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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 for which certa in students may be reported 37
for certain funding purposes; providing that such 38
courses do not have to be core curricula courses; 39
deleting a requirement for the department to develop a 40
list of courses to be designated as core curricula 41
courses; creating s. 1 011.804, F.S.; establishing the 42
GATE Startup Grant Program within the department for a 43
specified purpose; providing eligibility requirements; 44
providing department duties; providing requirements 45
for grant proposals, grant awards, and the use of 46
grant funds; providing reporting requirements; 47
authorizing the state board to adopt rules; providing 48
an effective date. 49
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
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 51
52
Section 1. Paragraph (g) of subsection (1) of section 53
445.009, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 54
445.009 One-stop delivery system. — 55
(1) The one-stop delivery system is the state's primary 56
customer-service strategy for offering every Floridian access, 57
through service sites or telephone or computer networks, to the 58
following services: 59
(g) Adult education , and basic skills training , integrated 60
education and training, and the Graduation Alternative to 61
Traditional Education Program under s. 1004.933 . 62
Section 2. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 63
1003.21, Florida Statut es, is amended to read: 64
1003.21 School attendance. — 65
(1) 66
(c) A student who attains the age of 16 years during the 67
school year is not subject to compulsory school attendance 68
beyond the date upon which he or she attains that age if the 69
student files a formal declaration of intent to terminate school 70
enrollment with the district school board. Public school 71
students who have attained the age of 16 years and who have not 72
graduated are subject to compulsory school attendance until the 73
formal declaration of in tent is filed with the district school 74
board. The declaration must acknowledge that terminating school 75
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enrollment is likely to reduce the student's earning potential 76
and must be signed by the student and the student's parent. The 77
school district shall noti fy the student's parent of receipt of 78
the student's declaration of intent to terminate school 79
enrollment. The student's certified school counselor or other 80
school personnel shall conduct an exit interview with the 81
student to determine the reasons for the s tudent's decision to 82
terminate school enrollment and actions that could be taken to 83
keep the student in school. The student's certified school 84
counselor or other school personnel shall inform the student of 85
opportunities to continue his or her education in a different 86
environment, including, but not limited to, adult education , and 87
high school equivalency examination preparation , and the 88
Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education Program under s. 89
1004.933. Additionally, the student shall complete a sur vey in a 90
format prescribed by the Department of Education to provide data 91
on student reasons for terminating enrollment and actions taken 92
by schools to keep students enrolled. 93
Section 3. Subsection (3) of section 1003.435, Florida 94
Statutes, is amended to read: 95
1003.435 High school equivalency diploma program. — 96
(3) Each district school board shall : 97
(a) Offer and administer the high school equivalency 98
diploma examinations and the subject area examinations to all 99
candidates pursuant to rules of the S tate Board of Education. 100
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(b) Notify each candidate of adult secondary and 101
postsecondary education options available in or near the school 102
district, including the Graduation Alternative to Traditional 103
Education Program under s. 1004.933. The candidate must also be 104
informed of the eligibility requirements and any minimum 105
academic requirements for each available option. 106
Section 4. Section 1004.933, Florida Statutes, is created 107
to read: 108
1004.933 Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education 109
(GATE) Program.— 110
(1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 111
(a) "Career education program" means an applied technology 112
diploma program as defined in s. 1004.02(7) or a career 113
certificate program as defined in s. 1004.02(20). 114
(b) "Institution" means a school district career center 115
established under s. 1001.44, a charter technical career center 116
established under s. 1002.34, or a Florida College System 117
institution identified in s. 1000.21. 118
(2) ESTABLISHMENT; PURPOSE. —The Graduation Alternative to 119
Traditional Education (GATE) Program is created within the 120
Department of Education for the following purposes: 121
(a) Assisting students who may have challenges in 122
completing the requirements for a standard high school diploma 123
in a traditional setting. 124
(b) Creating an alternative education pathway that 125
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supports this state's commitment to educational accessibility 126
for all students by providing additional opportunities for 127
students 16 to 21 years of age who have discontinued enrollment 128
in traditional high schoo l programs. 129
(c) Increasing the number of students who successfully 130
earn a high school credential in this state. 131
(d) Increasing the number of students in career education 132
programs. 133
(3) PAYMENT WAIVER; ELIGIBILITY. — 134
(a) Notwithstanding any other pro vision of state law, 135
including ss. 445.009(8)(d) and 1009.895(3), and contingent upon 136
an appropriation provided pursuant to s. 1009.711(5), an 137
