Bill Text: FL S1552 | 2017 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: K-12 Education
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (? 2-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-05-05 - Died on Calendar, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 7069 (Ch. 2017-116) [S1552 Detail]
Download: Florida-2017-S1552-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2017 CS for CS for SB 1552 By the Committees on Appropriations; and Education; and Senator Simmons 576-04405-17 20171552c2 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to K-12 education; amending s. 3 1001.42, F.S.; revising provisions relating to school 4 improvements plans; requiring only specified schools 5 to submit a school improvement plan; deleting a 6 requirement that certain information be included in 7 the improvement plans of certain schools; revising the 8 grade levels required to implement an early warning 9 system; revising the required content of an early 10 warning system; requiring a specified team to monitor 11 specified data; revising what constitutes an 12 educational emergency and establishing duties of 13 district school boards relating to such emergency; 14 amending s. 1002.33, F.S.; revising the criteria a 15 charter school must meet to require corrective action; 16 revising requirements for corrective action by charter 17 schools; revising criteria for waiver of automatic 18 charter termination; amending s. 1002.332, F.S.; 19 conforming a cross-reference; amending s. 1008.33, 20 F.S.; providing that intervention and support services 21 apply consistently to any school meeting specified 22 criteria; revising the required timeline for the 23 implementation of a district-managed turnaround plan; 24 providing turnaround options available to school 25 districts meeting specified criteria; amending s. 26 1008.345, F.S.; revising the criteria a school must 27 meet to have a community assessment team; revising the 28 duties of a community assessment team; creating s. 29 1012.732, F.S.; creating the Florida Best and 30 Brightest Teacher and Principal Scholar Award Program 31 to be administered by the Department of Education; 32 providing the intent and purpose of the program; 33 providing eligibility requirements for classroom 34 teachers and school administrators to participate in 35 the program; providing timelines and requirements for 36 program implementation; providing funding priorities; 37 defining the term “school district”; requiring the 38 State Board of Education to adopt rules; providing an 39 effective date. 40 41 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 42 43 Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (18) and 44 subsection (21) of section 1001.42, Florida Statutes, are 45 amended to read: 46 1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.—The 47 district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all 48 powers and perform all duties listed below: 49 (18) IMPLEMENT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. 50 Maintain a system of school improvement and education 51 accountability as provided by statute and State Board of 52 Education rule. This system of school improvement and education 53 accountability shall be consistent with, and implemented 54 through, the district’s continuing system of planning and 55 budgeting required by this section and ss. 1008.385, 1010.01, 56 and 1011.01. This system of school improvement and education 57 accountability shall comply with the provisions of ss. 1008.33, 58 1008.34, 1008.345, and 1008.385 and include the following: 59 (a) School improvement plans.— 601.The district school board shall annually approve and 61 require implementation of a new, amended, or continuation school 62 improvement plan for each school in the district which has a 63 school grade of “D” or “F”;. If a schoolhas a significant gap 64 in achievement on statewide, standardized assessments 65 administered pursuant to s. 1008.22 by one or more student 66 subgroups, as defined in the federal Elementary and Secondary 67 Education Act (ESEA), 20 U.S.C. s. 6311(b)(2)(C)(v)(II); has not 68 significantly increased the percentage of students passing 69 statewide, standardized assessments; has not significantly 70 increased the percentage of students demonstrating Learning 71 Gains, as defined in s. 1008.34 and as calculated under s. 72 1008.34(3)(b), who passed statewide, standardized assessments; 73 or has significantly lower graduation rates for a subgroup when 74 compared to the state’s graduation rate. The, that school’s75 improvement plan of a school that meets the requirements of this 76 paragraph shall include strategies for improving these results. 77 The state board shall adopt rules establishing thresholds and 78 for determining compliance with this paragraphsubparagraph. 792. A school that includes any of grades 6, 7, or 8 shall80include annually in its school improvement plan information and81data on the school’s early warning system required under82paragraph (b), including a list of the early warning indicators83used in the system, the number of students identified by the84system as exhibiting two or more early warning indicators, the85number of students by grade level that exhibit each early86warning indicator, and a description of all intervention87strategies employed by the school to improve the academic88performance of students identified by the early warning system.89In addition, a school that includes any of grades 6, 7, or 890shall describe in its school improvement plan the strategies91used by the school to implement the instructional practices for92middle grades emphasized by the district’s professional93development system pursuant to s. 1012.98(4)(b)9.94 (b) Early warning system.