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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to education; amending ss. 192.0105, 2
192.048, and 196.082, F.S.; conforming cross -3
references; amending s. 196.011, F.S.; providing that 4
an annual application for exemption on property used 5
to house a charter school is not necessary; requiri ng 6
the owner or lessee of such property to notify the 7
property appraiser in specified circumstances; 8
providing penalties; amending s. 1002.33, F.S.; 9
authorizing charter schools to give enrollment 10
preference to certain transfer students; defining the 11
term "classical school"; revising the definition of 12
the term "charter school personnel"; amending s. 13
1002.45, F.S.; providing approved virtual instruction 14
program provider, virtual charter school, and school 15
district responsibilities relating to statewide 16
assessments and progress monitoring for certain 17
students; creating s. 1003.052, F.S.; establishing the 18
Purple Star School District Program; providing 19
requirements for such program; authorizing the 20
Department of Education to establish additional 21
program criteria; authorizing the State Board of 22
Education to adopt rules; amending s. 1003.451, F.S.; 23
requiring school districts and charter schools to 24
provide certain students with an opportunity to take 25
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the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test 26
and consult with a military recruiter; providing 27
requirements for the scheduling of such test; amending 28
s. 1003.53, F.S.; revising requirements for the 29
assignment of students to disciplinary programs and 30
alternative school settings or other programs; 31
revising requirement s for dropout prevention and 32
academic intervention programs; requiring such 33
programs to include academic intervention plans for 34
students; providing requirements for such plans; 35
providing that specified provisions apply to all 36
dropout prevention and academi c intervention programs; 37
requiring school principals or their designees to make 38
a reasonable effort to notify parents by specified 39
means and to document such effort; creating s. 40
1004.051, F.S.; prohibiting a public postsecondary 41
institution from implicitly or explicitly prohibiting 42
specified students from being employed; providing 43
nonapplicability; amending s. 1006.28, F.S.; 44
authorizing school districts to assess a processing 45
fee for certain objections to materials; requiring 46
school districts to discontinue use of certain 47
instructional materials in the school district; 48
amending s. 1006.38, F.S.; requiring instructional 49
materials publishers and manufacturers or their 50
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representatives to make sample copies of specified 51
instructional materials available electron ically for 52
use by certain institutes for a specified purpose; 53
amending s. 1007.25, F.S.; creating associate in arts 54
specialized transfer degrees; providing requirements 55
for such degrees; providing a process for the approval 56
of such degree programs; providi ng for rulemaking; 57
amending s. 1007.271, F.S.; requiring district school 58
boards to make reasonable efforts to enter into 59
specified agreements with a Florida College System 60
institution for certain online courses; amending s. 61
1008.33, F.S.; revising the date by which a memorandum 62
of understanding relating to schools in turnaround 63
status must be provided to the department; revising 64
requirements for district -managed turnaround plans; 65
providing requirements for turnaround schools that 66
close and reopen as charter schools and school 67
districts in which such schools reside; providing that 68
specified provisions do not apply to certain 69
turnaround schools; requiring the state board to adopt 70
rules for a charter school turnaround contract and 71
specified leases and agreement s; amending s. 1008.34, 72
F.S.; requiring changes to the school grades model or 73
school grading scale to take effect after a specified 74
period of time; amending s. 1009.21, F.S.; providing 75
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that a specified document is a single, conclusive 76
piece of evidence to prove residency for tuition 77
purposes; amending s. 1009.98, F.S.; revising the 78
definition of the term "tuition differential"; 79
revising provisions relating to certain payments by 80
the Florida Prepaid College Board; amending s. 81
1012.55, F.S.; requiring the sta te board to adopt 82
rules for the issuance of a classical education 83
teaching certificate; providing requirements for such 84
certificate; defining the term "classical school"; 85
amending s. 1012.79, F.S.; authorizing the 86
Commissioner of Education to appoint an ex ecutive 87
director of the Education Practices Commission; 88
revising the purpose of the commission; authorizing 89
the commission to expend funds for legal services; 90
repealing s. 1012.86, F.S., relating to the Florida 91
College System institution employment equity 92
accountability program; amending ss. 1001.64 and 93
1001.65, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made 94
by the act; providing an effective date. 95
96
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 97
98
Section 1. Paragraph (f) of subsection (1) an d paragraphs 99
(b) and (c) of subsection (2) of section 192.0105, Florida 100
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Statutes, are amended to read: 101
192.0105 Taxpayer rights. —There is created a Florida 102
Taxpayer's Bill of Rights for property taxes and assessments to 103
guarantee that the rights, privacy , and property of the 104
taxpayers of this state are adequately safeguarded and protected 105
during tax levy, assessment, collection, and enforcement 106
processes administered under the revenue laws of this state. The 107
Taxpayer's Bill of Rights compiles, in one docu ment, brief but 108
comprehensive statements that summarize the rights and 109
obligations of the property appraisers, tax collectors, clerks 110
of the court, local governing boards, the Department of Revenue, 111
and taxpayers. Additional rights afforded to payors of ta xes and 112
assessments imposed under the revenue laws of this state are 113
provided in s. 213.015. The rights afforded taxpayers to assure 114
that their privacy and property are safeguarded and protected 115
during tax levy, assessment, and collection are available onl y 116
insofar as they are implemented in other parts of the Florida 117
Statutes or rules of the Department of Revenue. The rights so 118
guaranteed to state taxpayers in the Florida Statutes and the 119
departmental rules include: 120
(1) THE RIGHT TO KNOW. — 121
(f) The right of an exemption recipient to be sent a 122
renewal application for that exemption, the right to a receipt 123
for homestead exemption claim when filed, and the right to 124
notice of denial of the exemption (see ss. 196.011(7) 125
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196.011(6), 196.131(1), 196.151, and 19 6.193(1)(c) and (5)). 126
127
Notwithstanding the right to information contained in this 128
subsection, under s. 197.122 property owners are held to know 129
that property taxes are due and payable annually and are charged 130
with a duty to ascertain the amount of current and delinquent 131
taxes and obtain the necessary information from the applicable 132
governmental officials. 133
(2) THE RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS. — 134
(b) The right to petition the value adjustment board over 135
objections to assessments, denial of exemption, denial of 136
agricultural classification, denial of historic classification, 137
denial of high-water recharge classification, disapproval of tax 138
deferral, and any penalties on deferred taxes imposed for 139
incorrect information willfully filed. Payment of estimated 140
taxes does not preclude the right of the taxpayer to challenge 141
his or her assessment (see ss. 194.011(3), 196.011(7) and 142
(10)(a) 196.011(6) and (9)(a) , 196.151, 196.193(1)(c) and (5), 143
193.461(2), 193.503(7), 193.625(2), 197.2425, 197.301(2), and 144
197.2301(11)). 145
(c) The right to file a petition for exemption or 146
agricultural classification with the value adjustment board when 147
an application deadline is missed, upon demonstration of 148
particular extenuating circumstances for filing late (see ss. 149
193.461(3)(a) and 196.011(1 ), (8), (9), and (10)(e) (7), (8), 150
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and (9)(e)). 151
Section 2. Paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of subsection (1) 152
of section 192.048, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 153
192.048 Electronic transmission. — 154
(1) Subject to subsection (2), the following docu ments may 155
be transmitted electronically rather than by regular mail: 156
(b) The tax exemption renewal application required under 157
s. 196.011(7)(a) s. 196.011(6)(a). 158
(c) The tax exemption renewal application required under 159
s. 196.011(7)(b) s. 196.011(6)(b). 160
(d) A notification of an intent to deny a tax exemption 161
required under s. 196.011(10)(e) s. 196.011(9)(e). 162
Section 3. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 196.082, 163
