Florida Senate - 2025 SB 2510 By the Committee on Appropriations 576-03204-25 20252510__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to prekindergarten through grade 12 3 education; amending s. 1002.45, F.S.; authorizing a 4 school district to report a full-time equivalent 5 student for credit earned by a student who is enrolled 6 in a virtual instruction course during the summer; 7 amending s. 1003.4203, F.S.; deleting legislative 8 intent; amending s. 1003.498, F.S.; authorizing a 9 school district to report a full-time equivalent 10 student for credit earned by a student who is enrolled 11 in a virtual instruction course during the summer; 12 amending s. 1003.4935, F.S.; deleting language 13 providing that students who earn certain career and 14 professional education (CAPE) certificates are 15 eligible for full-time equivalent membership; amending 16 s. 1008.36, F.S.; revising language related to the 17 Florida School Recognition Program to apply to 18 instructional personnel, rather than faculty and 19 staff; amending s. 1008.44, F.S.; revising the CAPE 20 Industry Certification Funding List; deleting a 21 provision requiring the Commissioner of Education to 22 conduct a review of methodology used to determine 23 additional full-time equivalent membership weights; 24 requiring the commissioner to limit CAPE industry 25 certifications to certain students based on specified 26 criteria; amending s. 1011.61, F.S.; revising the 27 definition of the term full-time equivalent student; 28 amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; revising the procedure for 29 the calculation of additional full-time equivalent 30 membership for certain students; amending s. 1011.66, 31 F.S; revising the timeframe for the distribution of 32 Florida Education Finance Program funds; providing an 33 effective date. 34 35 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 36 37 Section 1.Paragraph (a) of subsection (6) of section 38 1002.45, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 39 1002.45Virtual instruction programs. 40 (6)VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM AND VIRTUAL CHARTER SCHOOL 41 FUNDING. 42 (a)All virtual instruction programs established pursuant 43 to paragraph (1)(b) are subject to the requirements of s. 44 1011.61(1)(c)1.b.(III), (IV), (VI), and (4), and the school 45 district providing the virtual instruction program shall report 46 the full-time equivalent students in a manner prescribed by the 47 department. A school district may report a full-time equivalent 48 student for credit earned by a student who is enrolled in a 49 virtual instruction course provided by the district which was 50 completed after the end of the regular school year if the full 51 time equivalent student is reported no later than the deadline 52 for amending the final full-time equivalent student membership 53 report for that year. A school district may also report a full 54 time equivalent student for credit earned by a student who is 55 enrolled in a virtual instruction course provided by the 56 district during the summer to the Department of Education in a 57 manner prescribed by the Department of Education and shall be 58 funded through the Florida Education Finance Program. 59 Section 2.Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section 60 1003.4203, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 61 1003.4203Digital materials, CAPE Digital Tool 62 certificates, and technical assistance. 63 (2)CAPE DIGITAL TOOL CERTIFICATES.The department shall 64 identify, in the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List under 65 ss. 1003.492 and 1008.44, CAPE Digital Tool certificates that 66 indicate a students digital skills. The department shall notify 67 each school district when the certificates are available. The 68 certificates shall be made available to all public elementary 69 and middle grades students. 70 (c)The Legislature intends that, on an annual basis, at 71 least 75 percent of public middle grades students earn at least 72 one CAPE Digital Tool certificate. 73 Section 3.Subsection (2) of section 1003.498, Florida 74 Statutes, is amended to read: 75 1003.498School district virtual course offerings. 76 (2)School districts may offer virtual courses for students 77 enrolled in the school district. These courses must be 78 identified in the course code directory. Students may 79 participate in these virtual course offerings pursuant to s. 80 1002.455. 81 (a)Any student who is enrolled in a school district may 82 register and enroll in an online course offered by his or her 83 school district. 84 (b)1.Any student who is enrolled in a school district may 85 register and enroll in an online course offered by any other 86 school district in the state. The school district in which the 87 student completes the course shall report the students 88 completion of that course for funding pursuant to s. 89 1011.61(1)(c)1.b.