Florida Senate - 2026                   (PROPOSED BILL) SPB 2514
       
       
        
       FOR CONSIDERATION By the Committee on Appropriations
       
       
       
       
       
       576-02415A-26                                         20262514pb
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to Pre-K-12 education; amending s.
    3         1002.411, F.S.; revising conditions under which a
    4         specified scholarship account’s funds revert to the
    5         state; amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; providing a
    6         supplement for districts that have a decline in
    7         enrollment; requiring that fiscally constrained
    8         districts receive a higher calculation than non
    9         fiscally constrained districts; providing an effective
   10         date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Paragraph (f) of subsection (5) of section
   15  1002.411, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   16         1002.411 New Worlds Scholarship Accounts.—
   17         (5) ACCOUNT FUNDING AND PAYMENT.—
   18         (f) A student’s scholarship account must be closed and any
   19  remaining funds shall revert to the state after:
   20         1. Denial or revocation of scholarship eligibility by the
   21  commissioner for fraud or abuse, including, but not limited to,
   22  the student or student’s parent accepting any payment, refund,
   23  or rebate, in any manner, from a provider of any services
   24  received pursuant to subsection (2); or
   25         2. December 31, 2026 One consecutive fiscal year in which
   26  an account has been inactive.
   27         Section 2. Subsection (20) is added to section 1011.62,
   28  Florida Statutes, to read:
   29         1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
   30  allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
   31  district for operation of schools is not determined in the
   32  annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
   33  the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
   34  follows:
   35         (20) DECLINING ENROLLMENT SUPPLEMENT.—In those districts
   36  where there is a decline between prior year and current year
   37  unweighted FTE students, the percentage of the decline in the
   38  unweighted FTE students, as specified in the General
   39  Appropriations Act, shall be multiplied by the current year base
   40  amount for the Florida Education Finance Program, as determined
   41  in paragraph (1)(n), per unweighted FTE student and shall be
   42  added to the allocation for that district. The percentage used
   43  for districts that are fiscally constrained must be greater than
   44  the percentage used for non-fiscally constrained districts.
   45         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.