Prekindergarten Through Grade 12 Education

Revised methodology for calculating full-time equivalent student membership to include unduplicated counts of school district and Family Empowerment Scholarship students, with recalculations based on actual enrollment data throughout the fiscal year.

Created the Academic Acceleration Options Supplement to provide bonus funding for teachers who meet specified performance requirements, with districts required to award bonuses to qualifying teachers.

Added funding provisions for early high school graduation, allowing districts to receive additional FTE funding for students who graduate one semester or one year in advance of their cohort.

Revised funding calculations for virtual instruction programs and charter schools to include specific allocations for discretionary millage compression supplements and state-funded discretionary contributions.

Updated Schools of Hope program requirements to include enrollment preferences for students from persistently low-performing schools and Florida Opportunity Zone residents, with specific facility use provisions.

Modified CAPE Digital Tool certificate availability to include all public elementary grades students but exclude middle grades students, while maintaining funding eligibility for middle grades students who earn these certificates.

Added requirements for third-party administrators to transfer funds from loan programs to the Schools of Hope program when balances fall below $25 million, beginning July 1, 2027.

Added requirements for school districts to provide notice to parents of eligible students about scholarship opportunities when providing standardized test results, and to allow instructional personnel to provide services outside regular work hours.

Added requirements for the Department of Education to provide annual reports to the State Board of Education, Governor, and legislative leaders on Schools of Hope program performance and student outcomes.

Deleted the definition of 'full-time equivalent student' and replaced it with more detailed calculation methodologies that account for various instructional settings including virtual instruction and dual enrollment.

Replaced the 'full-time equivalent student' definition with a new calculation based on six full-credit course completions for virtual instruction programs, rather than the previous time-based measurement.

Authorized school districts to report and receive funding for full-time equivalent students enrolled in virtual instruction courses completed during summer.

Created new funding mechanisms for early high school graduates, awarding 0.25 additional FTE for one-semester early graduation and 0.5 FTE for one-year or more early graduation.

Changed the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List requirements, limiting certifications to specific grade levels based on career and technical education program alignment.

Created the Academic Acceleration Options Supplement to provide bonus funding to teachers who meet specified performance requirements.

Removed middle grades students from eligibility for CAPE Digital Tool certificates, limiting them to elementary grades only.

Established new requirements for Schools of Hope programs, including enrollment preferences for students from persistently low-performing schools and Florida Opportunity Zones.

Deleted the requirement for the Commissioner of Education to conduct annual reviews of methodology used to determine additional full-time equivalent membership weights.