TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed 5 bills into law that focus on improving education in Florida.
The bills expand scholarship opportunities, give local school districts more autonomy, and shift assessment standards for these districts, among other changes.
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The new laws signed on Thursday include:
HB 1361 — New Worlds Education Programs
House Bill 1361 expands the eligibility for the New Worlds Scholarship to include students enrolled in a Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program.
Specifically, the law extends eligibility to VPK students who have shown learning deficiencies.
The law also makes other changes to state education programs, such as establishing a New World Tutoring Program to improve performance in K-5 classrooms across the state. This tutoring program would award grants for in-person tutors to help these students in reading and mathematics.
Additionally, HB 1361 will provide more opportunities for grants to eligible school districts, which can be used for subscription fees and professional learning resources to improve education for students in grades 6-12.
The New Worlds Scholarship program provides reimbursements for certain educational expenses, including:
- Instructional materials
- Curriculum
- Tuition and fees for part-time tutors
- Summer education programs
- After-school education programs
The law goes into effect on July 1.
HB 1403 — School Choice Expansion
House Bill 1403 expands eligibility under the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) programs.
Specifically, the law extends eligibility to dependent children of U.S. Armed Forces members who are either permanently stationed in Florida or whose home of record is in Florida at the time of renewal.
The FES and FTC programs help provide school transportation vouchers to families, allowing them more options for which schools to enroll their K-12 students. The program was expanded last year to include all residents in the state.
Under this law, deadlines will be implemented for Scholarship Funding Organizations (SFO) and parents applying for or renewing a scholarship, with priority being granted to renewal students over new ones.
In addition, the law updates the requirements for SFOs, such as reporting standards and the creation of processes to collect feedback from parents.
School choice programs have become controversial in recent years, with critics arguing that they can put undue pressure on staff at underperforming schools. Meanwhile, proponents say that these programs provide more opportunities for students and force schools to improve through increased competition.
The law goes into effect on July 1.
SB 7002 — Deregulation of Public Schools
Senate Bill 7002 removes certain regulations on school districts to improve their efficiency.
These changes are aimed at simplifying procedures for school districts so that they can focus more on improving student education.
According to Legislative analysts, these changes include:
- Allowing school districts and parents to agree on alternate notification systems
- Removing requirements for school boards to provide economic security reports to parents
- Giving school boards autonomy for facility planning according to local long-term needs rather than state-specified assessments
- Providing more flexibility for how local school boards choose to spend federal funds or money generated by civil penalties
- Letting school districts decide whether to make up days lost because of emergencies
- Simplifying school board rulemaking procedures into a single process involving open meetings with public input
The law goes into effect on July 1.
SB 7004 — Educational Changes
Senate Bill 7004 gives school districts more authority over VPK programs, testing and instructional materials.
For starters, the law removes the requirements that school districts must offer the summer VPK program and allows districts to reduce how often assessments are given during the program.
In addition, the law makes the following changes:
- School districts will no longer be required to adhere to the uniform testing calendar, instead submitting a district testing calendar to the state.
- The common assessment will no longer have to be administered for students in the Department of Juvenile Justice prevention, residential or day treatment programs.
- Districts will have more control over the provision of instructional materials for students in core subject areas.
- Principals will have the authority to determine how to collect funds for lost or damaged instructional materials.
- School districts are no longer required to offer virtual instruction, though any students enrolled full-time in such a program must be provided with the necessary equipment, regardless of income status.
The law also loosens regulations for school districts when it comes to implementing turnaround plans, extending their timelines from two years to four years.
The law goes into effect on July 1.
SB 7032 — GATE Program
Senate Bill 7032 creates the Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education (GATE) program, as well as three other GATE programs.
Each program aims to provide opportunities for students who have withdrawn from high school to earn career education credits while completing a high school diploma.
Under this law, students enrolled in the GATE program at a specified career center can have their tuition, fees and costs for instructional materials waived.
To be eligible, students must:
- not have earned a high school diploma or equivalent
- have been withdrawn from high school
- be a resident of the state
- be 16-21 years old at the time of initial enrollment
- select a qualified secondary education program and career education program upon admission to the GATE program
- maintain a 2.0 GPA for coursework
- complete the program within three years unless an extension is warranted
The law goes into effect on July 1.
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