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 164
196.082 Discounts for disabled veterans; survi ving spouse 165
carryover.— 166
(3) If the partially or totally and permanently disabled 167
veteran predeceases his or her spouse and if, upon the death of 168
the veteran, the spouse holds the legal or beneficial title to 169
the homestead and permanently resides thereon as specified in s. 170
196.031, the discount from ad valorem tax that the veteran 171
received carries over to the benefit of the veteran's spouse 172
until such time as he or she remarries or sells or otherwise 173
disposes of the property. If the spouse sells or otherwi se 174
disposes of the property, a discount not to exceed the dollar 175
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amount granted from the most recent ad valorem tax roll may be 176
transferred to his or her new residence, as long as it is used 177
as his or her primary residence and he or she does not remarry. 178
An applicant who is qualified to receive a discount under this 179
section and who fails to file an application by March 1 may file 180
an application for the discount and may file a petition pursuant 181
to s. 194.011(3) with the value adjustment board requesting that 182
the discount be granted. Such application and petition shall be 183
subject to the same procedures as for exemptions set forth in s. 184
196.011(9) s. 196.011(8). 185
(4) To qualify for the discount granted under this 186
section, an applicant must submit to the county property 187
appraiser by March 1: 188
(a) An official letter from the United States Department 189
of Veterans Affairs which states the percentage of the veteran's 190
service-connected disability and evidence that reasonably 191
identifies the disability as combat -related; 192
(b) A copy of the veteran's honorable discharge; and 193
(c) Proof of age as of January 1 of the year to which the 194
discount will apply. 195
196
Any applicant who is qualified to receive a discount under this 197
section and who fails to file an application by Marc h 1 may file 198
an application for the discount and may file, pursuant to s. 199
194.011(3), a petition with the value adjustment board 200
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requesting that the discount be granted. Such application and 201
petition shall be subject to the same procedures as for 202
exemptions set forth in s. 196.011(9) s. 196.011(8). 203
Section 4. Subsections (5) through (12) of section 204
196.011, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (6) 205
through (13), respectively, present subsections (1), (10), and 206
(11) are amended, and a new subse ction (5) is added to that 207
section, to read: 208
196.011 Annual application required for exemption. — 209
(1)(a) Except as provided in s. 196.081(1)(b), every 210
person or organization who, on January 1, has the legal title to 211
real or personal property, except inv entory, which is entitled 212
by law to exemption from taxation as a result of its ownership 213
and use shall, on or before March 1 of each year, file an 214
application for exemption with the county property appraiser, 215
listing and describing the property for which e xemption is 216
claimed and certifying its ownership and use. The Department of 217
Revenue shall prescribe the forms upon which the application is 218
made. Failure to make application, when required, on or before 219
March 1 of any year shall constitute a waiver of the exemption 220
privilege for that year, except as provided in subsection (8) 221
(7) or subsection (9) (8). 222
(b) The form to apply for an exemption under s. 196.031, 223
s. 196.081, s. 196.091, s. 196.101, s. 196.102, s. 196.173, or 224
s. 196.202 must include a space for the applicant to list the 225
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social security number of the applicant and of the applicant's 226
spouse, if any. If an applicant files a timely and otherwise 227
complete application, and omits the required social security 228
numbers, the application is incomplete. In t hat event, the 229
property appraiser shall contact the applicant, who may refile a 230
complete application by April 1. Failure to file a complete 231
application by that date constitutes a waiver of the exemption 232
privilege for that year, except as provided in subsec tion (8) 233
(7) or subsection (9) (8). 234
(5) It shall not be necessary to make annual application 235
for exemption on property used to house a charter school 236
pursuant to s. 196.1983. The owner or lessee of any property 237
used to house a charter school pursuant to s. 196.1983 who is 238
not required to file an annual application shall notify the 239
property appraiser promptly whenever the use of the property or 240
the status or condition of the owner or lessee changes so as to 241
change the exempt status of the property. If any owner or lessee 242
fails to so notify the property appraiser and the property 243
appraiser determines that for any year within the prior 10 years 244
the owner or lessee was not entitled to receive such exemption, 245
the owner or lessee of the property is subject to th e taxes 246
exempted as a result of such failure plus 15 percent interest 247
per annum and a penalty of 50 percent of the taxes exempted. The 248
property appraiser making such determination shall record in the 249
public records of the county a notice of tax lien agains t any 250
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property owned by that person or entity in the county, and such 251
property must be identified in the notice of tax lien. Such 252
property is subject to the payment of all taxes and penalties. 253
Such lien when filed shall attach to any property, identified i n 254
the notice of tax lien, owned by the person or entity who 255
illegally or improperly received the exemption. If such person 256
or entity no longer owns property in that county but owns 257
property in some other county or counties in the state, the 258
property appraiser shall record a notice of tax lien in such 259
other county or counties, identifying the property owned by such 260
person or entity in such county or counties, and it shall become 261
a lien against such property in such county or counties. 262
(11)(10) At the option of the property appraiser and 263
notwithstanding any other provision of this section, initial or 264
original applications for homestead exemption for the succeeding 265
year may be accepted and granted after March 1. Reapplication on 266
a short form as authorized by subsection (6) (5) shall be 267
required if the county has not waived the requirement of an 268
annual application. Once the initial or original application and 269
reapplication have been granted, the property may qualify for 270
the exemption in each succeeding year pur suant to the provisions 271
of subsection (7) (6) or subsection (10) (9). 272
(12)(11) For exemptions enumerated in paragraph (1)(b), 273
social security numbers of the applicant and the applicant's 274
spouse, if any, are required and must be submitted to the 275
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department. Applications filed pursuant to subsection (6) (5) or 276
subsection (7) (6) shall include social security numbers of the 277
applicant and the applicant's spouse, if any. For counties where 278
the annual application requirement has been waived, property 279
appraisers may require refiling of an application to obtain such 280
information. 281
Section 5. Paragraph (d) of subsection (10) and paragraph 282
(a) of subsection (24) of section 1002.33, Florida Statutes, are 283
amended to read: 284
1002.33 Charter schools. — 285
(10) ELIGIBLE STUDENTS. — 286
(d) A charter school may give enrollment preference to the 287
following student populations: 288
1. Students who are siblings of a student enrolled in the 289
charter school. 290
2. Students who are the children of a member of the 291
governing board of the charter school. 292
3. Students who are the children of an employee of the 293
charter school. 294
4. Students who are the children of: 295
a. An employee of the business partner of a charter 296
school-in-the-workplace established under paragraph (15)(b) or a 297
resident of the municipality in which such charter school is 298
located; or 299
b. A resident or employee of a municipality that operates 300
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a charter school-in-a-municipality pursuant to paragraph (15)(c) 301
or allows a charter school to use a school facility or portion 302
of land provided by the municipality for the operation of the 303
charter school. 304
5. Students who have successfully completed, during the 305
previous year, a voluntary prekindergarten education program 306
under ss. 1002.51-1002.79 provided by the charter school, the 307
charter school's governing board, or a voluntary prekindergarten 308
provider that has a written agreement with the governing board. 309
6. Students who are the children of an active duty member 310
of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. 311
7. Students who attended or are assigned to failing 312
schools pursuant to s. 1002.38(2). 313
8. Students who are the children of a safe -school officer, 314
as defined in s. 1006.12, at the school. 315
