child care

24  programs operating in this state.

25         (b)1.  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall

26  administer school readiness funds, plans, and policies and

27  shall prepare and submit a unified budget request for the

28  school readiness system in accordance with chapter 216.

29         2.  All instructions to early learning coalitions for

30  administering this section shall emanate from the Agency for

31  


                                  2

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.




    ENROLLED

    2006 Legislature                  CS for SB 840, 1st Engrossed



 1  Workforce Innovation in accordance with the policies of the

 2  Legislature.

 3         (c)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall

 4  recommend adopt a formula for the allocation among the early

 5  learning coalitions of all state and federal school readiness

 6  funds for children participating in public or private school

 7  readiness programs based upon equity and performance. The

 8  allocation formula must be submitted to the Governor, and the

 9  chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee or its successor,

10  and the chair of the House Fiscal Council or its successor no

11  later than January 1 of each year. The Legislature shall

12  specify in the annual General Appropriations Act any changes

13  from the allocation methodology for the prior fiscal year

14  which must be used by the Agency for Workforce Innovation in

15  allocating the appropriations provided in the General

16  Appropriations Act Legislative Budget Commission. Upon

17  approval, the Legislative Budget Commission shall authorize

18  the Agency for Workforce Innovation to distribute funds in

19  accordance with the allocation formula. For fiscal year

20  2004-2005, the Agency for Workforce Innovation shall allocate

21  funds to the early learning coalitions consistent with the

22  fiscal year 2003-2004 funding allocations to the school

23  readiness coalitions.

24         (d)  All state, federal, and required local

25  maintenance-of-effort or matching funds provided to an early

26  learning coalition for purposes of this section shall be used

27  by the coalition for implementation of its school readiness

28  plan, including the hiring of staff to effectively operate the

29  coalition's school readiness program. As part of plan approval

30  and periodic plan review, the Agency for Workforce Innovation

31  shall require that administrative costs be kept to the minimum


                                  3

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.




    ENROLLED

    2006 Legislature                  CS for SB 840, 1st Engrossed



 1  necessary for efficient and effective administration of the

 2  school readiness plan, but total administrative expenditures

 3  must not exceed 5 percent unless specifically waived by the

 4  Agency for Workforce Innovation. The Agency for Workforce

 5  Innovation shall annually report to the Legislature any

 6  problems relating to administrative costs.

 7         (e)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall annually

 8  distribute, to a maximum extent practicable, all eligible

 9  funds provided under this section as block grants to the early

10  learning coalitions.

11         (f)  State funds appropriated for the school readiness

12  program may not be used for the construction of new facilities

13  or the purchase of buses. The Agency for Workforce Innovation

14  shall present to the Legislature recommendations for providing

15  necessary transportation services for school readiness

16  programs.

17         (g)  All cost savings and all revenues received through

18  a mandatory sliding fee scale shall be used to help fund each

19  early learning coalition's school readiness program.

20         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

21  

22  

23  

24  

25  

26  

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  


                                  4

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.