Bill Text: FL S2508 | 2015 | Regular Session | Prefiled
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Education
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-05-01 - Died on Calendar [S2508 Detail]
Download: Florida-2015-S2508-Prefiled.html
Bill Title: Education
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-05-01 - Died on Calendar [S2508 Detail]
Download: Florida-2015-S2508-Prefiled.html
Florida Senate - 2015 (PROPOSED BILL) SPB 2508 FOR CONSIDERATION By the Committee on Appropriations 576-01720G-15 20152508pb 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to education; amending s. 1001.7065, 3 F.S.; requiring a state research university to enter 4 into and maintain a formal agreement with a specified 5 organization to offer college-sponsored merit 6 scholarship awards as a condition of designation as a 7 preeminent state research university; specifying that 8 continuation of a state research university’s 9 institute for online learning is contingent on the 10 university entering into and maintaining such an 11 agreement; amending s. 1011.61, F.S.; revising the 12 term “full-time student” for the purposes of the 13 Florida Education Finance Program; amending s. 14 1011.62, F.S.; requiring supplemental academic 15 instruction categorical funds and research-based 16 reading instruction allocation funds to be used by a 17 school district with at least one of certain lowest 18 performing elementary schools for additional intensive 19 reading instruction at such school during the summer 20 program in addition to the school year; providing that 21 the additional instruction requirements continue in 22 the subsequent year for certain students; revising the 23 funding of full-time equivalent values for students 24 who earn CAPE industry certifications through dual 25 enrollment; increasing the bonus awarded to teachers 26 who provided instruction in courses that led to 27 certain CAPE industry certifications; specifying a 28 maximum bonus amount per teacher per school year; 29 revising the calculation of the discretionary millage 30 compression supplement amount; revising the 31 computation of district sparsity index for districts 32 with a specified full-time equivalent student 33 membership; deleting obsolete language; revising the 34 calculation of the virtual education contribution; 35 creating a federally connected student supplement for 36 school districts; specifying eligibility requirements 37 and calculations for the supplement; amending s. 38 1011.71, F.S.; a conforming a cross-reference; 39 authorizing enterprise resource software to be 40 acquired by certain fees and agreements; amending s. 41 1012.71, F.S.; requiring a classroom teacher to 42 provide the school district with receipts for the 43 expenditure of certain funds; requiring the Board of 44 Governors and the State Board of Education to base 45 state performance funds for the State University 46 System and the Florida College System, respectively, 47 on specified metrics adopted by each board; specifying 48 allocation of the funds; requiring certain funds to be 49 withheld from an institution based on specified 50 performance; requiring the boards to submit reports by 51 a specified time to the Governor and the Legislature; 52 requiring the boards to adopt rules; providing an 53 effective date. 54 55 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 56 57 Section 1. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 1001.7065, 58 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 59 1001.7065 Preeminent state research universities program.— 60 (3) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY DESIGNATION.—The 61 Board of Governors shall designate each state research 62 university that meets at least 11 of the 12 academic and 63 research excellence standards identified in subsection (2) and 64 that enters into and maintains a formal agreement with the 65 National Merit Scholarship Corporation to offer college 66 sponsored merit scholarship awards a preeminent state research 67 university. 68 (4) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR 69 ONLINE LEARNING.—A state research university that, as of July 1, 70 2013, metmeetsall 12 of the academic and research excellence 71 standards identified in subsection (2), as verified by the Board 72 of Governors, shall establish an institute for online learning. 73 Continuation of the institute for online learning is contingent 74 upon a state research university entering into and maintaining a 75 formal agreement with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation 76 to offer college-sponsored merit scholarship awards. The 77 institute shall establish a robust offering of high-quality, 78 fully online baccalaureate degree programs at an affordable cost 79 in accordance with this subsection. 80 (a) By August 1, 2013, the Board of Governors shall convene 81 an advisory board to support the development of high-quality, 82 fully online baccalaureate degree programs at the university. 83 (b) The advisory board shall: 84 1. Offer expert advice, as requested by the university, in 85 the development and implementation of a business plan to expand 86 the offering of high-quality, fully online baccalaureate degree 87 programs. 88 2. Advise the Board of Governors on the release of funding 89 to the university upon approval by the Board of Governors of the 90 plan developed by the university. 91 3. Monitor, evaluate, and report on the implementation of 92 the plan to the Board of Governors, the Governor, the President 93 of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 94 (c) The advisory board shall be composed of the following 95 five members: 96 1. The chair of the Board of Governors or the chair’s 97 permanent designee. 98 2. A member with expertise in online learning, appointed by 99 the Board of Governors. 100 3. A member with expertise in global marketing, appointed 101 by the Governor. 102 4. A member with expertise in cloud virtualization, 103 appointed by the President of the Senate. 