9. Students who transfer from a classical school in the 316
state to a charter classical school in the state. For purposes 317
of this subparagraph, the term "classical school" means a 318
traditional public school or charter school which implements a 319
classical education school model that emphasizes the development 320
of students in the principles of moral character and civic 321
virtue through a well -rounded education in the libera l arts and 322
sciences that is based on the classical trivium stages of 323
grammar, logic, and rhetoric. 324
(24) RESTRICTION ON EMPLOYMENT OF RELATIVES. — 325
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(a) This subsection applies to charter school personnel in 326
a charter school operated by a private entity. A s used in this 327
subsection, the term: 328
1. "Charter school personnel" means a charter school 329
owner, president, chairperson of the governing board of 330
directors, superintendent, governing board member, principal, 331
assistant principal, or any other person emplo yed by the charter 332
school who has equivalent decisionmaking authority and in whom 333
is vested the authority, or to whom the authority has been 334
delegated, to appoint, employ, promote, or advance individuals 335
or to recommend individuals for appointment, employm ent, 336
promotion, or advancement in connection with employment in a 337
charter school, including the authority as a member of a 338
governing body of a charter school to vote on the appointment, 339
employment, promotion, or advancement of individuals. 340
2. "Relative" means father, mother, son, daughter, 341
brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, 342
husband, wife, father -in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, 343
daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, 344
stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrot her, stepsister, half 345
brother, or half sister. 346
347
Charter school personnel in schools operated by a municipality 348
or other public entity are subject to s. 112.3135. 349
Section 6. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section 350
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1002.45, Florida Statutes, is amende d to read: 351
1002.45 Virtual instruction programs. — 352
(5) STUDENT PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS. —Each student 353
enrolled in the school district's virtual instruction program 354
authorized pursuant to paragraph (1)(c) must: 355
(b) Take statewide assessments pursuant to s. 1008.22 and 356
participate in the coordinated screening and progress monitoring 357
system under s. 1008.25(9). Statewide assessments and progress 358
monitoring may be administered within the school district in 359
which such student resides , or as specified in t he contract 360
under in accordance with s. 1008.24(3). If requested by the 361
approved virtual instruction program provider or virtual charter 362
school, the district of residence must provide the student with 363
access to the district's testing facilities. It is the 364
responsibility of the approved virtual instruction program 365
provider or virtual charter school to provide a list of students 366
to be administered statewide assessments and progress monitoring 367
to the school district, including the students' names, Florida 368
Education Identifiers, grade levels, assessments and progress 369
monitoring to be administered, and contact information. Unless 370
an alternative testing site is mutually agreed to by the 371
approved virtual instruction program provider or virtual charter 372
school and the school district, or as specified in the contract 373
under s. 1008.24, all assessments and progress monitoring must 374
be taken at the school to which the student would be assigned 375
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according to district school board attendance policies. A school 376
district must provide the student with access to the school's or 377
district's testing facilities and provide the student with the 378
date and time of the administration of each assessment and 379
progress monitoring. 380
Section 7. Section 1003.052, Florida Statutes, is created 381
to read: 382
1003.052 The Purple Star School District Program. — 383
(1)(a) The Department of Education shall establish the 384
Purple Star School District Program. At a minimum, the program 385
must require a participating school district to: 386
1. Have at least 75 pe rcent of the schools within the 387
district be designated as Purple Star Campuses under s. 388
1003.051. 389
2. Maintain a web page on the district's website which 390
includes resources for military students and their families and 391
a link to each Purple Star Campus's w eb page that meets the 392
requirements of s. 1003.051(2)(a)2. 393
(b) The department may establish additional program 394
criteria to identify school districts that demonstrate a 395
commitment to or provide critical coordination of services for 396
military students and t heir families, including, but not limited 397
to, establishing a council consisting of a representative from 398
each Purple Star Campus in the district and one district -level 399
representative to ensure the alignment of military student -400
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focused policies and procedur es within the district. 401
(2) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to 402
administer this section. 403
Section 8. Subsection (4) of section 1003.451, Florida 404
Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (5), and a new subsection 405
(4) is added to that section t o read: 406
1003.451 Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps; military 407
recruiters; access to public school campuses ; Armed Services 408
Vocational Aptitude Battery Test (ASVAB) .— 409
(4) Each school district and charter school shall provide 410
students in grades 11 a nd 12 an opportunity to take the Armed 411
Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test (ASVAB) and consult 412
with a military recruiter if the student selects. To optimize 413
student participation, the ASVAB must be scheduled during normal 414
school hours. 415
Section 9. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (1) and 416
subsections (2) through (7) of section 1003.53, Florida 417
Statutes, are amended to read: 418
1003.53 Dropout prevention and academic intervention. — 419
(1)(a) Dropout prevention and academic intervention 420
programs may differ from traditional educational programs and 421
schools in scheduling, administrative structure, philosophy, 422
curriculum, or setting and shall employ alternative teaching 423
methodologies, curricula, learning activities, and diagnostic 424
and assessment procedu res in order to meet the needs, interests, 425
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abilities, and talents of eligible students. The educational 426
program shall provide curricula, character development and law 427
education, and related services that support the program goals 428
and lead to improved perfo rmance in the areas of academic 429
achievement, attendance, and discipline. Student participation 430
in such programs shall be voluntary. District school boards may, 431
however, assign students to a disciplinary program for 432
disruptive students or an alternative sch ool setting or other 433
program pursuant to s. 1006.13 . Notwithstanding any other 434
provision of law to the contrary, no student shall be identified 435
as being eligible to receive services funded through the dropout 436
prevention and academic intervention program ba sed solely on the 437
student being from a single -parent family or having a 438
disability. 439
(c) A student shall be identified as being eligible to 440
receive services funded through the dropout prevention and 441
academic intervention program based upon one of the foll owing 442
criteria: 443
1. The student is academically unsuccessful as evidenced 444
by low test scores, retention, failing grades, low grade point 445
average, falling behind in earning credits, or not meeting the 446
state or district achievement levels in reading, mathematics, or 447
writing. 448
2. The student has a pattern of excessive absenteeism or 449
has been identified as a habitual truant. 450
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3. The student has a history of disruptive behavior in 451
school or has committed an offense that warrants out -of-school 452
suspension or expulsion from school according to the district 453
school board's code of student conduct. For the purposes of this 454
program, "disruptive behavior" is behavior that: 455
a. Interferes with the student's own learning or the 456
educational process of others and r equires attention and 457
assistance beyond that which the traditional program can provide 458
or results in frequent conflicts of a disruptive nature while 459
the student is under the jurisdiction of the school either in or 460
out of the classroom; or 461
b. Severely threatens the general welfare of students or 462
others with whom the student comes into contact. 463
4. The student is identified by a school's early warning 464
system pursuant to s. 1001.42(18)(b). 465
(2)(a) Each district school board may establish dropout 466
prevention and academic intervention programs at the elementary, 467
