FL
Florida House Bill H7051

Florida 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H7051 Compare Versions

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1010 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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1414 A bill to be entitled 1
1515 An act relating to education; amending s. 445.009, 2
1616 F.S.; revising the services for which the one -stop 3
1717 delivery system is intended to provide access to; 4
1818 amending s. 1003.21, F.S.; requiring a student's 5
1919 certified school counselor or other school personnel 6
2020 to inform the student of opportunities in specified 7
2121 programs; amending s. 1003.435, F.S.; requiring 8
2222 district school boards to notify all candidates for 9
2323 the high school equivalency diploma of adult secondary 10
2424 and postsecondary education options, including 11
2525 specified eligibility requirements; creating s. 12
2626 1004.933, F.S.; providing definitions; establishing 13
2727 the Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education 14
2828 (GATE) Program for a specified purpose; requiring 15
2929 institutions to waive payments for specified student 16
3030 fees; providing eligibility requirements; providing 17
3131 that students participating in the program are 18
3232 eligible for a specified stipend under certain 19
3333 circumstances; prohibiting an institution from 20
3434 imposing additional eligibility requirements; 21
3535 providing Department o f Education responsibilities; 22
3636 providing department reporting requirements; requiring 23
3737 the State Board of Education to adopt rules; creating 24
3838 s. 1009.711, F.S.; creating the GATE Scholarship 25
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4747 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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5151 Program; requiring the department to administer the 26
5252 program; requiring the program to reimburse eligible 27
5353 institutions for specified student fees and costs; 28
5454 requiring participating institutions to report 29
5555 specified information to the department; requiring the 30
5656 department to reimburse participating institutions 31
5757 within a specified timeframe; providing that 32
5858 reimbursements are contingent upon legislative 33
5959 appropriation and must be prorated under certain 34
6060 circumstances; requiring the state board to adopt 35
6161 rules; amending s. 1011.80, F.S.; revising the number 36
6262 of courses for which certa in students may be reported 37
6363 for certain funding purposes; providing that such 38
6464 courses do not have to be core curricula courses; 39
6565 deleting a requirement for the department to develop a 40
6666 list of courses to be designated as core curricula 41
6767 courses; creating s. 1 011.804, F.S.; establishing the 42
6868 GATE Startup Grant Program within the department for a 43
6969 specified purpose; providing eligibility requirements; 44
7070 providing department duties; providing requirements 45
7171 for grant proposals, grant awards, and the use of 46
7272 grant funds; providing reporting requirements; 47
7373 authorizing the state board to adopt rules; providing 48
7474 an effective date. 49
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8484 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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8888 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 51
8989 52
9090 Section 1. Paragraph (g) of subsection (1) of section 53
9191 445.009, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 54
9292 445.009 One-stop delivery system. — 55
9393 (1) The one-stop delivery system is the state's primary 56
9494 customer-service strategy for offering every Floridian access, 57
9595 through service sites or telephone or computer networks, to the 58
9696 following services: 59
9797 (g) Adult education , and basic skills training , integrated 60
9898 education and training, and the Graduation Alternative to 61
9999 Traditional Education Program under s. 1004.933 . 62
100100 Section 2. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 63
101101 1003.21, Florida Statut es, is amended to read: 64
102102 1003.21 School attendance. — 65
103103 (1) 66
104104 (c) A student who attains the age of 16 years during the 67
105105 school year is not subject to compulsory school attendance 68
106106 beyond the date upon which he or she attains that age if the 69
107107 student files a formal declaration of intent to terminate school 70
108108 enrollment with the district school board. Public school 71
109109 students who have attained the age of 16 years and who have not 72
110110 graduated are subject to compulsory school attendance until the 73
111111 formal declaration of in tent is filed with the district school 74
112112 board. The declaration must acknowledge that terminating school 75
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121121 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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125125 enrollment is likely to reduce the student's earning potential 76
126126 and must be signed by the student and the student's parent. The 77
127127 school district shall noti fy the student's parent of receipt of 78
128128 the student's declaration of intent to terminate school 79
129129 enrollment. The student's certified school counselor or other 80
130130 school personnel shall conduct an exit interview with the 81
131131 student to determine the reasons for the s tudent's decision to 82
132132 terminate school enrollment and actions that could be taken to 83
133133 keep the student in school. The student's certified school 84
134134 counselor or other school personnel shall inform the student of 85
135135 opportunities to continue his or her education in a different 86