(VI), and the home school district may shall 90 not report the student for funding for that course. 91 2.The full-time equivalent student membership calculated 92 under this subsection is subject to the requirements in s. 93 1011.61(4). The Department of Education shall establish 94 procedures to enable interdistrict coordination for the delivery 95 and funding of this online option. 96 (c)A school district may report a full-time equivalent 97 student membership for credit earned by a student who is 98 enrolled in a virtual education course provided by the district 99 during the summer. 100 (d)3.Funding for virtual courses shall be as provided in 101 s. 1002.45(6). 102 Section 4.Subsection (3) of section 1003.4935, Florida 103 Statutes, is amended to read: 104 1003.4935Middle grades career and professional academy 105 courses and career-themed courses. 106 (3)CAPE Digital Tool certificates and CAPE industry 107 certifications offered in the middle grades that are included on 108 the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List, if earned by 109 students, are eligible for additional full-time equivalent 110 membership pursuant to s. 1011.62(1)(o)1.a. and b. 111 Section 5.Subsections (1) and (5) of section 1008.36, 112 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 113 1008.36Florida School Recognition Program. 114 (1)The Legislature finds that there is a need for a 115 performance incentive program for outstanding instructional 116 personnel faculty and staff in highly productive schools. The 117 Legislature further finds that performance-based incentives are 118 commonplace in the private sector and should be infused into the 119 public sector as a reward for productivity. 120 (5)School recognition awards must be used for the 121 following: 122 (a)Nonrecurring bonuses to the instructional personnel as 123 defined in s. 1012.01 faculty and staff; 124 (b)Nonrecurring expenditures for educational equipment or 125 materials to assist in maintaining and improving student 126 performance; or 127 (c)Temporary personnel for the school to assist in 128 maintaining and improving student performance. 129 130 Notwithstanding statutory provisions to the contrary, incentive 131 awards are not subject to collective bargaining. 132 Section 6.Subsection (1) and paragraph (b) of subsection 133 (4) of section 1008.44, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 134 1008.44CAPE Industry Certification Funding List. 135 (1)The State Board of Education shall adopt, at least 136 annually, based upon recommendations by the Commissioner of 137 Education, the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List that 138 assigns additional full-time equivalent membership to 139 certifications identified in the Master Credentials List under 140 s. 445.004(4) which meet that meets a statewide, regional, or 141 local demand, and courses that lead to such certifications in 142 accordance with s. 1011.62(1)(o). Additional full-time 143 equivalent membership funding for regional and local demand 144 certifications may only be earned in those areas with regional 145 or local demand as identified by the Credentials Review 146 Committee. The CAPE Industry Certification Funding List may 147 include the following certificates and certifications: 148 (a)CAPE industry certifications identified as credentials 149 of value that meet the framework of quality under s. 445.004(4), 150 that must be applied in the distribution of funding to school 151 districts under s. 1011.62(1)(o). The CAPE Industry 152 Certification Funding List shall incorporate by reference the 153 industry certifications on the career pathways list approved for 154 the Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars award. 155 (b)CAPE Digital Tool certificates selected by the 156 department under s. 1003.4203(2) that do not articulate for 157 college credit. The certificates must be made available to 158 students in elementary school and middle school grades and, if 159 earned by a student, must be eligible for additional full-time 160 equivalent membership under s. 1011.62(1)(o)1. The department 161 shall annually review available assessments that meet the 162 requirements for inclusion on the list. 163 (c)CAPE Acceleration Industry Certifications that 164 articulate for 15 or more college credit hours under s. 165 1003.4203(4). Such certifications must, if successfully 166 completed, be eligible for additional full-time equivalent 167 membership under s. 1011.62(1)(o)1. 168 (d)The Commissioner of Education shall conduct a review of 169 the methodology used to determine additional full-time 170 equivalent membership weights assigned in s. 1011.62(1)(o) and, 171 if necessary, recommend revised weights. The weights must factor 172 in the prioritization of critical shortages of labor market 173 demand and middle-level to high-level wage earning outcomes as 174 identified by the Credentials Review Committee under s. 445.004. 