104 5. A member with expertise in disruptive innovation, 105 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 106 (d) The president of the university shall be consulted on 107 the advisory board member appointments. 108 (e) A majority of the advisory board shall constitute a 109 quorum, elect the chair, and appoint an executive director. 110 (f) By September 1, 2013, the university shall submit to 111 the advisory board a comprehensive plan to expand high-quality, 112 fully online baccalaureate degree program offerings. The plan 113 shall include: 114 1. Existing on-campus general education courses and 115 baccalaureate degree programs that will be offered online. 116 2. New courses that will be developed and offered online. 117 3. Support services that will be offered to students 118 enrolled in online baccalaureate degree programs. 119 4. A tuition and fee structure that meets the requirements 120 in paragraph (k) for online courses, baccalaureate degree 121 programs, and student support services. 122 5. A timeline for offering, marketing, and enrolling 123 students in the online baccalaureate degree programs. 124 6. A budget for developing and marketing the online 125 baccalaureate degree programs. 126 7. Detailed strategies for ensuring the success of students 127 and the sustainability of the online baccalaureate degree 128 programs. 129 130 Upon recommendation of the plan by the advisory board and 131 approval by the Board of Governors, the Board of Governors shall 132 award the university $10 million in nonrecurring funds and $5 133 million in recurring funds for fiscal year 2013-2014 and $5 134 million annually thereafter, subject to appropriation in the 135 General Appropriations Act. 136 (g) Beginning in January 2014, the university shall offer 137 high-quality, fully online baccalaureate degree programs that: 138 1. Accept full-time, first-time-in-college students. 139 2. Have the same rigorous admissions criteria as equivalent 140 on-campus degree programs. 141 3. Offer curriculum of equivalent rigor to on-campus degree 142 programs. 143 4. Offer rolling enrollment or multiple opportunities for 144 enrollment throughout the year. 145 5. Do not require any on-campus courses. However, for 146 courses or programs that require clinical training or 147 laboratories that cannot be delivered online, the university 148 shall offer convenient locational options to the student, which 149 may include, but are not limited to, the option to complete such 150 requirements at a summer-in-residence on the university campus. 151 The university may provide a network of sites at convenient 152 locations and contract with commercial testing centers or 153 identify other secure testing services for the purpose of 154 proctoring assessments or testing. 155 6. Apply the university’s existing policy for accepting 156 credits for both freshman applicants and transfer applicants. 157 (h) The university may offer a fully online Master’s in 158 Business Administration degree program and other master’s degree 159 programs. 160 (i) The university may develop and offer degree programs 161 and courses that are competency based as appropriate for the 162 quality and success of the program. 163 (j) The university shall periodically expand its offering 164 of online baccalaureate degree programs to meet student and 165 market demands. 166 (k) The university shall establish a tuition structure for 167 its online institute in accordance with this paragraph, 168 notwithstanding any other provision of law. 169 1. For students classified as residents for tuition 170 purposes, tuition for an online baccalaureate degree program 171 shall be set at no more than 75 percent of the tuition rate as 172 specified in the General Appropriations Act pursuant to s. 173 1009.24(4) and 75 percent of the tuition differential pursuant 174 to s. 1009.24(16). No distance learning fee, fee for campus 175 facilities, or fee for on-campus services may be assessed, 176 except that online students shall pay the university’s 177 technology fee, financial aid fee, and Capital Improvement Trust 178 Fund fee. The revenues generated from the Capital Improvement 179 Trust Fund fee shall be dedicated to the university’s institute 180 for online learning. 181 2. For students classified as nonresidents for tuition 182 purposes, tuition may be set at market rates in accordance with 183 the business plan. 184 3. Tuition for an online degree program shall include all 185 costs associated with instruction, materials, and enrollment, 186 excluding costs associated with the provision of textbooks 187 pursuant to s. 1004.085 and physical laboratory supplies. 188 4. Subject to the limitations in subparagraph 1., tuition 189 may be differentiated by degree program as appropriate to the 190 instructional and other costs of the program in accordance with 191 the business plan. Pricing must incorporate innovative 192 approaches that incentivize persistence and completion, 193 including, but not limited to, a fee for assessment, a bundled 194 or all-inclusive rate, and sliding scale features. 195 5. The university must accept advance payment contracts and 196 student financial aid. 197 6. Fifty percent of the net revenues generated from the 198 online institute of the university shall be used to enhance and 199 enrich the online institute offerings, and 50 percent of the net 200 revenues generated from the online institute shall be used to 201 enhance and enrich the university’s campus state-of-the-art 202 research programs and facilities. 203 7. The institute may charge additional local user fees 204 pursuant to s. 1009.24(14) upon the approval of the Board of 205 Governors. 206 8. The institute shall submit a proposal to the president 207 of the university authorizing additional user fees for the 208 provision of voluntary student participation in activities and 209 additional student services. 210 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 211 1011.61, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 212 1011.61 Definitions.—Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 213 1000.21, the following terms are defined as follows for the 214 purposes of the Florida Education Finance Program: 215 (1) A “full-time equivalent student” in each program of the 216 district is defined in terms of full-time students and part-time 217 students as follows: 218 (a) A “full-time student” is one student on the membership 219 roll of one school program or a combination of school programs 220 listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) for the school year or the equivalent 221 for: 222 1. Instruction in a standard school, comprising not less 223 than 900 net hours for a student in or at the grade level of 4 224 through 12, or not less than 720 net hours for a student in or 225 at the grade level of kindergarten through grade 3 or in an 226 authorized prekindergarten exceptional program; 227 2. Instruction in a school that is operating with more than 228 one session approved by the Department of Education because of a 229 natural disaster, comprising not less than the equivalent of 810 230 net hours per session in grades 4 through 12 or not less than 231 630 net hours per session in kindergarten through grade 3; 232 3.2.Instruction in adouble-session school or aschool 233 utilizing an experimental school calendar approved by the 234 Department of Education, comprising not less than the equivalent 235 of 810 net hours in grades 4 through 12 or not less than 630 net 236 hours in kindergarten through grade 3; or 237 4.3.Instruction comprising the appropriate number of net 238 hours set forth in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 3. 239subparagraph 2.for students who, within the past year, have 240 moved with their parents for the purpose of engaging in the farm 241 labor or fish industries, if a plan furnishing such an extended 242 school day or week, or a combination thereof, has been approved 243 by the commissioner. Such plan may be approved to accommodate 244 the needs of migrant students only or may serve all students in 245 schools having a high percentage of migrant students. The plan 246 described in this subparagraph is optional for any school 247 district and is not mandated by the state. 248 249 The department shall determine and implement an equitable method 250 of equivalent funding for experimental schools and for schools 251 operating under emergency conditions, which schools have been 252 approved by the department to operate for less than the minimum 253 school day. 254 Section 3. Paragraphs (f) and (o) of subsection (1), 255 paragraph (a) of subsection (4), subsection (5), paragraph (b) 256 of subsection (7), paragraph (a) of subsection (9), subsection 257 (11), and present subsection (13) of section 1011.62, Florida 258 Statutes, are amended, present subsections (13), (14), and (15) 259 of that section are redesignated as subsections (14), (15), and 260 (16), respectively, and a new subsection (13) is added to that 261 section, to read: 262 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual 263 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each 264 district for operation of schools is not determined in the 265 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing 266 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as 267 follows: 268 (1) COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR 269 OPERATION.—The following procedure shall be followed in 270 determining the annual allocation to each district for 271 operation: 272 (f) Supplemental academic instruction; categorical fund.— 273 1. There is created a categorical fund to provide 274 supplemental academic instruction to students in kindergarten 275 through grade 12. This paragraph may be cited as the 276 “Supplemental Academic Instruction Categorical Fund.” 277 2. Categorical funds for supplemental academic instruction 278 shall be allocated annually to each school district in the 279 amount provided in the General Appropriations Act. These funds 280 shall be in addition to the funds appropriated on the basis of 281 FTE student membership in the Florida Education Finance Program 282 and shall be included in the total potential funds of each 283 district. These funds shall be used to provide supplemental 284 academic instruction to students enrolled in the K-12 program. 285 For the 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 fiscal 286 yearsyear, each school district that has one or more of the 300 287 lowest-performing elementary schools based on the state reading 288 assessment shall use these funds, together with the funds 289 provided in the district’s research-based reading instruction 290 allocation and other available funds, to provide an additional 291 hour of instruction beyond the normal school day for each day of 292 the entire school year, and to provide the equivalent hours of 293 instruction in a summer program, for intensive reading 294 instruction for the students in each of these schools. If a 295 participating school is no longer classified as one of the 300 296 lowest-performing elementary schools in the subsequent year, the 297 school must continue to provide the additional hour of intensive 298 reading instruction to all students who have Level 1 or Level 2 299 reading assessment scores. This additional hour of instruction 300 must be provided by teachers or reading specialists who are 301 effective in teaching reading or by a K-5 mentoring reading 302 program that is supervised by a teacher who is effective at 303 teaching reading. Students enrolled in these schools who have 304 level 5 assessment scores may participate in the additional hour 305 of instruction on an optional basis. Exceptional student 306 education centers mayshallnot be included in the 300 schools. 307 After this requirement has been met, supplemental instruction 308 strategies may include, but are not limited to: modified 309 curriculum, reading instruction, after-school instruction, 310 tutoring, mentoring, class size reduction, extended school year, 311 intensive skills development in summer school, and other methods 312 for improving student achievement. Supplemental instruction may 313 be provided to a student in any manner and at any time during or 314 beyond the regular 180-day term identified by the school as 315 being the most effective and efficient way to best help that 316 student progress from grade to grade and to graduate. 