136136 environment, including, but not limited to, adult education , and 87
137137 high school equivalency examination preparation , and the 88
138138 Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education Program under s. 89
139139 1004.933. Additionally, the student shall complete a sur vey in a 90
140140 format prescribed by the Department of Education to provide data 91
141141 on student reasons for terminating enrollment and actions taken 92
142142 by schools to keep students enrolled. 93
143143 Section 3. Subsection (3) of section 1003.435, Florida 94
144144 Statutes, is amended to read: 95
145145 1003.435 High school equivalency diploma program. — 96
146146 (3) Each district school board shall : 97
147147 (a) Offer and administer the high school equivalency 98
148148 diploma examinations and the subject area examinations to all 99
149149 candidates pursuant to rules of the S tate Board of Education. 100
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158158 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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162162 (b) Notify each candidate of adult secondary and 101
163163 postsecondary education options available in or near the school 102
164164 district, including the Graduation Alternative to Traditional 103
165165 Education Program under s. 1004.933. The candidate must also be 104
166166 informed of the eligibility requirements and any minimum 105
167167 academic requirements for each available option. 106
168168 Section 4. Section 1004.933, Florida Statutes, is created 107
169169 to read: 108
170170 1004.933 Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education 109
171171 (GATE) Program.— 110
172172 (1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 111
173173 (a) "Career education program" means an applied technology 112
174174 diploma program as defined in s. 1004.02(7) or a career 113
175175 certificate program as defined in s. 1004.02(20). 114
176176 (b) "Institution" means a school district career center 115
177177 established under s. 1001.44, a charter technical career center 116
178178 established under s. 1002.34, or a Florida College System 117
179179 institution identified in s. 1000.21. 118
180180 (2) ESTABLISHMENT; PURPOSE. —The Graduation Alternative to 119
181181 Traditional Education (GATE) Program is created within the 120
182182 Department of Education for the following purposes: 121
183183 (a) Assisting students who may have challenges in 122
184184 completing the requirements for a standard high school diploma 123
185185 in a traditional setting. 124
186186 (b) Creating an alternative education pathway that 125
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195195 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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199199 supports this state's commitment to educational accessibility 126
200200 for all students by providing additional opportunities for 127
201201 students 16 to 21 years of age who have discontinued enrollment 128
202202 in traditional high schoo l programs. 129
203203 (c) Increasing the number of students who successfully 130
204204 earn a high school credential in this state. 131
205205 (d) Increasing the number of students in career education 132
206206 programs. 133
207207 (3) PAYMENT WAIVER; ELIGIBILITY. — 134
208208 (a) Notwithstanding any other pro vision of state law, 135
209209 including ss. 445.009(8)(d) and 1009.895(3), and contingent upon 136
210210 an appropriation provided pursuant to s. 1009.711(5), an 137
211211 institution shall waive 100 percent of the registration, 138
212212 tuition, laboratory, and examination fees after all othe r 139
213213 federal and state aid is applied for a student participating in 140
214214 the GATE Program, including Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 141
215215 Act funds. Instructional materials assigned for use under the 142
216216 GATE Program must be made available to GATE Program students 143
217217 free of charge. An institution may not require payment by 144
218218 students of instructional materials costs eligible for 145
219219 reimbursement under s. 1009.711. 146
220220 (b) To be eligible for participation in the GATE Program, 147
221221 a student may not have earned a standard high school diploma 148
222222 pursuant to s. 1003.4282 or a high school equivalency diploma 149
223223 pursuant to s. 1003.435 before enrolling in the GATE Program and 150
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232232 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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236236 must: 151
237237 1. Be a resident of this state as defined in s. 152
238238 1009.21(1); 153
239239 2. Be 16 to 21 years of age at the time of initial 154
240240 enrollment; 155
241241 3. Select the adult secondary education program and career 156
242242 education program of his or her choice at the time of admission 157
243243 to the GATE Program, provided that the program is included on 158
244244 the Master Credentials List under s. 445.004(4). The stu dent may 159
245245 not change the requested pathway after enrollment; 160
246246 4. Maintain a 2.0 GPA for career and technical education 161
247247 coursework; and 162
248248 5. Notwithstanding s. 1003.435(4), complete the programs 163
249-under subparagraph 3. within 3 years after his or her initial 164
249+under subparagraph 3. within 2 years after his or her initial 164
250250 enrollment unless the institution determines that an extension 165
251251 is warranted due to extenuating circumstances. 166
252252 (c) Subject to the availability of funds, a student who 167
253253 meets the requirements of paragraph (b) and is enrolled in the 168
254254 GATE Program is eligible to receive the stipend specified in s. 169
255255 1009.895(3). 170
256256 (d) An institution may not impose additional criteria to 171