institution shall waive 100 percent of the registration, 138
tuition, laboratory, and examination fees after all othe r 139
federal and state aid is applied for a student participating in 140
the GATE Program, including Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 141
Act funds. Instructional materials assigned for use under the 142
GATE Program must be made available to GATE Program students 143
free of charge. An institution may not require payment by 144
students of instructional materials costs eligible for 145
reimbursement under s. 1009.711. 146
(b) To be eligible for participation in the GATE Program, 147
a student may not have earned a standard high school diploma 148
pursuant to s. 1003.4282 or a high school equivalency diploma 149
pursuant to s. 1003.435 before enrolling in the GATE Program and 150
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must: 151
1. Be a resident of this state as defined in s. 152
1009.21(1); 153
2. Be 16 to 21 years of age at the time of initial 154
enrollment; 155
3. Select the adult secondary education program and career 156
education program of his or her choice at the time of admission 157
to the GATE Program, provided that the program is included on 158
the Master Credentials List under s. 445.004(4). The stu dent may 159
not change the requested pathway after enrollment; 160
4. Maintain a 2.0 GPA for career and technical education 161
coursework; and 162
5. Notwithstanding s. 1003.435(4), complete the programs 163
under subparagraph 3. within 2 years after his or her initial 164
enrollment unless the institution determines that an extension 165
is warranted due to extenuating circumstances. 166
(c) Subject to the availability of funds, a student who 167
meets the requirements of paragraph (b) and is enrolled in the 168
GATE Program is eligible to receive the stipend specified in s. 169
1009.895(3). 170
(d) An institution may not impose additional criteria to 171
determine a student's eligibility to receive a waiver under this 172
section. 173
(4) STUDENT SUPPORT. —In addition to administering the GATE 174
Program, the Department of Education shall perform the following 175
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duties: 176
(a) Develop and implement a statewide recruitment campaign 177
in conjunction with eligible institutions, local workforce 178
development boards, and other local, regional, or state 179
initiatives that interact with the GATE Program's target 180
population. 181
(b) Connect prospective students directly to eligible 182
institutions. 183
(c) Provide access to online career planning tools. 184
(5) REPORTING.—Beginning October 1, 2025, and each October 185
1 thereafter, the Department of Education shall submit a report 186
to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of 187
the House of Representatives on the number and value of 188
registration, tuition, laboratory, and examination fees and 189
instructional materials costs waived and reimbursed, by 190
institution; the number of students who have obtained a standard 191
high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma while 192
participating in the GATE Program; the number of students 193
completing an applied technology diploma or ca reer certificate 194
while participating in the GATE Program; the number of students 195
participating in the GATE Program who receive a stipend under s. 196
1009.895(3); and the number of students who have earned an 197
industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certifi cation 198
Funding List while participating in the GATE Program. The 199
reporting period shall cover the previous academic year. 200
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(6) RULES.—The State Board of Education shall adopt rules 201
to implement this section. 202
Section 5. Section 1009.711, Florida Statut es, is created 203
to read: 204
1009.711 GATE Scholarship Program. — 205
(1) The GATE Scholarship Program is created to financially 206
support institutions participating in the GATE Program 207
established pursuant to s. 1004.933. 208
(2) The Department of Education shall administer the GATE 209
Scholarship Program in accordance with rules adopted by the 210
State Board of Education pursuant to subsection (6). 211
(3) The GATE Scholarship Program shall reimburse eligible 212
institutions for registration, tuition, laboratory, and 213
examination fees and related instructional materials costs for 214
students enrolled in the GATE Program. School district career 215
centers and Florida College System institutions must be 216
reimbursed at the in -state resident tuition rate established in 217
s. 1009.22(3)(c). 218
(4) Each participating institution shall report to the 219
department all students enrolled in the GATE Program during the 220
fall, spring, or summer terms within 30 days after the end of 221
regular registration. For each eligible student, the institution 222
shall report the total reimbursable expenses by category, which 223
the department must consider in determining an institution's 224
award under this section. The department shall reimburse each 225
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participating institution no later than 30 days after the 226
institution has reported enrollment for that term. 227
(5) Reimbursements from the GATE Scholarship Program are 228
contingent upon an annual appropriation in the General 229
Appropriations Act. If the statewide reimbursement amount is 230
greater than the appropriation, the institutional reimbursement 231
amounts specified in subsection (3) must be prorated among the 232
institutions that have timely reported eligible students to the 233
department. 234
(6) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 235
implement this section. 236
Section 6. Subsection (10) of section 1011.80, Florida 237
Statutes, is amended to read: 238
1011.80 Funds for operation of workforce education 239