middle, junior high school, or high school level. Programs 468
designed to eliminate patterns of excessive absenteeism or 469
habitual truancy shall emphasize academic performance and may 470
provide specific inst ruction in the areas of career education, 471
preemployment training, and behavioral management. Such programs 472
shall utilize instructional teaching methods and student 473
services that lead to improved student behavior as appropriate 474
to the specific needs of the student. 475
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(b) Each school that establishes a dropout prevention and 476
academic intervention program at that school site shall reflect 477
that program in the school improvement plan as required under s. 478
1001.42(18). 479
(c) For each student enrolled in a dropout prevention and 480
academic intervention program, an academic intervention plan 481
shall be developed to address eligibility for placement in the 482
program and to provide individualized student goals and progress 483
monitoring procedures. A student's academic interven tion plan 484
must be consistent with the student's individual education plan 485
(IEP). 486
(3) Each district school board providing receiving state 487
funding for dropout prevention and academic intervention 488
programs through the General Appropriations Act shall submit 489
information through an annual report to the Department of 490
Education's database documenting the extent to which each of the 491
district's dropout prevention and academic intervention programs 492
has been successful in the areas of graduation rate, dropout 493
rate, attendance rate, and retention/promotion rate. The 494
department shall compile this information into an annual report 495
which shall be submitted to the presiding officers of the 496
Legislature by February 15. 497
(4) Each district school board shall establish cours e 498
standards, as defined by rule of the State Board of Education, 499
for dropout prevention and academic intervention programs and 500
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procedures for ensuring that teachers assigned to the programs 501
are certified pursuant to s. 1012.55 and possess the affective, 502
pedagogical, and content -related skills necessary to meet the 503
needs of these students. 504
(5) Each district school board providing a dropout 505
prevention and academic intervention program pursuant to this 506
section shall maintain for each participating student re cords 507
documenting the student's eligibility, the length of 508
participation, the type of program to which the student was 509
assigned or the type of academic intervention services provided, 510
and an evaluation of the student's academic and behavioral 511
performance while in the program. Before The school principal or 512
his or her designee shall, prior to placement in a dropout 513
prevention and academic intervention program or the provision of 514
an academic service, the school principal or his or her designee 515
shall provide written notice of placement or services by 516
certified mail, return receipt requested, to the student's 517
parent; shall make a reasonable effort to notify the student's 518
parent by telephone or e -mail, or both; and must document such 519
effort. The parent of the student shall sign an acknowledgment 520
of the notice of placement or service and return the signed 521
acknowledgment to the principal within 3 days after receipt of 522
the notice. The parents of a student assigned to such a dropout 523
prevention and academic intervention program shall be notified 524
in writing and entitled to an administrative review of any 525
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action by school personnel relating to such placement pursuant 526
to the provisions of chapter 120. 527
(6) District school board dropout prevention an d academic 528
intervention programs shall be coordinated with social service, 529
law enforcement, prosecutorial, and juvenile justice agencies 530
and juvenile assessment centers in the school district. 531
Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 1002.22, these agencies ar e 532
authorized to exchange information contained in student records 533
and juvenile justice records. Such information is confidential 534
and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1). District school 535
boards and other agencies receiving such information shall use 536
the information only for official purposes connected with the 537
certification of students for admission to and for the 538
administration of the dropout prevention and academic 539
intervention program, and shall maintain the confidentiality of 540
such information unle ss otherwise provided by law or rule. 541
(7) The State Board of Education shall have the authority 542
pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to adopt rules necessary 543
to implement the provisions of this section; such rules shall 544
require the minimum amount of nec essary paperwork and reporting. 545
Section 10. Section 1004.051, Florida Statutes, is created 546
to read: 547
1004.051 Regulation of working students. — 548
(1) A public postsecondary institution may not, as a 549
condition of admission to or enrollment in any of th e 550
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institution's schools, colleges, or programs, implicitly or 551
explicitly prohibit an applicant or currently enrolled student 552
from being employed, either full time or part time. 553
(2) This section does not apply if the applicant or 554
currently enrolled studen t is employed by an organization or 555
agency that is affiliated or associated with a foreign country 556
of concern as defined in s. 288.860(1). 557
Section 11. Paragraphs (a) of subsection (2) of section 558
1006.28, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 559
1006.28 Duties of district school board, district school 560
superintendent; and school principal regarding K -12 561
instructional materials. — 562
(2) DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD. —The district school board has 563
the constitutional duty and responsibility to select and provide 564
adequate instructional materials for all students in accordance 565
with the requirements of this part. The district school board 566
also has the following specific duties and responsibilities: 567
(a) Courses of study; adoption. —Adopt courses of study, 568
including instructional materials, for use in the schools of the 569
district. 570
1. Each district school board is responsible for the 571
content of all instructional materials and any other materials 572
used in a classroom, made available in a school or classroom 573
library, or included on a reading list, whether adopted and 574
purchased from the state -adopted instructional materials list, 575
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adopted and purchased through a district instructional materials 576
program under s. 1006.283, or otherwise purchased or made 577
available. 578
2. Each district school board must adopt a policy 579
regarding an objection by a parent or a resident of the county 580
to the use of a specific material, which clearly describes a 581
process to handle all objections and provides for resolution. 582
The objection form, as prescribed b y State Board of Education 583
rule, and the district school board's process must be easy to 584
read and understand and be easily accessible on the homepage of 585
the school district's website. The objection form must also 586
identify the school district point of conta ct and contact 587
information for the submission of an objection. The process must 588
provide the parent or resident the opportunity to proffer 589
evidence to the district school board that: 590
a. An instructional material does not meet the criteria of 591
s. 1006.31(2) or s. 1006.40(3)(d) if it was selected for use in 592
a course or otherwise made available to students in the school 593
district but was not subject to the public notice, review, 594
comment, and hearing procedures under s. 1006.283(2)(b)8., 9., 595
and 11. 596
b. Any material used in a classroom, made available in a 597
school or classroom library, or included on a reading list 598
contains content which: 599
(I) Is pornographic or prohibited under s. 847.012; 600
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(II) Depicts or describes sexual conduct as defined in s. 601
847.001(19), unless such material is for a course required by s. 602
1003.46, s. 1003.42(2)(n)1.g., or s. 1003.42(2)(n)3., or 603
identified by State Board of Education rule; 604
(III) Is not suited to student needs and their ability to 605
comprehend the material presented; or 606
(IV) Is inappropriate for the grade level and age group 607
for which the material is used. 608
609
A school district may assess a $100 processing fee for each 610
objection submitted by a parent or resident who does not have a 611
student enrolled in the school where the m aterial is located if 612
the parent or resident has unsuccessfully objected to five 613
materials during the calendar year. The school district must 614
return to the parent or resident the processing fee for each 615
objection that is upheld. Any material that is subjec t to an 616
