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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to education; amending s. 445.009, 2
F.S.; revising the services for which the one -stop 3
delivery system is intended to provide access to; 4
amending s. 1003.21, F.S.; requiring a student's 5
certified school counselor or other school personnel 6
to inform the student of opportunities in specified 7
programs; amending s. 1003.435, F.S.; requiring 8
district school boards to notify all candidates for 9
the high school equivalency diploma of adult secondary 10
and postsecondary education options, including 11
specified eligibility requirements; creating s. 12
1004.933, F.S.; providing definitions; establishing 13
the Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education 14
(GATE) Program for a specified purpose; requiring 15
institutions to waive payments for specified student 16
fees; providing eligibility requirements; providing 17
that students participating in the program are 18
eligible for a specified stipend under certain 19
circumstances; prohibiting an institution from 20
imposing additional eligibility requirements; 21
providing Department o f Education responsibilities; 22
providing department reporting requirements; requiring 23
the State Board of Education to adopt rules; creating 24
s. 1009.711, F.S.; creating the GATE Scholarship 25
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Program; requiring the department to administer the 26
program; requiring the program to reimburse eligible 27
institutions for specified student fees and costs; 28
requiring participating institutions to report 29
specified information to the department; requiring the 30
department to reimburse participating institutions 31
within a specified timeframe; providing that 32
reimbursements are contingent upon legislative 33
appropriation and must be prorated under certain 34
circumstances; requiring the state board to adopt 35
rules; amending s. 1011.80, F.S.; revising the number 36
of courses certain student s may be reported for 37
certain funding purposes; providing that such courses 38
do not have to be core curricula courses; deleting a 39
requirement for the department to develop a list of 40
courses to be designated as core curricula courses; 41
creating s. 1011.804, F .S.; creating the GATE Program 42
Student Success Incentive Fund; defining the term 43
"institution"; subject to appropriation, requiring 44
each participating institution to receive an 45
allocation based on certain student performance and 46
according to specified metr ics; requiring students to 47
meet or exceed such metrics in order for a 48
participating institution to receive such allocation; 49
providing an effective date. 50
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 52
53
Section 1. Paragraph (g) of subsect ion (1) of section 54
445.009, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 55
445.009 One-stop delivery system. — 56
(1) The one-stop delivery system is the state's primary 57
customer-service strategy for offering every Floridian access, 58
through service sites or telepho ne or computer networks, to the 59
following services: 60
(g) Adult education , and basic skills training , integrated 61
education and training, and the Graduation Alternative to 62
Traditional Education Program under s. 1004.933 . 63
Section 2. Paragraph (c) of subs ection (1) of section 64
1003.21, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 65
1003.21 School attendance. — 66
(1) 67
(c) A student who attains the age of 16 years during the 68
school year is not subject to compulsory school attendance 69
beyond the date upon which he or s he attains that age if the 70
student files a formal declaration of intent to terminate school 71
enrollment with the district school board. Public school 72
students who have attained the age of 16 years and who have not 73
graduated are subject to compulsory school attendance until the 74
formal declaration of intent is filed with the district school 75
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board. The declaration must acknowledge that terminating school 76
enrollment is likely to reduce the student's earning potential 77
and must be signed by the student and the stu dent's parent. The 78
school district shall notify the student's parent of receipt of 79
the student's declaration of intent to terminate school 80
enrollment. The student's certified school counselor or other 81
school personnel shall conduct an exit interview with t he 82
student to determine the reasons for the student's decision to 83
terminate school enrollment and actions that could be taken to 84
keep the student in school. The student's certified school 85
counselor or other school personnel shall inform the student of 86
opportunities to continue his or her education in a different 87
environment, including, but not limited to, adult education , and 88
high school equivalency examination preparation , and the 89
Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education Program under s. 90
1004.933. Additionally, the student shall complete a survey in a 91
format prescribed by the Department of Education to provide data 92
on student reasons for terminating enrollment and actions taken 93
by schools to keep students enrolled. 94
Section 3. Subsection (3) of se ction 1003.435, Florida 95
Statutes, is amended to read: 96
1003.435 High school equivalency diploma program. — 97
(3) Each district school board shall : 98
(a) Offer and administer the high school equivalency 99
diploma examinations and the subject area examinations to all 100
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candidates pursuant to rules of the State Board of Education. 101
(b) Notify each candidate of adult secondary and 102
postsecondary education options available in or near the school 103
district, including the Graduation Alternative to Traditional 104