317 3. Effective with the 1999-2000 fiscal year, funding on the 318 basis of FTE membership beyond the 180-day regular term shall be 319 provided in the FEFP only for students enrolled in juvenile 320 justice education programs or in education programs for 321 juveniles placed in secure facilities or programs under s. 322 985.19. Funding for instruction beyond the regular 180-day 323 school year for all other K-12 students shall be provided 324 through the supplemental academic instruction categorical fund 325 and other state, federal, and local fund sources with ample 326 flexibility for schools to provide supplemental instruction to 327 assist students in progressing from grade to grade and 328 graduating. 329 4. The Florida State University School, as a lab school, is 330 authorized to expend from its FEFP or Lottery Enhancement Trust 331 Fund allocation the cost to the student of remediation in 332 reading, writing, or mathematics for any graduate who requires 333 remediation at a postsecondary educational institution. 334 5. Beginning in the 1999-2000 school year, dropout 335 prevention programs as defined in ss. 1003.52, 1003.53(1)(a), 336 (b), and (c), and 1003.54 shall be included in group 1 programs 337 under subparagraph (d)3. 338 (o) Calculation of additional full-time equivalent 339 membership based on successful completion of a career-themed 340 course pursuant to ss. 1003.491, 1003.492, and 1003.493, or 341 courses with embedded CAPE industry certifications or CAPE 342 Digital Tool certificates, and issuance of industry 343 certification identified on the CAPE Industry Certification 344 Funding List pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of 345 Education or CAPE Digital Tool certificates pursuant to s. 346 1003.4203.— 347 1.a. A value of 0.025 full-time equivalent student 348 membership shall be calculated for CAPE Digital Tool 349 certificates earned by students in elementary and middle school 350 grades. 351 b. A value of 0.1 or 0.2 full-time equivalent student 352 membership shall be calculated for each student who completes a 353 course as defined in s. 1003.493(1)(b) or courses with embedded 354 CAPE industry certifications and who is issued an industry 355 certification identified annually on the CAPE Industry 356 Certification Funding List approved under rules adopted by the 357 State Board of Education. A value of 0.2 full-time equivalent 358 membership shall be calculated for each student who is issued a 359 CAPE industry certification that has a statewide articulation 360 agreement for college credit approved by the State Board of 361 Education. For CAPE industry certifications that do not 362 articulate for college credit, the Department of Education shall 363 assign a full-time equivalent value of 0.1 for each 364 certification. Middle grades students who earn additional FTE 365 membership for a CAPE Digital Tool certificate pursuant to sub 366 subparagraph a. may not use the previously funded examination to 367 satisfy the requirements for earning an industry certification 368 under this sub-subparagraph. Additional FTE membership for an 369 elementary or middle grades student mayshallnot exceed 0.1 for 370 certificates or certifications earned within the same fiscal 371 year. The State Board of Education shall include the assigned 372 values on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List under 373 rules adopted by the state board. Such value shall be added to 374 the total full-time equivalent student membership for grades 6 375 through 12 in the subsequent yearfor courses that were not376provided through dual enrollment. CAPE industry certifications 377 earned through dual enrollment must be reported and funded 378 pursuant to s. 1011.80. However, if a student earns a 379 certification through a dual enrollment course and the 380 certification is not a fundable certification on the 381 postsecondary certification funding list, or the dual enrollment 382 certification is earned as a result of an agreement between a 383 school district and a nonpublic postsecondary institution, the 384 bonus value shall be funded in the same manner as for other 385 nondual enrollment course industry certifications. In such 386 cases, the school district may provide for an agreement between 387 the high school and the technical center, or the school district 388 and the postsecondary institution may enter into an agreement 389 for equitable distribution of the bonus funds. 390 c. A value of 0.3 full-time equivalent student membership 391 shall be calculated for student completion of the courses and 392 the embedded certifications identified on the CAPE Industry 393 Certification Funding List and approved by the commissioner 394 pursuant to ss. 1003.4203(5)(a) and 1008.44. 395 d. A value of 0.5 full-time equivalent student membership 396 shall be calculated for CAPE Acceleration Industry 397 Certifications that articulate for 15 to 29 college credit 398 hours, and 1.0 full-time equivalent student membership shall be 399 calculated for CAPE Acceleration Industry Certifications that 400 articulate for 30 or more college credit hours pursuant to CAPE 401 Acceleration Industry Certifications approved by the 402 commissioner pursuant to ss. 1003.4203(5)(b) and 1008.44. 403 2. Each district must allocate at least 80 percent of the 404 funds provided for CAPE industry certification, in accordance 405 with this paragraph, to the program that generated the funds. 406 This allocation may not be used to supplant funds provided for 407 basic operation of the program. 408 3. For CAPE industry certifications earned in the 2013-2014 409 school year and in subsequent years, the school district shall 410 distribute to each classroom teacher who provided direct 411 instruction toward the attainment of a CAPE industry 412 certification that qualified for additional full-time equivalent 413 membership under subparagraph 1.: 414 a. A bonusin the amountof $25 for each student taught by 415 a teacher who provided instruction in a course that led to the 416 attainment of a CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry 417 Certification Funding List with a weight of 0.1. 