175 The results of the review and the commissioners recommendations 176 must be submitted to the Governor, the President of the Senate, 177 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than 178 December 1, 2023. 179 (4) 180 (b)Effective for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the 181 Commissioner of Education shall may limit CAPE industry 182 certifications placed on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding 183 List and CAPE Digital Tool certificates to students in certain 184 grades based upon the alignment of the industry certification to 185 career and technical education programs and the appropriate 186 grade level placement within those programs. The eligible grade 187 levels must be adopted annually on the funding list. 188 Section 7.Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 189 1011.61, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 190 1011.61Definitions.Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 191 1000.21, the following terms are defined as follows for the 192 purposes of the Florida Education Finance Program: 193 (1)A full-time equivalent student in each program of the 194 district is defined in terms of full-time students and part-time 195 students as follows: 196 (c)1.A full-time equivalent student is: 197 a.A full-time student in any one of the programs listed in 198 s. 1011.62(1)(c); or 199 b.A combination of full-time or part-time students in any 200 one of the programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) which is the 201 equivalent of one full-time student based on the following 202 calculations: 203 (I)A full-time student in a combination of programs listed 204 in s. 1011.62(1)(c) shall be a fraction of a full-time 205 equivalent membership in each special program equal to the 206 number of net hours per school year for which he or she is a 207 member, divided by the appropriate number of hours set forth in 208 subparagraph (a)1. The difference between that fraction or sum 209 of fractions and the maximum value as set forth in subsection 210 (4) for each full-time student is presumed to be the balance of 211 the students time not spent in a special program and shall be 212 recorded as time in the appropriate basic program. 213 (II)A prekindergarten student with a disability shall meet 214 the requirements specified for kindergarten students. 215 (III)A full-time equivalent student for students in 216 kindergarten through grade 12 in a full-time virtual instruction 217 program under s. 1002.45 or a virtual charter school under s. 218 1002.33 shall consist of six full-credit completions or the 219 prescribed level of content that counts toward promotion to the 220 next grade in programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c). Credit 221 completions may be a combination of full-credit courses or half 222 credit courses. 223 (IV)A full-time equivalent student for students in 224 kindergarten through grade 12 in a part-time virtual instruction 225 program under s. 1002.45 shall consist of six full-credit 226 completions in programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c)1. and 3. 227 Credit completions may be a combination of full-credit courses 228 or half-credit courses. 229 (V)A Florida Virtual School full-time equivalent student 230 shall consist of six full-credit completions or the prescribed 231 level of content that counts toward promotion to the next grade 232 in the programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c)1. and 3. for students 233 participating in kindergarten through grade 12 part-time virtual 234 instruction and the programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) for 235 students participating in kindergarten through grade 12 full 236 time virtual instruction. Credit completions may be a 237 combination of full-credit courses or half-credit courses. 238 (VI)Each successfully completed full-credit course earned 239 through an online course delivered by a district other than the 240 one in which the student resides shall be calculated as 1/6 FTE. 241 (VII)A full-time equivalent student for courses requiring 242 passage of a statewide, standardized end-of-course assessment 243 under s. 1003.4282 to earn a standard high school diploma shall 244 be defined and reported based on the number of instructional 245 hours as provided in this subsection. 246 (VIII)For students enrolled in a school district as a 247 full-time student, the district may report 1/6 FTE for each 248 student who passes a statewide, standardized end-of-course 249 assessment without being enrolled in the corresponding course. 