Education Program under s. 1004.933. The candidate must also be 105
informed of the eligibility requirements and any minimum 106
academic requirements for each available option. 107
Section 4. Section 1004.933, Florida Statutes, is created 108
to read: 109
1004.933 Graduation Al ternative to Traditional Education 110
(GATE) Program.— 111
(1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 112
(a) "Career education program" means an applied technology 113
diploma program as defined in s. 1004.02(7) or a career 114
certificate program as defined in s. 1004.02(20). 115
(b) "Institution" means a school district career center 116
established under s. 1001.44, a charter technical career center 117
established under s. 1002.34, or a Florida College System 118
institution identified in s. 1000.21. 119
(2) ESTABLISHMENT; PURPOSE.—The Graduation Alternative to 120
Traditional Education (GATE) Program is created within the 121
Department of Education for the following purposes: 122
(a) Assisting students who may have challenges in 123
completing the requirements for a standard high school diploma 124
in a traditional setting. 125
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(b) Creating an alternative education pathway that 126
supports this state's commitment to educational accessibility 127
for all students by providing additional opportunities for 128
students 16 to 21 years of age who have discont inued enrollment 129
in traditional high school programs. 130
(c) Increasing the number of students who successfully 131
earn a high school credential in this state. 132
(d) Increasing the number of students in career education 133
programs. 134
(3) PAYMENT WAIVER; ELIGIBIL ITY.— 135
(a) Notwithstanding s. 445.009(8)(d) and subject to 136
appropriation, an institution shall waive 100 percent of the 137
registration, tuition, laboratory, and examination fees after 138
all other federal aid is applied for a student participating in 139
the GATE Program, including Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 140
Act funds. Instructional materials assigned for use under the 141
GATE Program must be made available to GATE Program students 142
free of charge. An institution may not require payment by 143
students of instructional materials costs eligible for 144
reimbursement under s. 1009.711. 145
(b) To be eligible for participation in the GATE Program, 146
a student may not have earned a standard high school diploma 147
pursuant to s. 1003.4282 or a high school equivalency diploma 148
pursuant to s. 1003.435 before enrolling in the GATE Program and 149
must: 150
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1. Be a resident of this state as defined in s. 151
1009.21(1); 152
2. Be 16 to 21 years of age at the time of initial 153
enrollment; 154
3. Select the adult secondary education program and career 155
education program of his or her choice at the time of admission 156
to the GATE Program, provided that the program is included on 157
the Master Credentials List under s. 445.004(4). The student may 158
not change the requested pathway after enrollment; 159
4. Maintain a 2.0 GPA for career and technical education 160
coursework; and 161
5. Notwithstanding s. 1003.435(4), complete the programs 162
under subparagraph 3. within 3 years after his or her initial 163
enrollment unless the institution determines that an extension 164
is warranted due to extenuating circumstances. 165
(c) Subject to the availability of funds, a student who 166
meets the requirements of paragraph (b) and is enrolled in the 167
GATE Program is eligible to receive the stipend specified in s. 168
1009.895(3). 169
(d) An institution m ay not impose additional criteria to 170
determine a student's eligibility to receive a waiver under this 171
section. 172
(4) STUDENT SUPPORT. —In addition to administering the GATE 173
Program, the Department of Education shall perform the following 174
duties: 175
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(a) Develop and implement a statewide recruitment campaign 176
in conjunction with eligible institutions, local workforce 177
development boards, and other local, regional, or state 178
initiatives that interact with the GATE Program's target 179
population. 180
(b) Connect prospecti ve students directly to eligible 181
institutions. 182
(c) Provide access to online career planning tools. 183
(5) REPORTING.—Beginning October 1, 2025, and each October 184
1 thereafter, the Department of Education shall submit a report 185
to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of 186
the House of Representatives on the number and value of 187
registration, tuition, laboratory, and examination fees and 188
instructional materials costs waived and reimbursed, by 189
institution; the number of students who have obta ined a standard 190
high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma while 191
participating in the GATE Program; the number of students 192
completing an applied technology diploma or career certificate 193
while participating in the GATE Program; and the number of 194
students who have earned an industry certification on the CAPE 195
Industry Certification Funding List while participating in the 196
GATE Program. The reporting period shall cover the previous 197
academic year. 198
(6) RULES.—The State Board of Education shall adopt rules 199
to implement this section. 200
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Section 5. Section 1009.711, Florida Statutes, is created 201
to read: 202
1009.711 GATE Scholarship Program. — 203
(1) The GATE Scholarship Program is created to financially 204
support institutions participating in the GATE Program 205
established pursuant to s. 1004.933. 206
(2) The Department of Education shall administer the GATE 207
Scholarship Program in accordance with rules adopted by the 208
State Board of Education pursuant to subsection (6). 209
(3) The GATE Scholarship Program shall reimburse eligible 210
