Title: Florida Best and Brightest Programs

Summary: Repealing provisions relating to The Florida Best and Brightest Teacher Program and The Florida Best and Brightest Principal Program, etc.

Full Text:
An act relating to the Florida Best and Brightest programs; repealing s. 1012.731, F.S., relating to The Florida Best and Brightest Teacher Program; repealing s. 1012.732, F.S., relating to The Florida Best and Brightest Principal Program; amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; deleting an obsolete provision; conforming provisions to changes made by the act; amending s. 1011.71, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1.  Section 1012.731, Florida Statutes, is repealed. Section 2.  Section 1012.732, Florida Statutes, is repealed. Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) and subsections (11), (14), (17), and (18) of section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, are amended, to read: 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools. If the annual allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each district for operation of schools is not determined in the annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as follows: (4) COMPUTATION OF DISTRICT REQUIRED LOCAL EFFORT. The Legislature shall prescribe the aggregate required local effort for all school districts collectively as an item in the General Appropriations Act for each fiscal year. The amount that each district shall provide annually toward the cost of the Florida Education Finance Program for kindergarten through grade programs shall be calculated as follows: (a)  Estimated taxable value calculations.   1.a. Not later than working days before July 19, the Department of Revenue shall certify to the Commissioner of Education its most recent estimate of the taxable value for school purposes in each school district and the total for all school districts in the state for the current calendar year based on the latest available data obtained from the local property appraisers. The value certified shall be the taxable value for school purposes for that year, and no further adjustments shall be made, except those made pursuant to paragraphs (c) and (d), or an assessment roll change required by final judicial decisions as specified in paragraph (17)(b) (19)(b).Not later than July 19, the Commissioner of Education shall compute a millage rate, rounded to the next highest one one-thousandth of a mill, which, when applied to percent of the estimated state total taxable value for school purposes, would generate the prescribed aggregate required local effort for that year for all districts. The Commissioner of Education shall certify to each district school board the millage rate, computed as prescribed in this subparagraph, as the minimum millage rate necessary to provide the district required local effort for that year. b. The General Appropriations Act shall direct the computation of the statewide adjusted aggregate amount for required local effort for all school districts collectively from ad valorem taxes to ensure that no school district s revenue from required local effort millage will produce more than percent of the district s total Florida Education Finance Program calculation as calculated and adopted by the Legislature, and the adjustment of the required local effort millage rate of each district that produces more than percent of its total Florida Education Finance Program entitlement to a level that will produce only percent of its total Florida Education Finance Program entitlement in the July calculation. 2. On the same date as the certification in sub subparagraph 1.a., the Department of Revenue shall certify to the Commissioner of Education for each district: a. Each year for which the property appraiser has certified the taxable value pursuant to s. 193.122(2) or (3), if applicable, since the prior certification under sub-subparagraph 1.a. b. For each year identified in sub-subparagraph a., the taxable value certified by the appraiser pursuant to s. 193.122(2) or (3), if applicable, since the prior certification under sub-subparagraph 1.a. This is the certification that reflects all final administrative actions of the value adjustment board. (11) VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONTRIBUTION. The Legislature may annually provide in the Florida Education Finance Program a virtual education contribution. The amount of the virtual education contribution shall be the difference between the amount per FTE established in the General Appropriations Act for virtual education and the amount per FTE for each district and the Florida Virtual School, which may be calculated by taking the sum of the base FEFP allocation, the discretionary local effort, the state-funded discretionary contribution, the discretionary millage compression supplement, the research-based reading instruction allocation, the best and brightest teacher and principal allocation, and the instructional materials allocation, and then dividing by the total unweighted FTE. This difference shall be multiplied by the virtual education unweighted FTE for programs and options identified in s. 1002.455 and the Florida Virtual School and its franchises to equal the virtual education contribution and shall be included as a separate allocation in the funding formula. (14) QUALITY ASSURANCE GUARANTEE. The Legislature may annually in the General Appropriations Act determine a percentage increase in funds per K-12 unweighted FTE as a minimum guarantee to each school district. The guarantee shall be calculated from prior year base funding per unweighted FTE student,which shall include the adjusted FTE dollars as provided in subsection (17) (19),quality guarantee funds, and actual nonvoted discretionary local effort from taxes. From the base funding per unweighted FTE, the increase shall be calculated for the current year. The current year funds from which the guarantee shall be determined shall include the adjusted FTE dollars as provided in subsection (17) (19) and potential nonvoted discretionary local effort from taxes. A comparison of current year funds per unweighted FTE to prior year funds per unweighted FTE shall be computed. For those school districts which have less than the legislatively assigned percentage increase, funds shall be provided to guarantee the assigned percentage increase in funds per unweighted FTE student. Should appropriated funds be less than the sum of this calculated amount for all districts, the commissioner shall prorate each district s allocation. This provision shall be implemented to the extent specifically funded. (17) FUNDING COMPRESSION ALLOCATION. The Legislature may provide an annual funding compression allocation in the General Appropriations Act. The allocation is created to provide additional funding to school districts and developmental research schools whose total funds per FTE in the prior year were less than the statewide average. Using the most recent prior year FEFP calculation for each eligible school district, the total funds per FTE shall be subtracted from the state average funds per FTE, not including any adjustments made pursuant to paragraph (19)(b). The resulting funds per FTE difference, or a portion thereof, as designated in the General Appropriations Act, shall then be multiplied by the school district s total unweighted FTE to provide the allocation. If the calculated funds are greater than the amount included in the General Appropriations Act, they must be prorated to the appropriation amount based on each participating school district s share. This subsection expires July 1, 2020. (18) THE FLORIDA BEST AND BRIGHTEST TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL ALLOCATION.  (a) The Florida Best and Brightest Teacher and Principal Allocation is created to recruit, retain, and recognize classroom teachers and instructional personnel who meet the criteria established in s. 1012.731 and reward principals who meet the criteria established in s. 1012.732. Subject to annual appropriation, each school district shall receive an allocation based on the district s proportionate share of FEFP base funding. The Legislature may specify a minimum allocation for all districts in the General Appropriations Act. (b) From the allocation, each district shall provide the following: 1. A one-time recruitment award, as provided in s. 1012.731(3)(a); 2. A retention award, as provided in s. 1012.731(3)(b); and 3. A recognition award, as provided in s. 1012.731(3)(c) from the remaining balance of the appropriation after the payment of all other awards authorized under ss. 1012.731 and 1012.732. (c) From the allocation, each district shall provide eligible principals an award as provided in s. 1012.732(3). If a district s calculated awards exceed the allocation, the district may prorate the awards. Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 1011.71, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1011.71 District school tax.  (1) If the district school tax is not provided in the General Appropriations Act or the substantive bill implementing the General Appropriations Act, each district school board desiring to participate in the state allocation of funds for current operation as prescribed by s. 1011.62(17) s. 1011.62(19) shall levy on the taxable value for school purposes of the district, exclusive of millage voted under s. 9(b) or s. 12, Art. VII of the State Constitution, a millage rate not to exceed the amount certified by the commissioner as the minimum millage rate necessary to provide the district required local effort for the current year, pursuant to s. 1011.62(4)(a)1. In addition to the required local effort millage levy, each district school board may levy a nonvoted current operating discretionary millage. The Legislature shall prescribe annually in the appropriations act the maximum amount of millage a district may levy. Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.