250 2.A student in membership in a program scheduled for more 251 or less than 180 school days or the equivalent on an hourly 252 basis as specified by rules of the State Board of Education is a 253 fraction of a full-time equivalent membership equal to the 254 number of instructional hours in membership divided by the 255 appropriate number of hours set forth in subparagraph (a)1.; 256 however, for the purposes of this subparagraph, membership in 257 programs scheduled for more than 180 days is limited to students 258 enrolled in: 259 a.Juvenile justice education programs. 260 b.The Florida Virtual School. 261 c.Virtual instruction programs and virtual charter schools 262 for the purpose of course completion, and credit recovery, and 263 summer enrollment pursuant to ss. 1002.45 and 1003.498. Course 264 completion applies only to a student who is reported during the 265 second or third membership surveys and who does not complete a 266 virtual education course by the end of the regular school year. 267 The course must be completed no later than the deadline for 268 amending the final student enrollment survey for that year. 269 Credit recovery applies only to a student who has unsuccessfully 270 completed a traditional or virtual education course during the 271 regular school year and must retake the course in order to be 272 eligible to graduate with the students class. 273 274 The full-time equivalent student enrollment calculated under 275 this subsection is subject to the requirements in subsection 276 (4). 277 278 The department shall determine and implement an equitable method 279 of equivalent funding for schools operating under emergency 280 conditions, which schools have been approved by the department 281 to operate for less than the minimum term as provided in s. 282 1011.60(2). 283 Section 8.Paragraphs (i) and (l) through (p) of subsection 284 (1) of section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 285 1011.62Funds for operation of schools.If the annual 286 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each 287 district for operation of schools is not determined in the 288 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing 289 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as 290 follows: 291 (1)COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR 292 OPERATION.The following procedure shall be followed in 293 determining the annual allocation to each district for 294 operation: 295 (i)Calculation of full-time equivalent membership with 296 respect to dual enrollment instruction. 297 1.Full-time equivalent students.Students enrolled in dual 298 enrollment instruction pursuant to s. 1007.271 may be included 299 in calculations of full-time equivalent student memberships for 300 basic programs for grades 9 through 12 by a district school 301 board. Instructional time for dual enrollment may vary from 900 302 hours; however, the full-time equivalent student membership 303 value shall be subject to the provisions in s. 1011.61(4). Dual 304 enrollment full-time equivalent student membership shall be 305 calculated in an amount equal to the hours of instruction that 306 would be necessary to earn the full-time equivalent student 307 membership for an equivalent course if it were taught in the 308 school district. Students in dual enrollment courses may also be 309 calculated as the proportional shares of full-time equivalent 310 enrollments they generate for a Florida College System 311 institution or university conducting the dual enrollment 312 instruction. Early admission students shall be considered dual 313 enrollments for funding purposes. Students may be enrolled in 314 dual enrollment instruction provided by an eligible independent 315 college or university and may be included in calculations of 316 full-time equivalent student memberships for basic programs for 317 grades 9 through 12 by a district school board. However, those 318 provisions of law which exempt dual enrolled and early admission 319 students from payment of instructional materials and tuition and 320 fees, including laboratory fees, do shall not apply to students 321 who select the option of enrolling in an eligible independent 322 institution. An independent college or university, which is not 323 for profit, is accredited by a regional or national accrediting 324 agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, 325 and confers degrees as defined in s. 1005.02 shall be eligible 326 for inclusion in the dual enrollment or early admission program. 327 Students enrolled in dual enrollment instruction shall be exempt 328 from the payment of tuition and fees, including laboratory fees. 329 No student enrolled in college credit mathematics or English 330 dual enrollment instruction shall be funded as a dual enrollment 331 unless the student has successfully completed the relevant 332 section of the entry-level examination required pursuant to s. 333 1008.30. 