programs.— 240
(10) A high school student dually enrolled under s. 241
1007.271 in a workforce education program operated by a Florida 242
College System institution or school district career center 243
generates the amount calculated for workforce education funding, 244
including any payment of performance funding, and the 245
proportional share of full -time equivalent enrollment generated 246
through the Florida Education Finance Program for the student's 247
enrollment in a high school. If a high school student is dually 248
enrolled in a Florida College System institution program, 249
including a program conducted at a high school, the Florida 250
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College System institution ear ns the funds generated for 251
workforce education funding, and the school district earns the 252
proportional share of full -time equivalent funding from the 253
Florida Education Finance Program. If a student is dually 254
enrolled in a career center operated by the same district as the 255
district in which the student attends high school, that district 256
earns the funds generated for workforce education funding and 257
also earns the proportional share of full -time equivalent 258
funding from the Florida Education Finance Program. If a student 259
is dually enrolled in a workforce education program provided by 260
a career center operated by a different school district, the 261
funds must be divided between the two school districts 262
proportionally from the two funding sources. A student may not 263
be reported for funding in a dual enrollment workforce education 264
program unless the student has completed the basic skills 265
assessment pursuant to s. 1004.91. A student who is coenrolled 266
in a K-12 education program and an adult education program may 267
be reported for purposes of funding in an adult education 268
program. If a student is coenrolled in core curricula courses 269
for credit recovery or dropout prevention purposes and does not 270
have a pattern of excessive absenteeism or habitual truancy or a 271
history of disruptive behavior in school, the student may be 272
reported for funding for up to four two courses per year. Such a 273
student is exempt from the payment of the block tuition for 274
adult general education programs provided in s. 1009.22(3)(c). 275
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The Department of Educa tion shall develop a list of courses to 276
be designated as core curricula courses for the purposes of 277
coenrollment. 278
Section 7. Section 1011.804, Florida Statutes, is created 279
to read: 280
1011.804 GATE Startup Grant Program. — 281
(1) The GATE Startup Grant Pr ogram is established within 282
the Department of Education to fund and support the startup and 283
implementation of the new GATE Programs, subject to legislative 284
appropriation. The purpose of the grant program is to increase 285
access to programs that support adult learners earning a high 286
school credential, either a high school diploma or its 287
equivalent, and a workforce credential aligned to statewide or 288
regional demand. The department shall administer the grants, 289
determine eligibility, and distribute grant awards. 290
(2) The department may solicit proposals from school 291
districts and Florida College System institutions without 292
programs that meet the requirements of s. 1004.933(1)(a). Such 293
school districts and institutions must be located in or serve a 294
rural area of opportunity as designated by the Governor. 295
(3) The department shall prioritize grant proposals that 296
combine adult secondary education and career education programs 297
at one location or allow students to complete programs through 298
distance learning. An applic ant may not receive more than 10 299
percent of the total amount appropriated for the program. 300
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(4) The department shall make the grant application 301
available to potential applicants no later than August 15, 2024. 302
A grant proposal must include: 303
(a) The Florida College System institution or institutions 304
that will provide the adult secondary education and career 305
education programs; 306
(b) The proposed adult secondary education program or 307
programs the institution or institutions will provide and the 308
projected enrollment for such program or programs; 309
(c) The proposed career education program or programs the 310
institution or institutions will provide and the projected 311
enrollment for such program or programs; 312
(d) The credential or credentials associated with the 313
career education program or programs. Such credential or 314
credentials must be included on the Master Credentials List 315
under s. 445.004(4); 316
(e) The cost of instruction for all programs contemplated 317
in the proposal, including costs for tuition, fees, 318
registration, and laboratory, examination, and instructional 319
materials costs; 320
(f) Outreach strategies, including collaboration with 321
local workforce development boards; and 322
(g) A plan or timeline for implementing s. 1004.933 and 323
enrolling students. 324
(5) Grant funds may be used for planning activities and 325
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other expenses associated with the creation of a new GATE 326
Program, such as expenses related to program instruction, 327
instructional equipment, supplies, instructional personnel, and 328
student services. Grant fund s may not be used for indirect 329
costs. Grant recipients must submit an annual report in a format 330
prescribed by the department. The department shall consolidate 331
such annual reports and include the reports in the report 332
required by s. 1004.933(5). 333
(6) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to 334
administer this section. 335
Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 336