Bill Text: FL S1714 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Early Learning

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2017-05-05 - Died in Education [S1714 Detail]

Download: Florida-2017-S1714-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2017                                    SB 1714
       
       
        
       By Senator Rouson
       
       
       
       
       
       19-00906-17                                           20171714__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to early learning; amending s.
    3         1002.67, F.S.; revising provisions relating to removal
    4         of a provider from eligibility to deliver the
    5         Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or receive
    6         certain funding under certain circumstances; amending
    7         s. 1002.83, F.S.; revising provisions relating to
    8         membership of early learning coalitions; amending s.
    9         1002.87, F.S.; requiring each coalition to establish
   10         child eligibility criteria based on local community
   11         needs for participation in the school readiness
   12         program; removing certain child eligibility priorities
   13         for such program; conforming provisions to changes
   14         made by the act; amending s. 1002.88, F.S.; revising a
   15         provision relating to revocation of a provider’s
   16         eligibility to deliver the school readiness program or
   17         receive certain funding under certain circumstances;
   18         amending s. 1002.91, F.S.; conforming provisions to
   19         changes made by the act; providing an effective date.
   20          
   21  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   22  
   23         Section 1. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (4) of
   24  section 1002.67, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   25         1002.67 Performance standards; curricula and
   26  accountability.—
   27         (4)
   28         (b) If a private prekindergarten provider or public school
   29  fails or refuses to comply with this part, or if a provider or
   30  school engages in misconduct, the office shall require the early
   31  learning coalition to remove the provider and require the school
   32  district to remove the school from eligibility to deliver the
   33  Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and receive state
   34  funds under this part for a period of no more than 5 years.
   35         (c)1. If the kindergarten readiness rate of a private
   36  prekindergarten provider or public school falls below the
   37  minimum rate adopted by the office as satisfactory under s.
   38  1002.69(6), the early learning coalition or school district, as
   39  applicable, shall require the provider or school to submit an
   40  improvement plan for approval by the coalition or school
   41  district, as applicable, and to implement the plan; shall place
   42  the provider or school on probation; and shall require the
   43  provider or school to take certain corrective actions, including
   44  the use of a curriculum approved by the office under paragraph
   45  (2)(c) or a staff development plan to strengthen instruction in
   46  language development and phonological awareness approved by the
   47  office.
   48         2. A private prekindergarten provider or public school that
   49  is placed on probation must continue the corrective actions
   50  required under subparagraph 1., including the use of a
   51  curriculum or a staff development plan to strengthen instruction
   52  in language development and phonological awareness approved by
   53  the office, until the provider or school meets the minimum rate
   54  adopted by the office as satisfactory under s. 1002.69(6).
   55  Failure to implement an approved improvement plan or staff
   56  development plan shall result in the termination of the
   57  provider’s contract to deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten
   58  Education Program for a period of no more than 5 years.
   59         3. If a private prekindergarten provider or public school
   60  remains on probation for 2 consecutive years and fails to meet
   61  the minimum rate adopted by the office as satisfactory under s.
   62  1002.69(6) and is not granted a good cause exemption by the
   63  office pursuant to s. 1002.69(7), the office shall require the
   64  early learning coalition or the school district to remove, as
   65  applicable, the provider or school from eligibility to deliver
   66  the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and receive
   67  state funds for the program for a period of no more than 5
   68  years.
   69         Section 2. Subsections (2) and (3) of section 1002.83,
   70  Florida Statutes, are amended, present paragraphs (g) through
   71  (m) of subsection (4) are redesignated as paragraphs (h) through
   72  (n), respectively, and a new paragraph (g) is added to that
   73  subsection, to read:
   74         1002.83 Early learning coalitions.—
   75         (2) Each early learning coalition shall be composed of at
   76  least 15 members but not more than 30 members. Notwithstanding
   77  this section, an early learning coalition may appoint an at
   78  large member who does not have, and whose relatives as defined
   79  in s. 112.3143(1)(c) do not have, a substantial financial
   80  interest in the design or delivery of the Voluntary
   81  Prekindergarten Education Program or the school readiness
   82  program.
   83         (3) The Governor shall appoint the chair and two other
   84  members of each early learning coalition, who must each meet the
   85  same qualifications as private sector business members appointed
   86  by the coalition under subsection (5). If a coalition’s chair
   87  resigns or has not been appointed, the coalition’s vice chair
   88  shall serve as chair.
   89         (4) Each early learning coalition must include the
   90  following member positions; however, in a multicounty coalition,
   91  each ex officio member position may be filled by multiple
   92  nonvoting members but no more than one voting member shall be
   93  seated per member position. If an early learning coalition has
   94  more than one member representing the same entity, only one of
   95  such members may serve as a voting member:
   96         (g)A president of a state university or his or her
   97  permanent designee.
   98         Section 3. Subsections (1), (2), (3), and (7) of section
   99  1002.87, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  100         1002.87 School readiness program; eligibility and
  101  enrollment.—
  102         (1) Each early learning coalition shall give priority for
  103  participation in the school readiness program as follows:
  104         (a) Priority shall be given first to a child younger than
  105  13 years of age from a family that includes a parent who is