334 2.Additional full-time equivalent student membership.For 335 students enrolled in an early college program pursuant to s. 336 1007.273, a value of 0.08 0.16 full-time equivalent student 337 membership shall be calculated for each student who completes a 338 general education core course through the dual enrollment 339 program with a grade of A or better. For students who are not 340 enrolled in an early college program, a value of 0.04 0.08 full 341 time equivalent student membership shall be calculated for each 342 student who completes a general education core course through 343 the dual enrollment program with a grade of A. A value of 0.04 344 0.08 full-time equivalent student membership must be calculated 345 for each student who completes a career course through the dual 346 enrollment program with a grade of A in a pathway that leads 347 to an industry certification that is included on the CAPE 348 Industry Certification Funding List. In addition, a value of 349 0.15 0.3 full-time equivalent student membership shall be 350 calculated for any student who receives an associate degree 351 through the dual enrollment program with a 3.0 grade point 352 average or better. This value shall be added to the total full 353 time equivalent student membership in basic programs for grades 354 9 through 12 in the subsequent fiscal year. This section shall 355 be effective for credit earned by dually enrolled students for 356 courses taken in the 2020-2021 school year and each school year 357 thereafter. If the associate degree described in this paragraph 358 is earned in 2020-2021 following completion of courses taken in 359 the 2020-2021 school year, then courses taken toward the degree 360 as part of the dual enrollment program before 2020-2021 may not 361 preclude eligibility for the 0.3 additional full-time equivalent 362 student membership bonus. Each school district shall allocate at 363 least 50 percent of the funds received from the dual enrollment 364 bonus FTE funding, in accordance with this paragraph, to the 365 schools that generated the funds to support student academic 366 guidance and postsecondary readiness. 367 3.Qualifying courses.For the purposes of this paragraph, 368 general education core courses are those that are identified in 369 rule by the State Board of Education and in regulation by the 370 Board of Governors pursuant to s. 1007.25(3). 371 (l)Calculation of additional full-time equivalent 372 membership based on International Baccalaureate examination 373 scores of students.A value of 0.08 0.16 full-time equivalent 374 student membership shall be calculated for each student enrolled 375 in an International Baccalaureate course who receives a score of 376 4 or higher on a subject examination. A value of 0.15 0.3 full 377 time equivalent student membership shall be calculated for each 378 student who receives an International Baccalaureate diploma. 379 Such value shall be added to the total full-time equivalent 380 student membership in basic programs for grades 9 through 12 in 381 the subsequent fiscal year. Each school district shall allocate 382 80 percent of the funds received from International 383 Baccalaureate bonus FTE funding to the school program whose 384 students generate the funds and to school programs that prepare 385 prospective students to enroll in International Baccalaureate 386 courses. Funds shall be expended solely for the payment of 387 allowable costs associated with the International Baccalaureate 388 program. Allowable costs include International Baccalaureate 389 annual school fees; International Baccalaureate examination 390 fees; salary, benefits, and bonuses for teachers and program 391 coordinators for the International Baccalaureate program and 392 teachers and coordinators who prepare prospective students for 393 the International Baccalaureate program; supplemental books; 394 instructional supplies; instructional equipment or instructional 395 materials for International Baccalaureate courses; other 396 activities that identify prospective International Baccalaureate 397 students or prepare prospective students to enroll in 398 International Baccalaureate courses; and training or 399 professional learning for International Baccalaureate teachers. 400 School districts shall allocate the remaining 20 percent of the 401 funds received from International Baccalaureate bonus FTE 402 funding for programs that assist academically disadvantaged 403 students to prepare for more rigorous courses. The school 404 district shall distribute to each classroom teacher who provided 405 International Baccalaureate instruction: 406 1.A bonus in the amount of $50 for each student taught by 407 the International Baccalaureate teacher in each International 408 Baccalaureate course who receives a score of 4 or higher on the 409 International Baccalaureate examination. 