— 95 1. A school that serves any students in grade 1 through 96 gradeincludes any of grades 6, 7, or8 shall implement an early 97 warning system to identify students in such grades6,7, and 898 who need additional support to improve academic performance and 99 stay engaged in school. The early warning system must include 100 the following early warning indicators: 101 a. Attendance below 90 percent, regardless of whether 102 absence is excused or a result of out-of-school suspension. 103 b. One or more suspensions, whether in school or out of 104 school. 105 c. Course failure in English Language Arts or mathematics 106 during any grading period. 107 d. A Level 1 score on the statewide, standardized 108 assessments in English Language Arts or mathematics or, for 109 students in grade 1 through grade 3, a substantial deficiency in 110 reading under s. 1008.25(5)(a). 111 112 A school district may identify additional early warning 113 indicators for use in a school’s early warning system. Beginning 114 in the 2018-2019 academic year, the system must include data on 115 the number of students identified by the system as exhibiting 116 two or more early warning indicators, the number of students by 117 grade level who exhibit each early warning indicator, and a 118 description of all intervention strategies employed by the 119 school to improve the academic performance of students 120 identified by the early warning system. 121 2. When a student exhibits two or more early warning 122 indicators, the school’s child study team under s. 1003.02 or a 123 school-based team formed for the purpose of implementing the 124 requirements of this paragraph, in consultation with the 125 student’s parent, shall convene to determine appropriate 126 intervention strategies for the student. The team must use data 127 and information relating to a student’s early warning indicators 128 to inform any intervention strategies provided to the student. 129 The school shall provide at least 10 days’ written notice of the 130 meeting to the student’s parent, indicating the meeting’s 131 purpose, time, and location, and provide the parent the 132 opportunity to participate. 133 (21) EDUCATIONALAUTHORITY TO DECLARE ANEMERGENCY.—Pursue 134 negotiations ofMaydeclare an emergency in cases in which one135or more schools inthe district are failing or are in danger of136failing and negotiatespecial provisions of its contract with 137 the appropriate bargaining units to freetheseschools meeting 138 specified conditions from contract restrictions that limit athe139 school’s ability to implement programs and strategies needed to 140 improve student performance. The negotiations must result in a 141 memorandum of understanding that addresses the selection, 142 placement, and expectations of instructional personnel and 143 school administrators. For purposes of this subsection, an 144 educational emergency exists in a school district under the 145 following conditions, and the school board must act accordingly: 146 (a) A school board may negotiate in cases in which one or 147 more schools in the district have a school grade of “D” or in 148 which a school is in danger of earning a grade of “F.” 149 (b) Beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year, a school 150 board may negotiate in cases in which one or more schools in the 151 district are currently subject to, or are in danger of being 152 subject to, a differentiated matrix of intervention and support 153 strategies as a turnaround school or turnaround schools under s. 154 1008.33(3)(c). 155 Section 2. Paragraph (n) of subsection (9) of section 156 1002.33, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 157 1002.33 Charter schools.— 158 (9) CHARTER SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS.— 159 (n)1. The director and a representative of the governing 160 board of a charter school that has earned a grade of “D” or is 161 in danger of earning a grade of “F” pursuant to s. 1008.34 shall 162 appear before the sponsor to present information concerning each 163 contract component having noted deficiencies. The director and a 164 representative of the governing board shall submit to the 165 sponsor for approval a school improvement plan to raise student 166 performance. Upon approval by the sponsor, the charter school 167 shall begin implementation of the school improvement plan. The 168 department shall offer technical assistance and training to the 169 charter school and its governing board and establish guidelines 170 for developing, submitting, and approving such plans. 