The Florida Senate
HOUSE MESSAGE SUMMARY
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Education Pre-K -12
[2024s07002.hms.ed]
BILL: CS/SB 7002
INTRODUCER: Fiscal Policy Committee; Education Pre-K - 12 Committee; and Senators Hutson
and Osgood
SUBJECT: Deregulation of Public Schools/School District Finance and Budgets, Facilities,
and Administration and Oversight
DATE: February 28, 2024
I.Amendments Contained in Message:
House Amendment – 568137 (body with title)
II.Summary of Amendments Contained in Message:
House Amendment – 568137 removes from the Senate bill those provisions that:
Standardize school board rulemaking procedures with local procedural requirements instead
of the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act.
Clarify State Board of Education (SBE) rulemaking authority.
Require the Department of Education (DOE) to provide guidance on the interpretation of
statutory compliance by school boards.
Repeal requirement for employment of an internal financial auditor for large districts.
Repeal requirement for financial reports in student handbooks.
Repeal requirements to share unused district school board property with charter schools.
Remove specified compliance plans for districts exceeding class size limits.
Clarify that online service providers are bound by Florida online safety law, which does not
require that school boards include any specific legal provision in contracts with online
service providers.
Require the DOE to communicate directly with charter schools instead of district school
boards about charter school financial reports.
Include in requirements for short-term leases ancillary plants and auxiliary facilities.
Repeal the requirement for school board budget graphical representations.
Modify requirements related to make-up days resulting from an emergency.
Authorize school districts to prioritize Title 1 expenditures for communities with the highest
percentage of low income families and to use the funds for recruitment and retention of
qualified teachers.
Authorize school boards to use capital outlay millage revenue on various additional types of
plant facilities.
Expand the use of revenue from sale or lease of district school board airspace.
Remove requirements related to the development of local facilities plans.
Remove minimum timeframes for facility lease terms. BILL: CS/SB 7002 Page 2
Repeal the requirement to employ an architect on projects over $50,000.
The House amendment modifies provisions in the Senate bill that:
Restore the cap that was removed in the bill on expenditures from insurance and vehicles
from capital outlay millage revenue, but increases the cap from $175 to $200 per full-time
equivalent student.
Restore a prohibition on district purchases of transportation materials removed in the bill, but
provides a process to request flexibility from the DOE.
Restore cost per student station limits that were removed in the bill, but suspends them until
2028.
Restore the cap on day labor contracts per project, but increases the cap from $280,000 per
project to $600,000.
The House amendment adds to the Senate bill the following provisions from CS/SB 7000,
which:
Require the SBE to develop strategies to improve critical teacher shortage areas.
Authorize consideration of advanced degrees in determining salary adjustments.
Provide that collective bargaining may not prevent a school board from its legal duties.
Modify the personnel that may be assigned to a low-performing school by defining what
constitutes an inexperienced teacher.
Authorize the SAT, ACT, or CLT test to satisfy the General Knowledge exam requirement
for professional teacher certification.
Provide certification and exam fee waivers for certain exceptional student education teachers.
Authorize the Florida Institute for Charter School Innovation to develop a professional
learning system.
The House amendment does not include the following provisions that were included in
CS/SB 7000, which:
Repeal requirements between grandfathered and performance salary schedules and for
longevity.
Establish a 10-year professional certificate subject to specified eligibility criteria.
Establish a discretionary multiyear personnel contract subject to specified eligibility and
timeframes.
Require a union representative to appear before the SBE if the superintendent is called to
explain an impasse.
Provide a school district greater authority over district personnel evaluation systems.
Remove specified occupational requirements for hiring career education teachers.
Expand eligibility for individuals to enter teacher apprenticeship programs.
Authorize local school boards to issue temporary teaching certificates.
The House amendment also adds to the Senate bill a provision clarifying that certain
requirements for teacher candidates must be completed prior to participating in field experiences.