410 2.An additional bonus of $500 to each International 411 Baccalaureate teacher in a school designated with a grade of D 412 or F who has at least one student scoring 4 or higher on the 413 International Baccalaureate examination, regardless of the 414 number of classes taught or of the number of students scoring a 415 4 or higher on the International Baccalaureate examination. 416 417 Bonuses awarded under this paragraph shall be in addition to any 418 regular wage or other bonus the teacher received or is scheduled 419 to receive. For such courses, the teacher shall earn an 420 additional bonus of $50 for each student who has a qualifying 421 score. 422 (m)Calculation of additional full-time equivalent 423 membership based on Advanced International Certificate of 424 Education examination scores of students.A value of 0.08 0.16 425 full-time equivalent student membership shall be calculated for 426 each student enrolled in a full-credit Advanced International 427 Certificate of Education course who receives a score of E or 428 higher on a subject examination. A value of 0.04 0.08 full-time 429 equivalent student membership shall be calculated for each 430 student enrolled in a half-credit Advanced International 431 Certificate of Education course who receives a score of E or 432 higher on a subject examination. A value of 0.15 0.3 full-time 433 equivalent student membership shall be calculated for each 434 student who receives an Advanced International Certificate of 435 Education diploma. Such value shall be added to the total full 436 time equivalent student membership in basic programs for grades 437 9 through 12 in the subsequent fiscal year. Each school district 438 shall allocate at least 80 percent of the funds received from 439 the Advanced International Certificate of Education bonus FTE 440 funding, in accordance with this paragraph, to the school 441 program that generated the funds and to school programs 442 administered by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations 443 Syndicate that prepare prospective students to enroll in 444 Advanced International Certificate of Education courses. These 445 funds shall be expended solely for the payment of costs 446 associated with the application and registration process; 447 program fees and site licenses; training, professional learning, 448 salaries, benefits, and bonuses for instructional personnel and 449 program coordinators; examination and diploma fees; membership 450 fees; supplemental books; instructional supplies, materials, and 451 equipment; and other activities that identify prospective 452 Advanced International Certificate of Education students or 453 prepare prospective students to enroll in Advanced International 454 Certificate of Education courses. The school district shall 455 distribute to each classroom teacher who provided Advanced 456 International Certificate of Education or International General 457 Certificate of Secondary Education (pre-AICE) instruction: 458 1.A bonus in the amount of $50 for each student taught by 459 the Advanced International Certificate of Education teacher in 460 each Advanced International Certificate of Education course who 461 receives a score of E or higher on the Advanced International 462 Certificate of Education examination. A bonus in the amount of 463 $25 for each student taught by the pre-AICE teacher in each pre 464 AICE course who receives a score of E or higher on the pre-AICE 465 examination. 466 2.An additional bonus of $500 to each Advanced 467 International Certificate of Education teacher in a school 468 designated with a grade of D or F who has at least one 469 student scoring E or higher on the Advanced International 470 Certificate of Education examination, regardless of the number 471 of classes taught or of the number of students scoring an E or 472 higher on the Advanced International Certificate of Education 473 examination. 474 3.Additional bonuses of $250 each to teachers of pre-AICE 475 classes in a school designated with a grade of D or F which 476 has at least one student scoring an E or higher on the pre-AICE 477 examination in that class. Teachers receiving an award under 478 subparagraph 2. are not eligible for a bonus under this 479 subparagraph. 480 481 Bonuses awarded to a teacher according to this paragraph shall 482 be in addition to any regular wage or other bonus the teacher 483 received or is scheduled to receive. 