171 2.a. If a charter school earns a grade of “F” or twothree172 consecutive grades below a “C,”of “D,” two consecutive grades173of “D” followed by agrade of “F,” or two nonconsecutive grades174of “F” within a 3-year period,the turnaround charter school 175 governing board must immediately implement its approved school 176 improvement plan for the remainder of the school year and 177 continue implementation for at least 1 school year, and shall 178 choose one of the following corrective actions: 179 (I) Contract for educational services to be provided 180 directly to students, instructional personnel, and school 181 administrators, as prescribed in state board rule; 182 (II) Contract with an outside entity that has a 183 demonstrated record of effectiveness to operate the school; 184 (III) Reorganize the school under a new director or 185 principal who is authorized to hire new staff; or 186 (IV) Voluntarily close the charter school. 187 b. The turnaround charter school must implement the 188 corrective action in the school year following receipt of a 189 grade of “F” or a secondthirdconsecutive grade below a “C.”of190“D,” a grade of “F” following twoconsecutive grades of “D,” or191a second nonconsecutive grade of“F” within a 3-year period.192 c. The sponsor may annually waive a corrective action if it 193 determines that the turnaround charter school is likely to 194 improve a letter grade if additional time is provided to 195 implement the intervention and support strategies prescribed by 196 the school improvement plan. Notwithstanding this sub 197 subparagraph, a charter school that earns a second consecutive 198 grade of “F” is subject to subparagraph 3.4.199 d. A turnaround charter school is no longer required to 200 implement a corrective action if it improves to a grade of “C” 201 or higherby at leastone letter grade. However, the charter 202 school must continue to implement strategies identified in the 203 school improvement plan. The sponsor must annually review 204 implementation of the school improvement plan to monitor the 205 school’s continued improvement pursuant to subparagraph 4.5.206 e. A turnaround charter school implementing a corrective 207 action that does not improve to a grade of “C” or higherby at208least one letter gradeafter 2 full school years of implementing 209 the corrective action must select a different corrective action. 210 Implementation of the new corrective action must begin in the 211 school year following the implementation period of the existing 212 corrective action, unless the sponsor determines that the 213 charter school is likely to improve to a grade of “C” or higher 214a letter gradeif additional time is provided to implement the 215 existing corrective action. Notwithstanding this sub 216 subparagraph, a charter school that earns a second consecutive 217 grade of “F” while implementing a corrective action is subject 218 to subparagraph 3.4.2193.A charter school with a grade of “D” or “F” that220improves by at least one letter grade must continue to implement221the strategies identified in the school improvement plan. The222sponsor must annually review implementation of the school223improvement plan to monitor the school’s continued improvement224pursuant to subparagraph 5.225 3.4.A charter school’s charter contract is automatically 226 terminated if the school earns two consecutive grades of “F” 227 after all school grade appeals are final unless: 228 a. The charter school is established to turn around the 229 performance of a district public school pursuant to s. 230 1008.33(4)(b)6.s.1008.33(4)(b)3.Such charter schools shall be 231 governed by s. 1008.33; 232 b. The charter school serves a student population the 233 majority of which resides in a school zone served by a district 234 public school subject to s. 1008.33(4)that earned a grade of235“F” in the year before the charter school openedand the charter 236 school earns at least a grade of “D” in its third year of 237 operation. The exception provided under this sub-subparagraph 238 does not apply to a charter school in its fourth year of 239 operation and thereafter; or 240 c. The state board grants the charter school a waiver of 241 termination. The charter school must request the waiver within 242 15 days after the department’s official release of school 243 grades. The state board may waive termination if the charter 244 school demonstrates that the Learning Gains of its students on 245 statewide assessments are comparable to or better than the 246 Learning Gains of similarly situated students enrolled in nearby 247 district public schools. The waiver is valid for 1 year and may 248 only be granted once. Charter schools that have been in 249 operation for more than 5 years are not eligible for a waiver 250 under this sub-subparagraph. 251 252 The sponsor shall notify the charter school’s governing board, 253 the charter school principal, and the department in writing when 254 a charter contract is terminated under this subparagraph. The 255 letter of termination must meet the requirements of paragraph 256 (8)(c). A charter terminated under this subparagraph must follow 257 the procedures for dissolution and reversion of public funds 258 pursuant to paragraphs (8)(e)-(g) and (9)(o). 259 4.5.The director and a representative of the governing 260 board of a graded charter school that has implemented a school 261 improvement plan under this paragraph shall appear before the 262 sponsor at least once a year to present information regarding 263 the progress of intervention and support strategies implemented 264 by the school pursuant to the school improvement plan and 265 corrective actions, if applicable. The sponsor shall communicate 266 at the meeting, and in writing to the director, the services 267 provided to the school to help the school address its 268 deficiencies. 