  106  receiving temporary cash assistance under chapter 414 and
  107  subject to the federal work requirements.
  108         (b) Priority shall be given next to an at-risk child
  109  younger than 9 years of age.
  110         (c) Priority shall be given next to a child from birth to
  111  the beginning of the school year for which the child is eligible
  112  for admission to kindergarten in a public school under s.
  113  1003.21(1)(a)2. who is from a working family that is
  114  economically disadvantaged, and may include such child’s
  115  eligible siblings, beginning with the school year in which the
  116  sibling is eligible for admission to kindergarten in a public
  117  school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2. until the beginning of the
  118  school year in which the sibling is eligible to begin 6th grade,
  119  provided that the first priority for funding an eligible sibling
  120  is local revenues available to the coalition for funding direct
  121  services.
  122  
  123  In addition to the eligibility priorities listed in this
  124  subsection, each early learning coalition shall establish
  125  eligibility criteria based on local community needs and
  126  consistent with the child eligibility requirements under the
  127  school readiness program.
  128         (d)Priority shall be given next to a child of a parent who
  129  transitions from the work program into employment as described
  130  in s. 445.032 from birth to the beginning of the school year for
  131  which the child is eligible for admission to kindergarten in a
  132  public school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2.
  133         (e)Priority shall be given next to an at-risk child who is
  134  at least 9 years of age but younger than 13 years of age. An at
  135  risk child whose sibling is enrolled in the school readiness
  136  program within an eligibility priority category listed in
  137  paragraphs (a)-(c) shall be given priority over other children
  138  who are eligible under this paragraph.
  139         (f)Priority shall be given next to a child who is younger
  140  than 13 years of age from a working family that is economically
  141  disadvantaged. A child who is eligible under this paragraph
  142  whose sibling is enrolled in the school readiness program under
  143  paragraph (c) shall be given priority over other children who
  144  are eligible under this paragraph.
  145         (g)Priority shall be given next to a child of a parent who
  146  transitions from the work program into employment as described
  147  in s. 445.032 who is younger than 13 years of age.
  148         (h)Priority shall be given next to a child who has special
  149  needs, has been determined eligible as a student with a
  150  disability, has a current individual education plan with a
  151  Florida school district, and is not younger than 3 years of age.
  152  A special needs child eligible under this paragraph remains
  153  eligible until the child is eligible for admission to
  154  kindergarten in a public school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2.
  155         (i)Notwithstanding paragraphs (a)-(d), priority shall be
  156  given last to a child who otherwise meets one of the eligibility
  157  criteria in paragraphs (a)-(d) but who is also enrolled
  158  concurrently in the federal Head Start Program and the Voluntary
  159  Prekindergarten Education Program.
  160         (2) A school readiness program provider may be paid only
  161  for authorized hours of care provided for a child in the school
  162  readiness program. A child enrolled in the Voluntary
  163  Prekindergarten Education Program may receive care from the
  164  school readiness program if the child is eligible according to
  165  the eligibility priorities and criteria established pursuant to
  166  subsection (1) in this section.
  167         (3) Contingent upon the availability of funds, a coalition
  168  shall enroll eligible children, including those from its waiting
  169  list, according to the eligibility priorities and criteria
  170  established pursuant to subsection (1) in this section.
  171         (7) If a coalition disenrolls children from the school
  172  readiness program, the coalition must disenroll the children in
  173  reverse order of the eligibility priorities and criteria
  174  established pursuant to listed in subsection (1) beginning with
  175  children from families with the highest family incomes. A notice
  176  of disenrollment must be sent to the parent and school readiness
  177  program provider at least 2 weeks before disenrollment to
  178  provide adequate time for the parent to arrange alternative care
  179  for the child. However, an at-risk child may not be disenrolled
  180  from the program without the written approval of the Child
  181  Welfare Program Office of the Department of Children and
  182  Families or the community-based lead agency.
  183         Section 4. Subsection (2) of section 1002.88, Florida
  184  Statutes, is amended to read:
  185         1002.88 School readiness program provider standards;
  186  eligibility to deliver the school readiness program.—
  187         (2) If a school readiness program provider fails or refuses
  188  to comply with this part or any contractual obligation of the
  189  statewide provider contract under s. 1002.82(2)(m), the
  190  coalition may revoke the provider’s eligibility to deliver the
  191  school readiness program or receive state or federal funds under
  192  this chapter for a period of no more than 5 years.
  193         Section 5. Subsection (5) of section 1002.91, Florida
  194  Statutes, is amended to read:
  195         1002.91 Investigations of fraud or overpayment; penalties.—
  196         (5) If a school readiness program provider or a Voluntary
  197  Prekindergarten Education Program provider, or an owner,
  198  officer, or director thereof, is convicted of, found guilty of,
  199  or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of
  200  adjudication, public assistance fraud pursuant to s. 414.39, or
  201  is acting as the beneficial owner for someone who has been
  202  convicted of, found guilty of, or pleads guilty or nolo
  203  contendere to, regardless of adjudication, public assistance
  204  fraud pursuant to s. 414.39, the early learning coalition shall
  205  refrain from contracting with, or using the services of, that
  206  provider for a period of no more than 5 years. In addition, the
  207  coalition shall refrain from contracting with, or using the
  208  services of, any provider that shares an officer or director
  209  with a provider that is convicted of, found guilty of, or pleads
  210  guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, public
  211  assistance fraud pursuant to s. 414.39 for a period of no more
  212  than 5 years.
  213         Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.

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