objection on the basis of sub -sub-subparagraph b.(I) or sub -sub-617
subparagraph b.(II) must be removed within 5 school days after 618
of receipt of the objection and remain unavailable to students 619
of that school until the objection is resolved. Parents sh all 620
have the right to read passages from any material that is 621
subject to an objection. If the school board denies a parent the 622
right to read passages due to content that meets the 623
requirements under sub -sub-subparagraph b.(I), the school 624
district shall discontinue the use of the material in the school 625
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district. If the district school board finds that any material 626
meets the requirements under sub -subparagraph a. or that any 627
other material contains prohibited content under sub -sub-628
subparagraph b.(I), the scho ol district shall discontinue use of 629
the material. If the district school board finds that any other 630
material contains prohibited content under sub -sub-subparagraphs 631
b.(II)-(IV), the school district shall discontinue use of the 632
material for any grade level or age group for which such use is 633
inappropriate or unsuitable. 634
3. Each district school board must establish a process by 635
which the parent of a public school student or a resident of the 636
county may contest the district school board's adoption of a 637
specific instructional material. The parent or resident must 638
file a petition, on a form provided by the school board, within 639
30 calendar days after the adoption of the instructional 640
material by the school board. The school board must make the 641
form available to the public and publish the form on the school 642
district's website. The form must be signed by the parent or 643
resident, include the required contact information, and state 644
the objection to the instructional material based on the 645
criteria of s. 1006.31(2) or s . 1006.40(3)(d). Within 30 days 646
after the 30-day period has expired, the school board must, for 647
all petitions timely received, conduct at least one open public 648
hearing before an unbiased and qualified hearing officer. The 649
hearing officer may not be an empl oyee or agent of the school 650
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district. The hearing is not subject to the provisions of 651
chapter 120; however, the hearing must provide sufficient 652
procedural protections to allow each petitioner an adequate and 653
fair opportunity to be heard and present evidenc e to the hearing 654
officer. The school board's decision after convening a hearing 655
is final and not subject to further petition or review. 656
4. Meetings of committees convened for the purpose of 657
ranking, eliminating, or selecting instructional materials for 658
recommendation to the district school board must be noticed and 659
open to the public in accordance with s. 286.011. Any committees 660
convened for such purposes must include parents of students who 661
will have access to such materials. 662
5. Meetings of committees convened for the purpose of 663
resolving an objection by a parent or resident to specific 664
materials must be noticed and open to the public in accordance 665
with s. 286.011. Any committees convened for such purposes must 666
include parents of students who will have access to such 667
materials. 668
6. If a parent disagrees with the determination made by 669
the district school board on the objection to the use of a 670
specific material, a parent may request the Commissioner of 671
Education to appoint a special magistrate who is a me mber of The 672
Florida Bar in good standing and who has at least 5 years' 673
experience in administrative law. The special magistrate shall 674
determine facts relating to the school district's determination, 675
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consider information provided by the parent and the schoo l 676
district, and render a recommended decision for resolution to 677
the State Board of Education within 30 days after receipt of the 678
request by the parent. The State Board of Education must approve 679
or reject the recommended decision at its next regularly 680
scheduled meeting that is more than 7 calendar days and no more 681
than 30 days after the date the recommended decision is 682
transmitted. The costs of the special magistrate shall be borne 683
by the school district. The State Board of Education shall adopt 684
rules, including forms, necessary to implement this 685
subparagraph. 686
Section 12. Subsections (3) through (16) of section 687
1006.38, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (4) 688
through (17), respectively, present subsections (14) and (16) 689
are amended, and a new subsection (3) is added to that section, 690
to read: 691
1006.38 Duties, responsibilities, and requirements of 692
instructional materials publishers and manufacturers. —This 693
section applies to both the state and district approval 694
processes. Publishers and manufactu rers of instructional 695
materials, or their representatives, shall: 696
(3) For each adoption cycle, make sample copies of all 697
instructional materials on the commissioner's list of state -698
adopted instructional materials available electronically for use 699
by educator preparation institutes as defined in s. 1004.85(1) 700
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to enable educators to practice teaching with currently adopted 701
instructional materials aligned to state academic standards. 702
(15)(14) Accurately and fully disclose only the names of 703
those persons who actually authored the instructional materials. 704
In addition to the penalties provided in subsection (17) (16), 705
the commissioner may remove from the list of state -adopted 706
instructional materials those instructional materials whose 707
publisher or manufacturer misleads the purchaser by falsely 708
representing genuine authorship. 709
(17)(16) Upon the willful failure of the publisher or 710
manufacturer to comply with the requirements of this section, be 711
liable to the department in the amount of three times the total 712
sum which the publisher or manufacturer was paid in excess of 713
the price required under subsections (6) (5) and (7) (6) and in 714
the amount of three times the total value of the instructional 715
materials and services which the district school board is 716
entitled to receive free of charge under subsection (8) (7). 717
Section 13. Subsections (9) and (12) of section 1007.25, 718
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 719
1007.25 General education courses; common prerequisites; 720
other degree requirements. — 721
(9)(a) An associate in arts degree must shall require no 722
more than 60 semester hours of college credit and include 36 723
semester hours of general education coursework. Beginning with 724
students initially entering a Florida College System institution 725
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or state university in the 2014-2015 academic year and 726
thereafter, coursework for an associate in arts degree must 727
shall include demonstration of competency in a foreign language 728
pursuant to s. 1007.262. Except for developmental education 729
required pursuant to s. 1008.30, all required coursework must 730
shall count toward the associate in arts degree or the 731
baccalaureate degree. 732
(b) An associate in arts specialized transfer degree must 733
include 36 semester hours of general education coursework and 734
require 60 semester hours or more of coll ege credit. Specialized 735
transfer degrees are designed for Florida College System 736
institution students who need supplemental lower -level 737
coursework in preparation for transfer to another institution. 738
The State Board of Education shall establish criteria for the 739
review and approval of new specialized transfer degrees. The 740
approval process must require: 741
1. A Florida College System institution to submit a notice 742
of its intent to propose a new associate in arts specialized 743
degree program to the Division of Flo rida Colleges. The notice 744
must include the recommended credit hours, the rationale for the 745
specialization, the demand for students entering the field, and 746
the coursework being proposed to be included beyond the 60 747
semester hours required for the general tr ansfer degree, if 748
applicable. Notices of intent may be submitted by a Florida 749
College System institution at any time. 750
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2. The Division of Florida Colleges to forward the notice 751
of intent within 10 business days after receipt to all Florida 752
College System institutions and the Chancellor of the State 753
University System, who shall forward the notice to all state 754
universities. State universities and Florida College System 755
institutions shall have 60 days after receipt of the notice to 756
submit comments to the pro posed associate in arts specialized 757
transfer degree. 758
3. After the submission of comments pursuant to 759
subparagraph 2., the requesting Florida College System 760
institution to submit a proposal that, at a minimum, includes: 761
a. Evidence that the coursework f or the associate in arts 762