269 5.6.Notwithstanding any provision of this paragraph except 270 sub-subparagraphs 3.a.-c.4.a.-c., the sponsor may terminate the 271 charter at any time pursuant to subsection (8). 272 Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 273 1002.332, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 274 1002.332 High-performing charter school system.— 275 (1) For purposes of this section, the term: 276 (b) “High-performing charter school system” means an entity 277 that: 278 1. Operated at least three high-performing charter schools 279 in the state during each of the previous 3 school years; 280 2. Operated a system of charter schools in which at least 281 50 percent of the charter schools were high-performing charter 282 schools pursuant to s. 1002.331 and no charter school earned a 283 school grade of “D” or “F” pursuant to s. 1008.34 in any of the 284 previous 3 school years regardless of whether the entity 285 currently operates the charter school, except that: 286 a. If the entity assumed operation of a public school 287 pursuant to s. 1008.33(4)(b)6.s. 1008.33(4)(b)3.with a school 288 grade of “F,” that school’s grade may not be considered in 289 determining high-performing charter school system status for a 290 period of 3 years. 291 b. If the entity established a new charter school that 292 served a student population the majority of which resided in a 293 school zone served by a public school that earned a grade of “F” 294 or three consecutive grades of “D” pursuant to s. 1008.34, that 295 charter school’s grade may not be considered in determining 296 high-performing charter school system status if it attained and 297 maintained a school grade that was higher than that of the 298 public school serving that school zone within 3 years after 299 establishment; and 300 3. Did not receive a financial audit that revealed one or 301 more of the financial emergency conditions set forth in s. 302 218.503(1) for any charter school assumed or established by the 303 entity in the most recent 3 fiscal years for which such audits 304 are available. 305 Section 4. Subsections (3), (4), and (5) of section 306 1008.33, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 307 1008.33 Authority to enforce public school improvement.— 308 (3)(a) The academic performance of all students has a 309 significant effect on the state school system. Pursuant to Art. 310 IX of the State Constitution, which prescribes the duty of the 311 State Board of Education to supervise Florida’s public school 312 system, the state board shall equitably enforce the 313 accountability requirements of the state school system and may 314 impose state requirements on school districts in order to 315 improve the academic performance of all districts, schools, and 316 students based upon the provisions of the Florida K-20 Education 317 Code, chapters 1000-1013; the federal ESEA and its implementing 318 regulations; and the ESEA flexibility waiver approved for 319 Florida by the United States Secretary of Education. 320 (b)Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year,The 321 Department of Education shall annually identify each public 322 school in need of intervention and support to improve student 323 academic performance. All schools earning a grade of “D” or in 324 danger of earning a grade of “F” pursuant to s. 1008.34 are 325 considered schools in need of intervention and support. 326 (c) To assist in implementing paragraph (4)(a) and (b), the 327 state board shall adopt by rule a differentiated matrix of 328 intervention and support strategies for assisting traditional 329 public schools identified under this section and rules for 330 implementing s. 1002.33(9)(n), relating to charter schools. The 331 intervention and support strategies must address student 332 performance and include extended learning by at least 1 extra 333 hour, and may include improvement planning, leadership quality 334 improvement, educator quality improvement, professional 335 development, curriculum alignment and pacing, and the use of 336 continuous improvement and monitoring plans and processes. In 337 addition, the state board may prescribe reporting requirements 338 to review and monitor the progress of the schools. The rule must 339 define the intervention and support strategies for school 340 improvement for schools earning a grade of “D” or “F” and the 341 roles for the district and department. The rule shall define and 342 differentiate among schools as follows:earning consecutive343grades of “D” or“F,” or a combination thereof, and provide for344more intensemonitoring, intervention, and support strategies345for theseschools.346 1. A “school-in-need” means a school that has a grade of 347 “D” or that is in danger of earning a grade of “F,” and that is 348 in need of intervention and support under paragraph (b); 349 2. A “turnaround school” means a school with a grade of “F” 350 or two consecutive grades below a “C” which is in need of 351 intensive intervention and support and which is implementing a 352 district-managed turnaround plan or a different turnaround 353 option approved pursuant to subsection (4). A “turnaround 354 charter school” is a charter school subject to the requirements 355 of s. 1002.33(9)(n); and 356 3. A “persistently low-performing school” means a 357 turnaround school that has been subject to a differentiated 358 matrix of intensive intervention and support strategies for more 359 than 3 consecutive years, or a turnaround school that was closed 360 pursuant to s. 1008.33(4) within 2 years after the submission of 361 a notice of intent. 