institutions for registration, tuition, laboratory, and 211
examination fees and related instructional materials costs for 212
students enrolled in the GATE Program. School district career 213
centers and Florida College System institutions mu st be 214
reimbursed at the in -state resident tuition rate established in 215
s. 1009.22(3)(c). 216
(4) Each participating institution shall report to the 217
department all students enrolled in the GATE Program during the 218
fall, spring, or summer terms within 30 days af ter the end of 219
regular registration. For each eligible student, the institution 220
shall report the total reimbursable expenses by category, which 221
the department must consider in determining an institution's 222
award under this section. The department shall reim burse each 223
participating institution no later than 30 days after the 224
institution has reported enrollment for that term. 225
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(5) Reimbursements from the GATE Scholarship Program are 226
contingent upon an annual appropriation in the General 227
Appropriations Act. If the statewide reimbursement amount is 228
greater than the appropriation, the institutional reimbursement 229
amounts specified in subsection (3) must be prorated among the 230
institutions that have timely reported eligible students to the 231
department. 232
(6) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 233
implement this section. 234
Section 6. Subsection (10) of section 1011.80, Florida 235
Statutes, is amended to read: 236
1011.80 Funds for operation of workforce education 237
programs.— 238
(10) A high school student dually e nrolled under s. 239
1007.271 in a workforce education program operated by a Florida 240
College System institution or school district career center 241
generates the amount calculated for workforce education funding, 242
including any payment of performance funding, and the 243
proportional share of full -time equivalent enrollment generated 244
through the Florida Education Finance Program for the student's 245
enrollment in a high school. If a high school student is dually 246
enrolled in a Florida College System institution program, 247
including a program conducted at a high school, the Florida 248
College System institution earns the funds generated for 249
workforce education funding, and the school district earns the 250
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proportional share of full -time equivalent funding from the 251
Florida Education Finance Program. If a student is dually 252
enrolled in a career center operated by the same district as the 253
district in which the student attends high school, that district 254
earns the funds generated for workforce education funding and 255
also earns the proportio nal share of full-time equivalent 256
funding from the Florida Education Finance Program. If a student 257
is dually enrolled in a workforce education program provided by 258
a career center operated by a different school district, the 259
funds must be divided between th e two school districts 260
proportionally from the two funding sources. A student may not 261
be reported for funding in a dual enrollment workforce education 262
program unless the student has completed the basic skills 263
assessment pursuant to s. 1004.91. A student wh o is coenrolled 264
in a K-12 education program and an adult education program may 265
be reported for purposes of funding in an adult education 266
program. If a student is coenrolled in core curricula courses 267
for credit recovery or dropout prevention purposes and do es not 268
have a pattern of excessive absenteeism or habitual truancy or a 269
history of disruptive behavior in school, the student may be 270
reported for funding for up to four two courses per year. Such a 271
student is exempt from the payment of the block tuition fo r 272
adult general education programs provided in s. 1009.22(3)(c). 273
The Department of Education shall develop a list of courses to 274
be designated as core curricula courses for the purposes of 275
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coenrollment. 276
Section 7. Section 1011.804, Florida Statutes, is created 277
to read: 278
1011.804 GATE Program Student Success Incentive Fund. — 279
(1) A GATE Program Student Success Incentive Fund is 280
created to reward school districts and institutions for the 281
documented success of students participating in the GATE Program 282
established under s. 1004.933. 283
(2) As used in this section, the term "institution" means 284
a school district career center established under s. 1001.44, a 285
charter technical career center established under s. 1002.34, or 286
a Florida College System institution i dentified in s. 1000.21 287
which offers the GATE Program pursuant to s. 1004.933. 288
(3)(a) Subject to legislative appropriation, each 289
participating institution must receive an allocation based on 290
the performance of students in its GATE Program according to th e 291
following metrics: 292
1. The number of students obtaining a standard high school 293
diploma or high school equivalency diploma while participating 294
in the program; and 295
2. The number of postsecondary industry certifications or 296
other program completion creden tials included on the Master 297
Credentials List under s. 445.004(4) earned by students 298
participating in the program. Eligible industry certifications 299
must be identified on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding 300
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List approved by the State Board of Education under s. 1008.44. 301
(b) In order for a school district or an institution to 302
receive an allocation for a student under this section, the 303
student must meet or exceed the metrics for both subparagraphs 304
(a)1. and 2. 305
Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 306