specialized transfer degree includes demonstration of competency 763
in a foreign language pursuant to s. 1007.262 and demonstration 764
of civic literacy competency as provided in subsection (5). 765
b. Demonstration that all required cours ework will count 766
toward the associate in arts degree or the baccalaureate degree. 767
c. An analysis of demand and unmet need for students 768
entering the specialized field of study at the baccalaureate 769
level. 770
d. Justification for the program length if it ex ceeds 60 771
credit hours, including references to the common prerequisite 772
manual or other requirements for the baccalaureate degree. This 773
includes documentation of alignment between the exit 774
requirements of a Florida College System institution and the 775
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admissions requirements of a baccalaureate program at a state 776
university to which students would typically transfer. 777
e. Articulation agreements for graduates of the associate 778
in arts specialized transfer degree. 779
f. Responses to the comments received under sub paragraph 780
2. 781
(c) The Division of Florida Colleges shall review the 782
proposal and, within 30 days after receipt, shall provide 783
written notification to the Florida College System institution 784
of any deficiencies and provide the institution with an 785
opportunity to correct the deficiencies. Within 45 days after 786
receipt of a completed proposal by the Division of Florida 787
Colleges, the Commissioner of Education shall recommend approval 788
or disapproval of the new specialized transfer degree to the 789
State Board of Education. The State Board of Education shall 790
consider the recommendation at its next meeting. 791
(d) Upon approval of an associate in arts specialized 792
transfer degree by the State Board of Education, a Florida 793
College System institution may offer the degree an d shall report 794
data on student and program performance in a manner prescribed 795
by the Department of Education. 796
(e) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules 797
pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to prescribe format and 798
content requirements and submis sion procedures for notices of 799
intent, proposals, and compliance reviews under this subsection. 800
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(12) A student who received an associate in arts degree 801
for successfully completing 60 semester credit hours may 802
continue to earn additional credits at a Flor ida College System 803
institution. The university must provide credit toward the 804
student's baccalaureate degree for an additional Florida College 805
System institution course if, according to the statewide course 806
numbering, the Florida College System institution course is a 807
course listed in the university catalog as required for the 808
degree or as prerequisite to a course required for the degree. 809
Of the courses required for the degree, at least half of the 810
credit hours required for the degree must shall be achievable 811
through courses designated as lower division, except in degree 812
programs approved by the State Board of Education for programs 813
offered by Florida College System institutions and by the Board 814
of Governors for programs offered by state universities. 815
Section 14. Subsection (4) of section 1007.271, Florida 816
Statutes, is amended to read: 817
1007.271 Dual enrollment programs. — 818
(4)(a) District school boards may not refuse to enter into 819
a dual enrollment articulation agreement with a local Florida 820
College System institution if that Florida College System 821
institution has the capacity to offer dual enrollment courses. 822
(b) District school boards must make reasonable efforts to 823
enter into dual enrollment articulation agreements with a 824
Florida College System i nstitution which offers online dual 825
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enrollment courses. 826
Section 15. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 1008.33, 827
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 828
1008.33 Authority to enforce public school improvement. — 829
(4)(a) The state board shall apply inten sive intervention 830
and support strategies tailored to the needs of schools earning 831
two consecutive grades of "D" or a grade of "F." In the first 832
full school year after a school initially earns a grade of "D," 833
the school district must immediately implement i ntervention and 834
support strategies prescribed in rule under paragraph (3)(c). 835
For a school that initially earns a grade of "F" or a second 836
consecutive grade of "D," the school district must either 837
continue implementing or immediately begin implementing 838
intervention and support strategies prescribed in rule under 839
paragraph (3)(c) and , for the 2024-2025 school year, provide the 840
department, by September 1, with the memorandum of understanding 841
negotiated pursuant to s. 1001.42(21) and, by October 1, a 842
district-managed turnaround plan for approval by the state 843
board. For the 2025-2026 school year and thereafter, the school 844
district must provide the department, by August 1, with the 845
memorandum of understanding negotiated pursuant to s. 846
1001.42(21) and a district -managed turnaround plan for approval 847
by the state board. The plan must include measurable academic 848
benchmarks that put the school on a path to earning and 849
maintaining a grade of "C" or higher The district-managed 850
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turnaround plan may include a proposal for the district to 851
implement an extended school day, a summer program, a 852
combination of an extended school day and a summer program, or 853
any other option authorized under paragraph (b) for state board 854
approval. A school district is not required to wait until a 855
school earns a second consecutive grade of "D" to submit a 856
turnaround plan for approval by the state board under this 857
paragraph. Upon approval by the state board, the school district 858
must implement the plan for the remainder of the school year and 859
continue the plan for 1 full school year. The state board may 860
allow a school an additional year of implementation before the 861
school must implement a turnaround option required under 862
paragraph (b) if it determines that the school is likely to 863
improve to a grade of "C" or higher after the first full school 864
year of implementation. 865
(b) Unless an additional year of implementation is 866
provided pursuant to paragraph (a), a school that completes a 867
plan cycle under paragraph (a) and does not improve to a grade 868
of "C" or higher must implement one of the following : 869
1. Reassign students to another school and monitor the 870
progress of each reassigned student; 871
2. Close the school and reopen the school as one or more 872
charter schools, each with a governing board that has a 873
demonstrated record of effectiveness . Upon reopening as a 874
charter school: 875
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a. The school district shall continue to operate the 876
school for the following school year and no later than October 1 877
execute a charter school turnaround contract that will allow the 878
charter school an opportunity to conduct an evaluation of the 879
educational program and personnel currently assigned to the 880
school during the year in preparation for assuming full 881
operational control of the school and facility by July 1. The 882
school district may not reduce or remove resources from the 883
school during this time. 884
b. The charter school operator must provide enrollment 885
preference to students currently attending or who would have 886
otherwise attended or been zoned for the school. The school 887
district shall consult and negotiate with the charter school 888
every 3 years to determine whether realignment of the attendance 889
zone is appropriate to ensure that students residing closest to 890
the school are provided with an enrollment preference. 891
c. The charter school operator must serve the existing 892
grade levels served by the school at its current enrollment or 893
higher, but may, at its discretion, serve additional grade 894
levels. 895
d. The school district may not charge rental or leasing 896
fees for the existing facility o r for the property normally 897
inventoried to the school. The charter school and the school 898
district shall agree to reasonable maintenance provisions in 899
order to maintain the facility in a manner similar to all other 900
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school facilities in the school district. 901
e. The school district may not withhold an administrative 902
fee for the provision of services identified in s. 903
1002.33(20)(a); or 904
3. Contract with an outside entity that has a demonstrated 905
record of effectiveness to provide turnaround services 906
identified in state board rule, which may include school 907
leadership, educational modalities, teacher and leadership 908
professional development, curriculum, operation and management 909
services, school-based administrative staffing, budgeting, 910
scheduling, other educationa l service provider functions, or any 911