362 363 The rule must also define a “low-performing school” to include, 364 at minimum, any school meeting the requirements of this 365 subsection. 366 (4)(a) The state board shall apply intensivethe most367intenseintervention and support strategies to turnaround 368 schools earning a grade of “F” or two consecutive grades below a 369 “C.”“F.”In the first full school year after a school initially 370 receivesearnsa turnaround school designation,grade of “F,”371 the school district must immediately implement intensive 372 intervention and support strategies prescribed in rule under 373 paragraph (3)(c) and, by September 1, provide, select a374turnaround option from thoseprovided in subparagraphs (b)1.-5.,375and submit a plan forimplementing the turnaround option tothe 376 department with the memorandum of understanding negotiated 377 pursuant to s. 1001.42(21) and with a district-managed 378 turnaround plan for approval by the state board. Upon approval 379 by the state board, the school district must implement the plan 380 for the remainder of the school year and continue the plan for 1 381 full school yearfor approval by the state board.Upon approval382by the state board, the turnaround option must beimplemented in383the following school year.384 (b) Theturnaroundoptions available to the turnarounda385school district to addressaschool include one or a combination 386 of the following turnaround options, giving priority to the 387 first three optionsthat earnsa grade of “F” are: 388 1. Implement an extended school day with at least 1 hour of 389 additional learning time.Convert the school to a district390managed turnaroundschool;391 2. Enter into a formal agreement with a nonprofit 392 organization with tax exempt status under s. 501(c)(3) of the 393 Internal Revenue Code to implement an integrated student support 394 service model that provides students and families with access to 395 wrap-around services, including, but not limited to, health 396 services, after-school programs, drug-prevention programs, 397 college and career readiness, and food and clothing banks. 398 Districts implementing this option may be eligible for 399 additional funding as provided in the General Appropriations 400 Act. 401 3. Implement a principal autonomy program school, through a 402 performance contract and in accordance with proposal elements, 403 criteria, and timelines established by the state board pursuant 404 to s. 1011.6202(2)(b) specifically tailored for a turnaround 405 school. For purposes of this section, a school district using 406 this option for its turnaround school is eligible to participate 407 in, and receive the benefits of, the principal autonomy program, 408 pursuant to s. 1011.6202(1) for only the turnaround school. 409 5.2.Reassign students to another school and monitor the 410 progress of each reassigned student.;411 6.3.Close the school and reopen the school as one or more 412 charter schools, each with a governing board that has a 413 demonstrated record of effectiveness.;414 4. Contract as a conversion charter school or with an 415 outside entity that has a demonstrated record of effectiveness 416 to operate the school.; or4175.Implement a hybrid of turnaround options set forth in418subparagraphs 1.-4. or other turnaround models that have a419demonstrated record of effectiveness.420 (c)A school earning a grade of “F” shall have a planning421year followed by 2 full school years to implement the initial422turnaround option selected by the school district and approved423by the state board.Implementation of the turnaround option is 424 no longer required if the school improves to a grade of “C” or 425 higherby at least one letter grade. 426(d)A school earning a grade of “F” that improves its427letter grade must continue to implement strategies identified in428its school improvement plan pursuant to s. 1001.42(18)(a). The429department must annually review implementation of the school430improvement plan for 3 years to monitor the school’s continued431improvement.432 (d)(e)If a turnaround schoolearning a grade of “F”does 433 not improve to a grade of “C” or higherby at least one letter434gradeafter 2 full school years of implementing the turnaround 435 option selected by the school district under paragraph (b), the 436 school district must implementselect a different option and437submitanother turnaround optionimplementation plan to the438departmentfor approval by the state board. Implementation of 439 the turnaround optionapproved planmust begin the school year 440 following the implementation period of the existing turnaround 441 option, unless the state board determines that the school is 442 likely to improve to a grade of “C” or highera letter gradeif 443 additional time is provided to implement the existing turnaround 444 option. 445(5)A school that earns a grade of “D” for 3 consecutive446years must implement the district-managed turnaround option447pursuant to subparagraph (4)(b)1. The school district must448submit an implementation plan to the department for approval by449the state board.450 Section 5. Paragraph (d) of subsection (6) of section 451 1008.345, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 452 1008.345 Implementation of state system of school 453 improvement and education accountability.