257257 determine a student's eligibility to receive a waiver under this 172
258258 section. 173
259259 (4) STUDENT SUPPORT. —In addition to administering the GATE 174
260260 Program, the Department of Education shall perform the following 175
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269269 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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273273 duties: 176
274274 (a) Develop and implement a statewide recruitment campaign 177
275275 in conjunction with eligible institutions, local workforce 178
276276 development boards, and other local, regional, or state 179
277277 initiatives that interact with the GATE Program's target 180
278278 population. 181
279279 (b) Connect prospective students directly to eligible 182
280280 institutions. 183
281281 (c) Provide access to online career planning tools. 184
282282 (5) REPORTING.—Beginning October 1, 2025, and each October 185
283283 1 thereafter, the Department of Education shall submit a report 186
284284 to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of 187
285285 the House of Representatives on the number and value of 188
286286 registration, tuition, laboratory, and examination fees and 189
287287 instructional materials costs waived and reimbursed, by 190
288288 institution; the number of students who have obtained a standard 191
289289 high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma while 192
290290 participating in the GATE Program; the number of students 193
291291 completing an applied technology diploma or ca reer certificate 194
292292 while participating in the GATE Program; the number of students 195
293293 participating in the GATE Program who receive a stipend under s. 196
294294 1009.895(3); and the number of students who have earned an 197
295295 industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certifi cation 198
296296 Funding List while participating in the GATE Program. The 199
297297 reporting period shall cover the previous academic year. 200
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306306 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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310310 (6) RULES.—The State Board of Education shall adopt rules 201
311311 to implement this section. 202
312312 Section 5. Section 1009.711, Florida Statut es, is created 203
313313 to read: 204
314314 1009.711 GATE Scholarship Program. — 205
315315 (1) The GATE Scholarship Program is created to financially 206
316316 support institutions participating in the GATE Program 207
317317 established pursuant to s. 1004.933. 208
318318 (2) The Department of Education shall administer the GATE 209
319319 Scholarship Program in accordance with rules adopted by the 210
320320 State Board of Education pursuant to subsection (6). 211
321321 (3) The GATE Scholarship Program shall reimburse eligible 212
322322 institutions for registration, tuition, laboratory, and 213
323323 examination fees and related instructional materials costs for 214
324324 students enrolled in the GATE Program. School district career 215
325325 centers and Florida College System institutions must be 216
326326 reimbursed at the in -state resident tuition rate established in 217
327327 s. 1009.22(3)(c). 218
328328 (4) Each participating institution shall report to the 219
329329 department all students enrolled in the GATE Program during the 220
330330 fall, spring, or summer terms within 30 days after the end of 221
331331 regular registration. For each eligible student, the institution 222
332332 shall report the total reimbursable expenses by category, which 223
333333 the department must consider in determining an institution's 224
334334 award under this section. The department shall reimburse each 225
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343343 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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347347 participating institution no later than 30 days after the 226
348348 institution has reported enrollment for that term. 227
349349 (5) Reimbursements from the GATE Scholarship Program are 228
350350 contingent upon an annual appropriation in the General 229
351351 Appropriations Act. If the statewide reimbursement amount is 230
352352 greater than the appropriation, the institutional reimbursement 231
353353 amounts specified in subsection (3) must be prorated among the 232
354354 institutions that have timely reported eligible students to the 233
355355 department. 234
356356 (6) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 235
357357 implement this section. 236
358358 Section 6. Subsection (10) of section 1011.80, Florida 237
359359 Statutes, is amended to read: 238
360360 1011.80 Funds for operation of workforce education 239
361361 programs.— 240
362362 (10) A high school student dually enrolled under s. 241
363363 1007.271 in a workforce education program operated by a Florida 242
364364 College System institution or school district career center 243
365365 generates the amount calculated for workforce education funding, 244
366366 including any payment of performance funding, and the 245
367367 proportional share of full -time equivalent enrollment generated 246
368368 through the Florida Education Finance Program for the student's 247
369369 enrollment in a high school. If a high school student is dually 248
370370 enrolled in a Florida College System institution program, 249
371371 including a program conducted at a high school, the Florida 250
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380380 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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384384 College System institution ear ns the funds generated for 251
385385 workforce education funding, and the school district earns the 252
386386 proportional share of full -time equivalent funding from the 253