combination thereof. Selection of an outside entity may include 912
one or a combination of the following: 913
a. An external operator, which may be a district -managed 914
charter school or a high -performing charter school networ k in 915
which all instructional personnel are not employees of the 916
school district, but are employees of an independent governing 917
board composed of members who did not participate in the review 918
or approval of the charter. 919
b. A contractual agreement that all ows for a charter 920
school network or any of its affiliated subsidiaries to provide 921
individualized consultancy services tailored to address the 922
identified needs of one or more schools under this section. 923
924
A school district and outside entity under this subpa ragraph 925
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must enter, at minimum, a 2 -year, performance-based contract. 926
The contract must include school performance and growth metrics 927
the outside entity must meet on an annual basis. The state board 928
may require the school district to modify or cancel the 929
contract. 930
(c) Implementation of the turnaround option is no longer 931
required if the school improves to a grade of "C" or higher , 932
unless the school district has already executed a charter school 933
turnaround contract pursuant to this section . 934
(d) If a school earning two consecutive grades of "D" or a 935
grade of "F" does not improve to a grade of "C" or higher after 936
2 school years of implementing the turnaround option selected by 937
the school district under paragraph (b), the school district 938
must implement another turnaround option. Implementation of the 939
turnaround option must begin the school year following the 940
implementation period of the existing turnaround option, unless 941
the state board determines that the school is likely to improve 942
to a grade of "C" or higher if additional time is provided to 943
implement the existing turnaround option. 944
(5) The state board shall adopt rules pursuant to ss. 945
120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer this section. The rules 946
shall include timelines for submission of implementation plans, 947
approval criteria for implementation plans, and timelines for 948
implementing intervention and support strategies , a standard 949
charter school turnaround contract, a standard facility lease, 950
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and a mutual management agreement . The state board shall consul t 951
with education stakeholders in developing the rules. 952
Section 16. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section 953
1008.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 954
1008.34 School grading system; school report cards; 955
district grade.— 956
(3) DESIGNATION OF SCH OOL GRADES.— 957
(c)1. The calculation of a school grade shall be based on 958
the percentage of points earned from the components listed in 959
subparagraph (b)1. and, if applicable, subparagraph (b)2. The 960
State Board of Education shall adopt in rule a school gradi ng 961
scale that sets the percentage of points needed to earn each of 962
the school grades listed in subsection (2). There shall be at 963
least five percentage points separating the percentage 964
thresholds needed to earn each of the school grades. The state 965
board shall annually review the percentage of school grades of 966
"A" and "B" for the school year to determine whether to adjust 967
the school grading scale upward for the following school year's 968
school grades. The first adjustment would occur no earlier than 969
the 2023-2024 school year. An adjustment must be made if the 970
percentage of schools earning a grade of "A" or "B" in the 971
current year represents 75 percent or more of all graded schools 972
within a particular school type, which consists of elementary, 973
middle, high, and combination. The adjustment must reset the 974
minimum required percentage of points for each grade of "A," 975
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"B," "C," or "D" at the next highest percentage ending in the 976
numeral 5 or 0, whichever is closest to the current percentage. 977
Annual reviews of the perce ntage of schools earning a grade of 978
"A" or "B" and adjustments to the required points must be 979
suspended when the following grading scale for a specific school 980
type is achieved: 981
a. Ninety percent or more of the points for a grade of 982
"A." 983
b. Eighty to eighty-nine percent of the points for a grade 984
of "B." 985
c. Seventy to seventy -nine percent of the points for a 986
grade of "C." 987
d. Sixty to sixty-nine percent of the points for a grade 988
of "D." 989
990
When the state board adjusts the grading scale upward, the state 991
board must inform the public of the degree of the adjustment and 992
its anticipated impact on school grades. Beginning in the 2024 -993
2025 school year, any changes made by the state board to 994
components in the school grades model or to the school grading 995
scale shall take effect, at the earliest, in the following 996
school year. 997
2. The calculation of school grades may not include any 998
provision that would raise or lower the school's grade beyond 999
the percentage of points earned. Extra weight may not be added 1000
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in the calculation of any components. 1001
Section 17. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section 1002
1009.21, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1003
1009.21 Determination of resident status for tuition 1004
purposes.—Students shall be classified as residents or 1005
nonresidents for the purpose of assessing tuition in 1006
postsecondary educational programs offered by charter technical 1007
career centers or career centers operated by school districts, 1008
in Florida College System institutions, and in state 1009
universities. 1010
(3) 1011
(c) Each institution of higher education shall 1012
affirmatively determine that an applicant who has been granted 1013
admission to that institution as a Florida resident meets the 1014
residency requirements of this section at the time of initial 1015
enrollment. The residency determina tion must be documented by 1016
the submission of written or electronic verification that 1017
includes two or more of the documents identified in this 1018
paragraph, unless the document provided is the document in sub -1019
subparagraph 1.f., which is deemed a single, conclu sive piece of 1020
evidence proving residency . No single piece of evidence shall be 1021
conclusive. 1022
1. The documents must include at least one of the 1023
following: 1024
a. A Florida voter's registration card. 1025
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b. A Florida driver license. 1026
c. A State of Florida ident ification card. 1027
d. A Florida vehicle registration. 1028
e. Proof of a permanent home in Florida which is occupied 1029
as a primary residence by the individual or by the individual's 1030
parent if the individual is a dependent child. 1031
f. Proof of a homestead exempt ion in Florida. 1032
g. Transcripts from a Florida high school for multiple 1033
years if the Florida high school diploma or high school 1034
equivalency diploma was earned within the last 12 months. 1035
h. Proof of permanent full -time employment in Florida for 1036
at least 30 hours per week for a 12 -month period. 1037
2. The documents may include one or more of the following: 1038
a. A declaration of domicile in Florida. 1039
b. A Florida professional or occupational license. 1040
c. Florida incorporation. 1041
d. A document evidencing fam ily ties in Florida. 1042
e. Proof of membership in a Florida -based charitable or 1043
professional organization. 1044
f. Any other documentation that supports the student's 1045
request for resident status, including, but not limited to, 1046
utility bills and proof of 12 con secutive months of payments; a 1047
lease agreement and proof of 12 consecutive months of payments; 1048
or an official state, federal, or court document evidencing 1049
legal ties to Florida. 1050
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Section 18. Paragraphs (a) through (f) of subsection (10) 1051
of section 1009.98, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1052
1009.98 Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program. — 1053
(10) PAYMENTS ON BEHALF OF QUALIFIED BENEFICIARIES. — 1054
(a) As used in this subsection, the term: 1055
1. "Actuarial reserve" means the amount by which the 1056
expected value of the assets exceeds the expected value of the 1057
liabilities of the trust fund. 1058
2. "Dormitory fees" means the fees included under advance 1059
payment contracts pursuant to paragraph (2)(d). 1060
3. "Fiscal year" means the fiscal year of the state 1061
pursuant to s. 215.01. 1062
4. "Local fees" means the fees covered by an advance 1063
payment contract provided pursuant to subparagraph (2)(b)2. 1064
5. "Tuition differential" means the fee covered by advance 1065
payment contracts sold pursuant to subparagraph (2)(b)3. The 1066
base rate for the tuition differential fee for the 2012 -2013 1067
fiscal year is established at $37.03 per credit hour. The base 1068
rate for the tuition differential in subsequent years is the 1069