— 454 (6) 455 (d) The commissioner shall assign a community assessment 456 team to each school district or governing board with a 457 turnaround schoolthat earned a grade of “F”or three458consecutive grades of“D”pursuant to s. 1008.34 to review the 459 school performance data and determine causes for the low 460 performance, including the role of school, area, and district 461 administrative personnel. The community assessment team shall 462 review a high school’s graduation rate calculated without high 463 school equivalency diploma recipients for the past 3 years, 464 disaggregated by student ethnicity. The team shall make 465 recommendations to the school board or the governing board and 466 to the State Board of Education based on the interventions and 467 support strategies identified pursuant to subsection (5) to 468whichaddress the causes of the school’s low performance and to 469 incorporate the strategiesand may be incorporatedinto the 470 school improvement plan. The assessment team shall include, but 471 not be limited to, a department representative, parents, 472 business representatives, educators, representatives of local 473 governments, and community activists, and shall represent the 474 demographics of the community from which they are appointed. 475 Section 6. Section 1012.732, Florida Statutes, is created 476 to read: 477 1012.732 The Florida Best and Brightest Teacher and 478 Principal Scholar Award Program.— 479 (1) INTENT.—The Legislature recognizes that, second only to 480 parents, teachers and principals play the most critical roles 481 within schools in preparing students to achieve a high level of 482 academic performance. The Legislature further recognizes that 483 research has linked student successes and performance outcomes 484 to the academic achievements and performance accomplishments of 485 the teachers and principals who most closely affect their 486 classroom and school learning environments. Therefore, it is the 487 intent of the Legislature to designate teachers and principals 488 who have achieved high academic standards during their own 489 education as Florida’s best and brightest teacher and principal 490 scholars. 491 (2) PURPOSE.—There is created the Florida Best and 492 Brightest Teacher and Principal Scholar Award Program, as a 493 performance-based scholarship award program, to be administered 494 by the Department of Education. The performance-based award 495 shall provide categorical funding for scholarships to be awarded 496 to full-time classroom teachers, as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a), 497 and full-time school administrators, as defined in s. 498 1012.01(3)(c), excluding substitute teachers or substitute 499 school administrators, who have demonstrated a high level of 500 academic achievement and performance. 501 (3) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a scholarship, a full 502 time classroom teacher or full-time school administrator must be 503 employed on an annual contract or probationary contract pursuant 504 to s. 1012.335, participate in the school district’s performance 505 salary schedule pursuant to s. 1012.22, and meet at least one of 506 the achievement requirements under paragraph (a) and at least 507 one of the performance requirements under paragraph (b). 508 (a) Achievement requirements.— 509 1. For a classroom teacher, a score at or above the 90th 510 percentile on the Florida Teacher Certification Examination in a 511 subject that he or she is teaching; 512 2. For a school administrator, a score at or above the 90th 513 percentile on the Florida Educational Leadership Examination; 514 3. For a classroom teacher or school administrator, a 515 composite score at or above the 80th percentile on either the 516 SAT or the ACT based on the National Percentile Ranks in effect 517 when the classroom teacher or school administrator took the 518 assessment; 519 4. For a classroom teacher or school administrator, a 520 composite score on the GRE, LSAT, GMAT, or MCAT at or above a 521 score adopted by the State Board of Education; or 522 5. For a classroom teacher or school administrator, a 523 cumulative undergraduate or graduate grade point average of at 524 least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, as verified on the teacher’s or 525 administrator’s official final college transcript. 526 (b) Performance requirements.—The classroom teacher or 527 school administrator: 528 1. Must have been evaluated as highly effective pursuant to 529 s. 1012.34 in the school year immediately preceding the year in 530 which the scholarship will be awarded; 531 2. If he or she works in a low-performing school or a 532 school that was designated by the department as low-performing 533 within the previous 2 years and commits, pursuant to State Board 534 of Education rule, to working at the school for at least 3 535 years, must have been evaluated as highly effective pursuant to 536 s. 1012.34 in the school year immediately preceding the first 537 year in which the scholarship will be awarded and maintain a 538 highly effective evaluation rating in at least two of every 539 three annual performance evaluations, based on a rolling 3-year 540 