484 (n)Calculation of additional full-time equivalent 485 membership based on college board advanced placement scores of 486 students and earning college board advanced placement capstone 487 diplomas.A value of 0.08 0.16 full-time equivalent student 488 membership shall be calculated for each student in each advanced 489 placement course who receives a score of 3 or higher on the 490 College Board Advanced Placement Examination for the prior year 491 and added to the total full-time equivalent student membership 492 in basic programs for grades 9 through 12 in the subsequent 493 fiscal year. A value of 0.15 0.3 full-time equivalent student 494 membership shall be calculated for each student who receives a 495 College Board Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma and meets the 496 requirements for a standard high school diploma under s. 497 1003.4282. Such value shall be added to the total full-time 498 equivalent student membership in basic programs for grades 9 499 through 12 in the subsequent fiscal year. Each district must 500 allocate at least 80 percent of the funds provided to the 501 district for advanced placement instruction, in accordance with 502 this paragraph, to the high school that generates the funds. The 503 school district shall distribute to each classroom teacher who 504 provided advanced placement instruction: 505 1.A bonus in the amount of $50 for each student taught by 506 the Advanced Placement teacher in each advanced placement course 507 who receives a score of 3 or higher on the College Board 508 Advanced Placement Examination. 509 2.An additional bonus of $500 to each Advanced Placement 510 teacher in a school designated with a grade of D or F who 511 has at least one student scoring 3 or higher on the College 512 Board Advanced Placement Examination, regardless of the number 513 of classes taught or of the number of students scoring a 3 or 514 higher on the College Board Advanced Placement Examination. 515 516 Bonuses awarded under this paragraph shall be in addition to any 517 regular wage or other bonus the teacher received or is scheduled 518 to receive. For such courses, the teacher shall earn an 519 additional bonus of $50 for each student who has a qualifying 520 score. 521 (o)Calculation of additional full-time equivalent 522 membership based on successful completion of a career-themed 523 course pursuant to ss. 1003.491-1003.493, or courses with 524 embedded CAPE industry certifications or CAPE Digital Tool 525 certificates, and issuance of industry certification identified 526 on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List pursuant to 527 rules adopted by the State Board of Education or CAPE Digital 528 Tool certificates pursuant to s. 1003.4203. 529 1.a.Effective for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, a value of 530 0.025 full-time equivalent student membership shall be 531 calculated for CAPE Digital Tool certificates earned by students 532 in elementary and middle school grades. 533 b.A value of 0.1 or 0.2 full-time equivalent student 534 membership shall be calculated for each student who completes a 535 course as defined in s. 1003.493(1)(b) or courses with embedded 536 CAPE industry certifications and who is issued an industry 537 certification identified annually on the CAPE Industry 538 Certification Funding List approved under rules adopted by the 539 State Board of Education. A value of 0.2 full-time equivalent 540 membership shall be calculated for each student who is issued a 541 CAPE industry certification that has a statewide articulation 542 agreement for college credit approved by the State Board of 543 Education. For CAPE industry certifications that do not 544 articulate for college credit, the Department of Education shall 545 assign a full-time equivalent value of 0.1 for each 546 certification. Elementary Middle grades students who earn 547 additional FTE membership for a CAPE Digital Tool certificate 548 pursuant to sub-subparagraph a. may not rely solely on the 549 previously funded examination to satisfy the requirements for 550 earning an industry certification under this sub-subparagraph. 551 The State Board of Education shall include the assigned values 552 on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List under rules 553 adopted by the state board. Such value shall be added to the 554 total full-time equivalent student membership for grades 6 555 through 12 in the subsequent year. CAPE industry certifications 556 earned through dual enrollment must be reported and funded 557 pursuant to s. 1011.80. However, if a student earns a 558 certification through a dual enrollment course and the 559 certification is not a fundable certification on the 560 postsecondary certification funding list, or the dual enrollment 561 certification is earned as a result of an agreement between a 562 school district and a nonpublic postsecondary institution, the 563 bonus value shall be funded in the same manner as other nondual 564 enrollment course industry certifications. In such cases, the 565 school district may provide for an agreement between the high 566 school and the technical center, or the school district and the 567 postsecondary institution may enter into an agreement for 568 equitable distribution of the bonus funds. 