418 b. A bonusin the amountof $50 for each student taught by 419 a teacher who provided instruction in a course that led to the 420 attainment of a CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry 421 Certification Funding List with a weight of 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, and4221.0. 423 c. A bonus of $75 for each student taught by a teacher who 424 provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment of a 425 CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification 426 Funding List with a weight of 0.3. 427 d. A bonus of $100 for each student taught by a teacher who 428 provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment of a 429 CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification 430 Funding List with a weight of 0.5 or 1.0. 431 432 Bonuses awarded pursuant to this paragraph shall be provided to 433 teachers who are employed by the district in the year in which 434 the additional FTE membership calculation is included in the 435 calculation. Bonuses shall be calculated based upon the 436 associated weight of a CAPE industry certification on the CAPE 437 Industry Certification Funding List for the year in which the 438 certification is earned by the student. In a single school year, 439 aAnybonus awarded to a teacher under sub-subparagraph 3.a. or 440 sub-subparagraph 3.b.this paragraphmay not exceed $2,000 or 441 under sub-subparagraph 3.c. or sub-subparagraph 3.d. may not 442 exceed $4,000. The maximum bonus that may be awarded to a 443 teacher under this paragraph is $4,000 in a single school year. 444 This bonusin any given school yearandis in addition to any 445 regular wage or other bonus the teacher received or is scheduled 446 to receive. 447 (4) COMPUTATION OF DISTRICT REQUIRED LOCAL EFFORT.—The 448 Legislature shall prescribe the aggregate required local effort 449 for all school districts collectively as an item in the General 450 Appropriations Act for each fiscal year. The amount that each 451 district shall provide annually toward the cost of the Florida 452 Education Finance Program for kindergarten through grade 12 453 programs shall be calculated as follows: 454 (a) Estimated taxable value calculations.— 455 1.a. Not later than 2 working days prior to July 19, the 456 Department of Revenue shall certify to the Commissioner of 457 Education its most recent estimate of the taxable value for 458 school purposes in each school district and the total for all 459 school districts in the state for the current calendar year 460 based on the latest available data obtained from the local 461 property appraisers. The value certified shall be the taxable 462 value for school purposes for that year, and no further 463 adjustments shall be made, except those made pursuant to 464 paragraphs (c) and (d), or an assessment roll change required by 465 final judicial decisions as specified in paragraph (15)(b) 466(14)(b). Not later than July 19, the Commissioner of Education 467 shall compute a millage rate, rounded to the next highest one 468 one-thousandth of a mill, which, when applied to 96 percent of 469 the estimated state total taxable value for school purposes, 470 would generate the prescribed aggregate required local effort 471 for that year for all districts. The Commissioner of Education 472 shall certify to each district school board the millage rate, 473 computed as prescribed in this subparagraph, as the minimum 474 millage rate necessary to provide the district required local 475 effort for that year. 476 b. The General Appropriations Act shall direct the 477 computation of the statewide adjusted aggregate amount for 478 required local effort for all school districts collectively from 479 ad valorem taxes to ensure that no school district’s revenue 480 from required local effort millage will produce more than 90 481 percent of the district’s total Florida Education Finance 482 Program calculation as calculated and adopted by the 483 Legislature, and the adjustment of the required local effort 484 millage rate of each district that produces more than 90 percent 485 of its total Florida Education Finance Program entitlement to a 486 level that will produce only 90 percent of its total Florida 487 Education Finance Program entitlement in the July calculation. 488 2. On the same date as the certification in sub 489 subparagraph 1.a., the Department of Revenue shall certify to 490 the Commissioner of Education for each district: 491 a. Each year for which the property appraiser has certified 492 the taxable value pursuant to s. 193.122(2) or (3), if 493 applicable, since the prior certification under sub-subparagraph 494 1.a. 495 b. For each year identified in sub-subparagraph a., the 496 taxable value certified by the appraiser pursuant to s. 497 193.122(2) or (3), if applicable, since the prior certification 498 under sub-subparagraph 1.a. This is the certification that 499 reflects all final administrative actions of the value 500 adjustment board. 501 (5) DISCRETIONARY MILLAGE COMPRESSION SUPPLEMENT.—The 502 Legislature shall prescribe in the General Appropriations Act, 503 pursuant to s. 1011.71(1), the rate of nonvoted current 504 operating discretionary millage that shall be used to calculate 505 a discretionary millage compression supplement. If the 506 prescribed millage generates an amount of funds per unweighted 507 FTE for the district that is less than 105 percent of the state 508 average, the district shall receive an amount per FTE that, when 509 added to the funds per FTE generated by the designated levy, 510 shall equal 105 percent of the state average. 511 (7) DETERMINATION OF SPARSITY SUPPLEMENT.