period; or 541 3. Must be newly hired by the district school board, must 542 not have been evaluated pursuant to s. 1012.34, and must have 543 met at least one of the following conditions: 544 a. Be a recipient of the Florida Prepaid Tuition 545 Scholarship Program pursuant to s. 1009.984 who graduates with a 546 minimum 3.0 grade point average and commit, pursuant to State 547 Board of Education rule, to working in a Florida public school 548 for at least 3 years; 549 b. Have completed the college reach-out program pursuant to 550 s. 1007.34 and graduated with a minimum 3.0 grade point average, 551 and commit, pursuant to State Board of Education rule, to 552 working in a Florida public school for at least 3 years; 553 c. Be a Florida college or university graduate of a Florida 554 teacher preparation program approved pursuant to s. 1004.04, 555 have graduated with a minimum 3.0 grade point average, and 556 commit, pursuant to State Board of Education rule, to working in 557 a critical teacher shortage area under s. 1012.07 at a Florida 558 public school for at least 3 years; or 559 d. Be a college or university graduate, have graduated with 560 a minimum 3.0 grade point average, have worked in a science-, 561 technology-, engineering-, or mathematics- (STEM-) related field 562 for at least 3 years, commit to meeting teacher certification 563 requirements within 3 years, and commit, pursuant to State Board 564 of Education rule, to teach in a STEM-related classroom at a 565 Florida public school for at least 3 years. 566 (4) IMPLEMENTATION.—In order to implement and administer 567 the program, the following timelines and requirements apply: 568 (a) To demonstrate eligibility for an award, an eligible 569 classroom teacher or school administrator, as applicable, must 570 submit to the school district, no later than November 1, an 571 official record of his or her achievement of the eligibility 572 requirements specified in paragraph (3)(a). Once a classroom 573 teacher or school administrator is deemed eligible by the school 574 district, including teachers deemed eligible for the Florida 575 Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship Program in the 2015-2016 576 or 2016-2017 fiscal years pursuant to s. 25 of chapter 2016-62, 577 Laws of Florida, the classroom teacher or school administrator 578 remains eligible as long as he or she remains employed by the 579 school district as a full-time classroom teacher or full-time 580 school administrator at the time of the award and continues to 581 meet the conditions specified under this section. 582 (b) Annually, by December 1, each school district shall 583 submit to the department the number of eligible classroom 584 teachers and school administrators who qualify for the 585 scholarship. 586 (c) Annually, by February 1, the department shall disburse 587 scholarship funds to each school district for each eligible 588 classroom teacher and school administrator to receive a 589 scholarship as provided in the General Appropriations Act. 590 (d) Annually, by April 1, each school district shall award 591 the scholarship to each eligible classroom teacher and school 592 administrator. 593 (5) FUNDING.—A scholarship in the amount provided in the 594 General Appropriations Act shall be awarded to every eligible 595 classroom teacher and school administrator. 596 (a) If the number of eligible classroom teachers and school 597 administrators exceeds the total appropriation authorized in the 598 General Appropriations Act, the department shall prorate the 599 per-scholar scholarship award amount, except that prior to the 600 distribution of funds, the following priorities apply: 601 1. Classroom teachers and school administrators who commit, 602 pursuant to State Board of Education rule, to work in a low 603 performing school and meet the performance requirements of 604 subparagraph (3)(b)2., shall receive an award equal to a full 605 scholarship award amount. Classroom teachers and school 606 administrators who do not fulfill the commitment made pursuant 607 to subparagraph (3)(b)2. may not receive this priority; and 608 2. Newly hired classroom teachers and school administrators 609 who commit, pursuant to State Board of Education rule, to work 610 in a Florida public school and meet the performance requirements 611 under subparagraph (3)(b)3., shall receive a one-time hiring 612 bonus of up to $10,000. Classroom teachers and school 613 administrators who do not fulfill the commitment made pursuant 614 to subparagraph (3)(b)3. may not receive this priority. 615 (b) Newly hired classroom teachers and newly hired school 616 administrators who initially participate in the program pursuant 617 to subparagraph (3)(b)3. may only receive the one-time hiring 618 bonus under subparagraph (a)2. In subsequent school years, such 619 classroom teachers and school administrators may earn a 620 scholarship award pursuant to subparagraph (3)(b)1. or 621 subparagraph (3)(b)2., if they also maintain their initial 622 commitments. 623 (6) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the term 624 “school district” includes the Florida School for the Deaf and 625 the Blind and charter school governing boards. 626 (7) RULES.—The State Board of Education shall expeditiously 627 adopt rules to implement this section. 628 Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.