amount assessed for the tuition differential for the preceding 1070
year adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (b)2. 1071
(b) Effective with the 2022-2023 2009-2010 academic year 1072
and thereafter, and notwithstanding s. 1009.24, the amount paid 1073
by the board to any state university on behalf of a qualified 1074
beneficiary of an advance pay ment contract whose contract was 1075
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purchased before July 1, 2034 July 1, 2024, shall be: 1076
1. As to registration fees, if the actuarial reserve is 1077
less than 5 percent of the expected liabilities of the trust 1078
fund, the board shall pay the state universities 5 .5 percent 1079
above the amount assessed for registration fees in the preceding 1080
fiscal year. If the actuarial reserve is between 5 percent and 6 1081
percent of the expected liabilities of the trust fund, the board 1082
shall pay the state universities 6 percent above t he amount 1083
assessed for registration fees in the preceding fiscal year. If 1084
the actuarial reserve is between 6 percent and 7.5 percent of 1085
the expected liabilities of the trust fund, the board shall pay 1086
the state universities 6.5 percent above the amount asse ssed for 1087
registration fees in the preceding fiscal year. If the actuarial 1088
reserve is equal to or greater than 7.5 percent of the expected 1089
liabilities of the trust fund, the board shall pay the state 1090
universities 7 percent above the amount assessed for 1091
registration fees in the preceding fiscal year, whichever is 1092
greater. 1093
2. As to the tuition differential, if the actuarial 1094
reserve is less than 5 percent of the expected liabilities of 1095
the trust fund, the board shall pay the state universities 5.5 1096
percent above the amount assessed base rate for the tuition 1097
differential fee in the preceding fiscal year. If the actuarial 1098
reserve is between 5 percent and 6 percent of the expected 1099
liabilities of the trust fund, the board shall pay the state 1100
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universities 6 percent above the amount assessed base rate for 1101
the tuition differential fee in the preceding fiscal year. If 1102
the actuarial reserve is between 6 percent and 7.5 percent of 1103
the expected liabilities of the trust fund, the board shall pay 1104
the state universities 6.5 p ercent above the amount assessed 1105
base rate for the tuition differential fee in the preceding 1106
fiscal year. If the actuarial reserve is equal to or greater 1107
than 7.5 percent of the expected liabilities of the trust fund, 1108
the board shall pay the state universi ties 7 percent above the 1109
amount assessed base rate for the tuition differential fee in 1110
the preceding fiscal year. 1111
3. As to local fees, the board shall pay the state 1112
universities 5 percent above the amount assessed for local fees 1113
in the preceding fiscal y ear. 1114
4. As to dormitory fees, the board shall pay the state 1115
universities 6 percent above the amount assessed for dormitory 1116
fees in the preceding fiscal year. 1117
5. Qualified beneficiaries of advance payment contracts 1118
purchased before July 1, 2007, are exe mpt from paying any 1119
tuition differential fee. 1120
(c) Notwithstanding the amount assessed for registration 1121
fees, the tuition differential, or local fees, the amount paid 1122
by the board to any state university on behalf of a qualified 1123
beneficiary of an advance payment contract purchased before July 1124
1, 2034 July 1, 2024, may not exceed 100 percent of the amount 1125
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charged by the state university for the aggregate sum of those 1126
fees. 1127
(d) Notwithstanding the amount assessed for dormitory 1128
fees, the amount paid by the board to any state university on 1129
behalf of a qualified beneficiary of an advance payment contract 1130
purchased before July 1, 2034 July 1, 2024, may not exceed 100 1131
percent of the amount charged by the state university for 1132
dormitory fees. 1133
(e) Notwithstanding the number of credit hours used by a 1134
state university to assess the amount for registration fees, 1135
tuition, tuition differential, or local fees, the amount paid by 1136
the board to any state university on behalf of a qualified 1137
beneficiary of an advance payment contract purchased before July 1138
1, 2034 July 1, 2024, may not exceed the number of credit hours 1139
taken by that qualified beneficiary at the state university. 1140
(f) The board shall pay state universities the actual 1141
amount assessed in accordance with law for registration fees, 1142
the tuition differential, local fees, and dormitory fees for 1143
advance payment contracts purchased on or after July 1, 2034 1144
July 1, 2024. 1145
Section 19. Subsection (5) is added to section 1012.55, 1146
Florida Statutes, to read: 1147
1012.55 Positions for which certificates required. — 1148
(5) Notwithstanding ss. 1012.32, 1012.55, and 1012.56, or 1149
any other provision of law or rule to the contrary, the State 1150
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Board of Education shall adopt rules to allow for the issuance 1151
of a classical education teachi ng certificate, upon the request 1152
of a classical school, to any applicant who fulfills the 1153
requirements of s. 1012.56(2)(a) -(f) and (11) and any other 1154
criteria established by the department. Such certificate is only 1155
valid at a classical school. For purposes of this subsection, 1156
the term "classical school" means a school that implements and 1157
provides professional learning in a classical education school 1158
model that emphasizes the development of students in the 1159
principles of moral character and civic virtue throu gh a well-1160
rounded education in the liberal arts and sciences that is based 1161
on the classical trivium stages of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. 1162
Section 20. Subsection (5), paragraph (a) of subsection 1163
(6), and subsection (9) of section 1012.79, Florida Stat utes, 1164
are amended to read: 1165
1012.79 Education Practices Commission; organization. — 1166
(5) The Commissioner of Education may, at his or her 1167
discretion, appoint and remove commission, by a vote of three -1168
fourths of the membership, shall employ an executive director, 1169
who shall be exempt from career service. The executive director 1170
may be dismissed by a majority vote of the membership. 1171
(6)(a) The commission shall be assigned to the Department 1172
of Education for administrative and fiscal accountabi lity 1173
purposes. The commission, in the performance of its powers and 1174
duties, may shall not be subject to control, supervision, or 1175
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direction by the Department of Education. 1176
(9) The commission shall make such expenditures as may be 1177
necessary in exercising i ts authority and powers and carrying 1178
out its duties and responsibilities, including expenditures for 1179
personal services, legal services general counsel or access to 1180
counsel, and rent at the seat of government and elsewhere; for 1181
books of reference, periodica ls, furniture, equipment, and 1182
supplies; and for printing and binding. The expenditures of the 1183
commission shall be subject to the powers and duties of the 1184
Department of Financial Services as provided in s. 17.03. 1185
Section 21. Section 1012.86, Florida Sta tutes, is 1186
repealed. 1187
Section 22. Subsection (19) of section 1001.64, Florida 1188
Statutes, is amended to read: 1189
1001.64 Florida College System institution boards of 1190
trustees; powers and duties. — 1191
(19) Each board of trustees shall appoint, suspend, or 1192
remove the president of the Florida College System institution. 1193
The board of trustees may appoint a search committee. The board 1194
of trustees shall conduct annual evaluations of the president in 1195
accordance with rules of the State Board of Education and submit 1196
such evaluations to the State Board of Education for review. The 1197
evaluation must address the achievement of the performance goals 1198
established by the accountability process implemented pursuant 1199
to s. 1008.45 and the performance of the president in achieving 1200
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the annual and long-term goals and objectives established in the 1201
Florida College System institution's employment accountability 1202
program implemented pursuant to s. 1012.86 . 1203
Section 23. Subsection (22) of section 1001.65, Florida 1204
Statutes, is amended to r ead: 1205
1001.65 Florida College System institution presidents; 1206
powers and duties.—The president is the chief executive officer 1207
of the Florida College System institution, shall be corporate 1208
secretary of the Florida College System institution board of 1209
trustees, and is responsible for the operation and 1210
administration of the Florida College System institution. Each 1211
Florida College System institution president shall: 1212
(22) Submit an annual employment accountability plan to 1213
the Department of Education pursuant to the provisions of s. 1214
1012.86. 1215
Section 24. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 1216