— 512 (b) The district sparsity index shall be computed by 513 dividing the total number of full-time equivalent students in 514 all programs in the district by the number of senior high school 515 centers in the district, not in excess of three, which centers 516 are approved as permanent centers by a survey made by the 517 Department of Education. For districts with a full-time 518 equivalent student membership of at least 20,000, but no more 519 than 24,000, the index shall be computed by dividing the total 520 number of full-time equivalent students in all programs by the 521 number of permanent senior high school centers in the district, 522 not to exceed four. 523 (9) RESEARCH-BASED READING INSTRUCTION ALLOCATION.— 524 (a) The research-based reading instruction allocation is 525 created to provide comprehensive reading instruction to students 526 in kindergarten through grade 12. For the 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 527 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 fiscal yearsyear, in each school 528 district that has one or more of the 300 lowest-performing 529 elementary schools based on the state reading assessment, 530 priority shall be given to providing an additional hour per day 531 of intensive reading instruction beyond the normal school day 532 for each day of the entire school year, and to providing the 533 equivalent hours of instruction in a summer program, for the 534 students in each school. If a participating school is no longer 535 classified as one of the 300 lowest-performing elementary 536 schools in the subsequent year, the school must continue to 537 provide the additional hour of intensive reading instruction to 538 all students who have Level 1 or Level 2 reading assessment 539 scores. Students enrolled in these schools who have level 5 540 assessment scores may participate in the additional hour of 541 instruction on an optional basis. Exceptional student education 542 centers mayshallnot be included in the 300 schools. The 543 intensive reading instruction delivered in this additional hour 544 and for other students shall include: research-based reading 545 instruction that has been proven to accelerate progress of 546 students exhibiting a reading deficiency; differentiated 547 instruction based on student assessment data to meet students’ 548 specific reading needs; explicit and systematic reading 549 development in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, 550 and comprehension, with more extensive opportunities for guided 551 practice, error correction, and feedback; and the integration of 552 social studies, science, and mathematics-text reading, text 553 discussion, and writing in response to reading.For the 20125542013 and 2013-2014 fiscal years, a school district may not hire555more reading coaches than were hired during the 2011-2012 fiscal556year unless all students in kindergarten through grade 5 who557demonstrate a reading deficiency, as determined by district and558state assessments, including students scoring Level 1 or Level 2559on the statewide, standardized reading assessment or, upon560implementation, the English Language Arts assessment, are561provided an additional hour per day of intensive reading562instruction beyond the normal school day for each day of the563entire school year.564 (11) VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONTRIBUTION.—The Legislature may 565 annually provide in the Florida Education Finance Program a 566 virtual education contribution. The amount of the virtual 567 education contribution shall be the difference between the 568 amount per FTE established in the General Appropriations Act for 569 virtual education and the amount per FTE for each district and 570 the Florida Virtual School, which may be calculated by taking 571 the sum of the base FEFP allocation, the declining enrollment 572 supplement, the discretionary local effort, the state-funded 573 discretionary contribution, the discretionary millage 574 compression supplement, the research-based reading instruction 575 allocation, the exceptional student education guaranteed 576 allocation, and the instructional materials allocation, and then 577 dividing by the total unweighted FTE. This difference shall be 578 multiplied by the virtual education unweighted FTE for programs 579 and options identified in s. 1002.455(3) and the Florida Virtual 580 School and its franchises to equal the virtual education 581 contribution and shall be included as a separate allocation in 582 the funding formula. 583 (13) FEDERALLY CONNECTED STUDENT SUPPLEMENT.—The federally 584 connected student supplement is created to provide supplemental 585 funding for school districts to support the education of 586 students connected with federally owned military installations, 587 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) property, 588 and Indian lands. To be eligible for this supplement, the 589 district must be eligible for federal Impact Aid Program funds 590 under Title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 591 of 1965. The supplement shall be the sum of the student 592 allocation and an exempt property allocation. 593 (a) The student allocation shall be calculated based on the 594 number of students reported for federal Impact Aid Program 595 funds, including students with disabilities, who meet one of the 596 following criteria: 597 1. Resides with a parent who is on active duty in the 598 uniformed services or is an accredited foreign government 599 official and military officer. Students with disabilities shall 600 also be reported separately for this condition. 601 2. Resides on eligible federally owned Indian lands. 602 Students with disabilities shall also be reported separately for 603 this condition. 604 3. Resides with a civilian parent who lives or works on 605 eligible federal property connected with a military installation 606 or NASA. The number of these students shall be multiplied by a 607 factor of 0.5. 608 (b) The total number of federally connected students 609 calculated under paragraph (a) shall be multiplied by a 610 percentage of the base student allocation as provided in the 611 General Appropriations Act. The total of the number of students 612 with disabilities as reported separately under subparagraphs 613 (a)1. and (a)2. shall be multiplied by an additional percentage 614 of the base student allocation as provided in the General 615 Appropriations Act. The base amount and the amount for students 616 with disabilities shall be summed to provide the student 617 allocation. 