569 c.Effective for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, a value of 0.3 570 full-time equivalent student membership shall be calculated for 571 student completion of at least three courses and an industry 572 certification in a single career and technical education program 573 or program of study for students who exit with a standard high 574 school diploma or certificate of completion. Funding is capped 575 at a value of 0.3 full-time equivalent student membership. 576 d.A value of 0.5 full-time equivalent student membership 577 shall be calculated for CAPE Acceleration Industry 578 Certifications that articulate for 15 or more to 29 college 579 credit hours, and 1.0 full-time equivalent student membership 580 shall be calculated for CAPE Acceleration Industry 581 Certifications that articulate for 30 or more college credit 582 hours pursuant to CAPE Acceleration Industry Certifications 583 approved by the commissioner pursuant to ss. 1003.4203(4) and 584 1008.44. 585 2.Each district must allocate at least 80 percent of the 586 funds provided for CAPE industry certification and CAPE Digital 587 Tool certificates, in accordance with this paragraph, to the 588 program that generated the funds, and any remaining funds 589 provided for CAPE industry certification and CAPE Digital Tool 590 certificates for school district career and technical education 591 programs. This allocation may not be used to supplant funds 592 provided for basic operation of the program. 593 3.For CAPE industry certifications earned in the 2013-2014 594 school year and in subsequent years, the school district shall 595 distribute to each classroom teacher who provided direct 596 instruction toward the attainment of a CAPE industry 597 certification that qualified for additional full-time equivalent 598 membership under subparagraph 1.: 599 a.A bonus of $25 for each student taught by a teacher who 600 provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment of a 601 CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification 602 Funding List with a weight of 0.1. 603 b.A bonus of $50 for each student taught by a teacher who 604 provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment of a 605 CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification 606 Funding List with a weight of 0.2. 607 c.A bonus of $75 for each student taught by a teacher who 608 provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment of a 609 CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification 610 Funding List with a weight of 0.3. 611 d.A bonus of $100 for each student taught by a teacher who 612 provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment of a 613 CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification 614 Funding List with a weight of 0.5 or 1.0. 615 616 Bonuses awarded pursuant to this paragraph shall be provided to 617 teachers who are employed by the district in the year in which 618 the additional FTE membership calculation is included in the 619 calculation. Bonuses shall be calculated based upon the 620 associated weight of a CAPE industry certification on the CAPE 621 Industry Certification Funding List for the year in which the 622 certification is earned by the student. Any bonus awarded to a 623 teacher pursuant to this paragraph is in addition to any regular 624 wage or other bonus the teacher received or is scheduled to 625 receive. A bonus may not be awarded to a teacher who fails to 626 maintain the security of any CAPE industry certification 627 examination or who otherwise violates the security or 628 administration protocol of any assessment instrument that may 629 result in a bonus being awarded to the teacher under this 630 paragraph. 631 (p)Calculation of additional full-time equivalent 632 membership based upon early high school graduation.Each school 633 district may receive funding for each student who graduates 634 early pursuant to s. 1003.4281. A district may earn 0.125 0.25 635 additional FTE for a student who graduates one semester in 636 advance of the students cohort and 0.25 0.5 additional FTE for 637 a student who graduates 1 year or more in advance of the 638 students cohort. If the student was enrolled in the district as 639 a full-time high school student for at least 2 years, the 640 district shall report the additional FTE for payment in the 641 subsequent fiscal year. If the student was enrolled in the 642 district for less than 2 years, the district of enrollment shall 643 report the additional FTE and shall transfer a proportionate 644 share of the funds earned for early graduation to the district 645 in which the student was previously enrolled. Additional FTE 646 included in the 2014-2015 Florida Education Finance Program for 647 early graduation shall be reported and funded pursuant to this 648 paragraph. 649 Section 9.Section 1011.66, Florida Statutes, is amended to 650 read: 651 1011.66Distribution of FEFP funds.The distribution of 652 FEFP funds shall be made in payments on or about the 1st 10th 653 and 26th of each month. 654 Section 10.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.