387387 Florida Education Finance Program. If a student is dually 254
388388 enrolled in a career center operated by the same district as the 255
389389 district in which the student attends high school, that district 256
390390 earns the funds generated for workforce education funding and 257
391391 also earns the proportional share of full -time equivalent 258
392392 funding from the Florida Education Finance Program. If a student 259
393393 is dually enrolled in a workforce education program provided by 260
394394 a career center operated by a different school district, the 261
395395 funds must be divided between the two school districts 262
396396 proportionally from the two funding sources. A student may not 263
397397 be reported for funding in a dual enrollment workforce education 264
398398 program unless the student has completed the basic skills 265
399399 assessment pursuant to s. 1004.91. A student who is coenrolled 266
400400 in a K-12 education program and an adult education program may 267
401401 be reported for purposes of funding in an adult education 268
402402 program. If a student is coenrolled in core curricula courses 269
403403 for credit recovery or dropout prevention purposes and does not 270
404404 have a pattern of excessive absenteeism or habitual truancy or a 271
405405 history of disruptive behavior in school, the student may be 272
406406 reported for funding for up to four two courses per year. Such a 273
407407 student is exempt from the payment of the block tuition for 274
408408 adult general education programs provided in s. 1009.22(3)(c). 275
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417417 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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421421 The Department of Educa tion shall develop a list of courses to 276
422422 be designated as core curricula courses for the purposes of 277
423423 coenrollment. 278
424424 Section 7. Section 1011.804, Florida Statutes, is created 279
425425 to read: 280
426426 1011.804 GATE Startup Grant Program. — 281
427427 (1) The GATE Startup Grant Pr ogram is established within 282
428428 the Department of Education to fund and support the startup and 283
429429 implementation of the new GATE Programs, subject to legislative 284
430430 appropriation. The purpose of the grant program is to increase 285
431431 access to programs that support adult learners earning a high 286
432432 school credential, either a high school diploma or its 287
433433 equivalent, and a workforce credential aligned to statewide or 288
434434 regional demand. The department shall administer the grants, 289
435435 determine eligibility, and distribute grant awards. 290
436436 (2) The department may solicit proposals from school 291
437437 districts and Florida College System institutions without 292
438438 programs that meet the requirements of s. 1004.933(1)(a). Such 293
439439 school districts and institutions must be located in or serve a 294
440440 rural area of opportunity as designated by the Governor. 295
441441 (3) The department shall prioritize grant proposals that 296
442442 combine adult secondary education and career education programs 297
443443 at one location or allow students to complete programs through 298
444444 distance learning. An applic ant may not receive more than 10 299
445445 percent of the total amount appropriated for the program. 300
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454454 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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458458 (4) The department shall make the grant application 301
459459 available to potential applicants no later than August 15, 2024. 302
460460 A grant proposal must include: 303
461461 (a) The Florida College System institution or institutions 304
462462 that will provide the adult secondary education and career 305
463463 education programs; 306
464464 (b) The proposed adult secondary education program or 307
465465 programs the institution or institutions will provide and the 308
466466 projected enrollment for such program or programs; 309
467467 (c) The proposed career education program or programs the 310
468468 institution or institutions will provide and the projected 311
469469 enrollment for such program or programs; 312
470470 (d) The credential or credentials associated with the 313
471471 career education program or programs. Such credential or 314
472472 credentials must be included on the Master Credentials List 315
473473 under s. 445.004(4); 316
474474 (e) The cost of instruction for all programs contemplated 317
475475 in the proposal, including costs for tuition, fees, 318
476476 registration, and laboratory, examination, and instructional 319
477477 materials costs; 320
478478 (f) Outreach strategies, including collaboration with 321
479479 local workforce development boards; and 322
480480 (g) A plan or timeline for implementing s. 1004.933 and 323
481481 enrolling students. 324
482482 (5) Grant funds may be used for planning activities and 325
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491491 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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495495 other expenses associated with the creation of a new GATE 326
496496 Program, such as expenses related to program instruction, 327
497497 instructional equipment, supplies, instructional personnel, and 328
498498 student services. Grant fund s may not be used for indirect 329
499499 costs. Grant recipients must submit an annual report in a format 330
500500 prescribed by the department. The department shall consolidate 331
501501 such annual reports and include the reports in the report 332
502502 required by s. 1004.933(5). 333
503503 (6) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to 334
504504 administer this section. 335
505505 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 336