618 (c) The exempt-property allocation shall be equal to the 619 tax-exempt value of federal impact aid lands reserved as 620 military installations, real property owned by NASA, or eligible 621 federally owned Indian lands located in the district, as of 622 January 1 of the previous year, multiplied by the millage 623 authorized and levied under s. 1011.71(2). 624 (14)(13)QUALITY ASSURANCE GUARANTEE.—The Legislature may 625 annually in the General Appropriations Act determine a 626 percentage increase in funds per K-12 unweighted FTE as a 627 minimum guarantee to each school district. The guarantee shall 628 be calculated from prior year base funding per unweighted FTE 629 student which shall include the adjusted FTE dollars as provided 630 in subsection (15)(14), quality guarantee funds, and actual 631 nonvoted discretionary local effort from taxes. From the base 632 funding per unweighted FTE, the increase shall be calculated for 633 the current year. The current year funds from which the 634 guarantee shall be determined shall include the adjusted FTE 635 dollars as provided in subsection (15)(14)and potential 636 nonvoted discretionary local effort from taxes. A comparison of 637 current year funds per unweighted FTE to prior year funds per 638 unweighted FTE shall be computed. For those school districts 639 which have less than the legislatively assigned percentage 640 increase, funds shall be provided to guarantee the assigned 641 percentage increase in funds per unweighted FTE student. Should 642 appropriated funds be less than the sum of this calculated 643 amount for all districts, the commissioner shall prorate each 644 district’s allocation. This provision shall be implemented to 645 the extent specifically funded. 646 Section 4. Subsection (1) and paragraph (d) of subsection 647 (2) of section 1011.71, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 648 1011.71 District school tax.— 649 (1) If the district school tax is not provided in the 650 General Appropriations Act or the substantive bill implementing 651 the General Appropriations Act, each district school board 652 desiring to participate in the state allocation of funds for 653 current operation as prescribed by s. 1011.62(15)s. 1011.62(14)654 shall levy on the taxable value for school purposes of the 655 district, exclusive of millage voted under the provisions of s. 656 9(b) or s. 12, Art. VII of the State Constitution, a millage 657 rate not to exceed the amount certified by the commissioner as 658 the minimum millage rate necessary to provide the district 659 required local effort for the current year, pursuant to s. 660 1011.62(4)(a)1. In addition to the required local effort millage 661 levy, each district school board may levy a nonvoted current 662 operating discretionary millage. The Legislature shall prescribe 663 annually in the appropriations act the maximum amount of millage 664 a district may levy. 665 (2) In addition to the maximum millage levy as provided in 666 subsection (1), each school board may levy not more than 1.5 667 mills against the taxable value for school purposes for district 668 schools, including charter schools at the discretion of the 669 school board, to fund: 670 (d) The purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of new and 671 replacement equipment; computer hardware, including electronic 672 hardware and other hardware devices necessary for gaining access 673 to or enhancing the use of electronic content and resources or 674 to facilitate the access to and the use of a school district’s 675 digital classrooms plan pursuant to s. 1011.62, excluding 676 software other than the operating system necessary to operate 677 the hardware or device; and enterprise resource software 678 applications that are classified as capital assets in accordance 679 with definitions of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, 680 have a useful life of at least 5 years, and are used to support 681 districtwide administration or state-mandated reporting 682 requirements. Enterprise resource software may be acquired by 683 annual license fees, maintenance fees, or lease agreements. 684 Section 5. Subsections (4), (5), and (6) of section 685 1012.71, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 686 1012.71 The Florida Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance 687 Program.— 688 (4) Each classroom teacher must provide the school district 689 with receipts for the expenditure of the funds. If the classroom 690 teacher is provided funds in advance of expenditure, theEach691 classroom teacher must sign a statement acknowledging receipt of 692 the funds, providekeepreceipts as requested by the school 693 districtfor no less than 4 yearsto show that funds expended 694 meet the requirements of this section, and return any unused 695 funds to the district school board byatthe end of the regular 696 school year. Any unused funds that are returned to the district 697 school board shall be deposited into the school advisory council 698 account of the school at which the classroom teacher returning 699 the funds was employed when that teacher received the funds or 700 deposited into the Florida Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance 701 Program account of the school district in which a charter school 702 is sponsored, as applicable. 703(5) The statement must be signed and dated by each704classroom teacher before receipt of the Florida Teachers705Classroom Supply Assistance Program funds and shall include the706wording: “I,...(name of teacher)..., am employed by the707....County District School Board or by the....Charter School as708a full-time classroom teacher. I acknowledge that Florida709Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance Program funds are710appropriated by the Legislature for the sole purpose of711purchasing classroom materials and supplies to be used in the712instruction of students assigned to me. In accepting custody of713these funds, I agree to keep the receipts for all expenditures714for no less than 4 years. I understand that if I do not keep the715receipts, it will be my personal responsibility to pay any716federal taxes due on these funds. I also agree to return any717unexpended funds to the district school board at the end of the718regular school year for deposit into the school advisory council719account of the school where I was employed at the time I720received the funds or for deposit into the Florida Teachers721Classroom Supply Assistance Program account of the school722district in which the charter school is sponsored, as723applicable.”724 (5)(6)The Department of Education and district school 725 boards may, and are encouraged to, enter into public-private 726 partnerships in order to increase the total amount of Florida 727 Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance Programs funds available to 728 classroom teachers. 729 Section 6. (1) The State University System Performance 730 Based Incentive shall be based on indicators of institutional 731 attainment of performance metrics adopted by the Board of 732 Governors. The performance-based funding metrics must include, 733 but are not limited to, metrics that measure graduation and 734 retention rates; degree production; affordability; 735 postgraduation employment, salaries, or further education; 736 student loan default rates; access; and any other metrics 737 approved by the board. 738 (2) The Board of Governors shall evaluate the institutions’ 739 performance on the metrics based on benchmarks adopted by the 740 board which measure the achievement of institutional excellence 741 or improvement. Each fiscal year, the amount of funds available 742 for allocation to the institutions based on the performance 743 funding model shall consist of the state’s investment in 744 performance funding, plus an institutional investment consisting 745 of funds to be redistributed from the base funding of the State 746 University System, as determined in the General Appropriations 747 Act. The institutional investment shall be restored for all 748 institutions that meet the board’s minimum performance threshold 749 under the performance funding model. An institution that is one 750 of the bottom three institutions or fails to meet the board’s 751 minimum performance funding threshold is not eligible for the 752 state’s investment, shall have a portion of its institutional 753 investment withheld, and shall submit an improvement plan to the 754 board that specifies the activities and strategies for improving 755 the institution’s performance. 756 (3) By October 1 of each year, the Board of Governors shall 757 submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the 758 Speaker of the House of Representatives a report on the previous 759 year’s performance funding allocation which reflects the 760 rankings and award distributions. 761 (4) The Board of Governors shall adopt a regulation to 762 implement this section. 763 Section 7. (1) The Florida College System Performance Based 764 Incentive shall be based on indicators of institutional 765 attainment of performance metrics adopted by the State Board of 766 Education. The performance-based funding metrics must be limited 767 to metrics that measure retention; program completion and 768 graduation rates; student loan default rates; job placement; and 769 postgraduation employment, salaries, or further education. 770 (2) The State Board of Education shall evaluate the 771 institutions’ performance on the metrics based on benchmarks 772 adopted by the board which measure the achievement of 773 institutional excellence or improvement. Each fiscal year, the 774 amount of funds available for allocation to the institutions 775 based on the performance funding model shall consist of the 776 state’s investment in performance funding, plus an institutional 777 investment consisting of funds to be redistributed from the base 778 funding of the Florida College System Program Fund, as 779 determined in the General Appropriations Act. The board shall 780 establish a minimum performance threshold that institutions must 781 meet in order to be eligible for the state’s investment in 782 performance funds. The institutional investment shall be 783 restored for all institutions eligible for the state’s 784 investment under the performance funding model. Any institution 785 that fails to meet the board’s minimum performance funding 786 threshold is not eligible for the state’s investment, shall have 787 a portion of its institutional investment withheld, and shall 788 submit an improvement plan to the board that specifies the 789 activities and strategies for improving the institution’s 790 performance. 791 (3) The State Board of Education must review the 792 improvement plan, and if approved, must monitor the 793 institution’s progress on implementing the specified activities 794 and strategies. The institutions shall submit monitoring reports 795 to the board no later than December 31 and May 31 of each year. 796 (4) The Commissioner of Education shall withhold 797 disbursement of the institutional investment until such time as 798 the monitoring report for the institution is approved by the 799 State Board of Education. Any institution that fails to make 800 satisfactory progress will not have its full institutional 801 investment restored. If all institutional investment funds are 802 not restored, any remaining funds shall be redistributed in 803 accordance with the board’s performance funding model. 804 (5) By October 1 of each year, the State Board of Education 805 shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and 806 the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report on the 807 previous year’s performance funding allocation which reflects 808 the rankings and award distributions. 809 (6) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 810 implement this section. 811 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.