FloridaDeclining-enrollment districts could receive added school funding
If the annual budget act does not set school funding allocations, districts with declining enrollment would get added funding under a formula that gives fiscally constrained districts a higher decline percentage.
What it does
A student’s scholarship account would close and its remaining money would return to the state after inactivity. The text also lists denial or loss of eligibility for fraud or abuse as a reason for closure.
If the annual budget act or its implementing bill does not set school funding allocations, districts with fewer students than the prior year would get added funding. The decline percentage must be higher for fiscally constrained districts.
Argument forDistricts with falling enrollment could receive added funding, which may help fiscally constrained districts manage a larger enrollment decline.
Argument againstDistricts might receive more funding even as enrollment falls, so the formula may not match the number of students they serve.
More detail
A student’s scholarship account would close, and its remaining money would return to the state after inactivity. This applies to students with New Worlds Scholarship Accounts. The account would also close if the commissioner denies or revokes eligibility for fraud or abuse, including a student or parent accepting a payment, refund, or rebate from a provider. The inactivity period is unclear in this printing: it shows both “December 31, 2026” and “one consecutive fiscal year.”
The state would add a funding supplement for districts with declining enrollment, under a fallback formula. This covers districts whose unweighted student enrollment falls from the prior year to the current year. The formula applies only if the annual school funding allocation is not set in the annual budget act or its implementing bill. The General Appropriations Act sets the decline percentage, which must be higher for fiscally constrained districts than for other districts. The supplement would be added to the current-year allocation. The bill text sets an effective date of July 1, 2026.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- May 12Conference Committee appointed: Appropriations Conference Committee/Budget: Senator Hooper, Chair; Senators Berman, Boyd, Brodeur, Gruters, Passidomo, and Rouson, At Large; Appropriations Conference Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government/Agriculture & Natural Resources: Senator Brodeur, Chair; Senators Arrington, Berman, DiCeglie, Grall, Massullo, McClain, Nathan, Pizzo, Rodriguez, Sharief, and Truenow; Appropriations Conference Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government/State Administration: Senator Brodeur, Chair; Senators Arrington, Berman, DiCeglie, Grall, Massullo, McClain, Nathan, Pizzo, Rodriguez, Sharief, and Truenow; Appropriations Conference Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice/Justice: Senator Garcia, Chair; Senators Martin, Osgood, Polsky, Simon, Smith, Wright, and Yarborough; Appropriations Conference Committee on Health and Human Services/Health Care: Senator Trumbull, Chair; Senators Brodeur, Burton, Davis, Garcia, Harrell, Rodriguez, Rouson, and Sharief; Appropriations Conference Committee on Higher Education/Higher Education: Senator Harrell, Chair; Senators Bracy Davis, Bradley, Burgess, Calatayud, Davis, and Leek; Appropriations Conference Committee on Pre-K – 12 Education/Pre-K – 12: Senator Burgess, Chair; Senators Bradley, Calatayud, Gaetz, Jones, Massullo, Nathan, Osgood, Pizzo, Simon, and Yarborough; Appropriations Conference Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development/Transportation & Economic Development: Senator DiCeglie, Chair; Senators Arrington, Avila, Bernard, Bracy Davis, Grall, Leek, Martin, Mayfield, McClain, Polsky, Smith, Truenow, and Wright.Latest
- Vote recorded Passage, Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
- May 12Bill placed in Conference (Appropriations Conference Committee/Budget)
- May 12In returning messages
- May 12Conference Committee appointed
- May 12Bill placed in Conference (Appropriations Conference Committee/Budget)
- May 12Refused to pass the Senate bill as passed by the Senate and acceded to the request for conference
- May 12Passed as amended; YEAS 100, NAYS 4Passed House
- May 12Read 3rd timeMinor
- May 12Amendment 182167 adopted
- May 12Read 2nd timeMinor
- May 12Added to Second Reading Calendar
- May 12Read 1st time
- May 12In Messages
- May 12The Senate requests that the House pass the bill as passed by the Senate or agree to include the bill in the Budget Conference
- May 12Passed; YEAS 32 NAYS 0Passed Senate
- May 12Read 3rd timeMinor
- May 12Read 2nd timeMinor
- May 12Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- May 12Withdrawn from AppropriationsMajor
- May 12IntroducedMinor
- May 7Referred to AppropriationsMinor
- May 7FiledIntroduced
- May 12Conference Committee appointed: Appropriations Conference Committee/Budget: Senator Hooper, Chair; Senators Berman, Boyd, Brodeur, Gruters, Passidomo, and Rouson, At Large; Appropriations Conference Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government/Agriculture & Natural Resources: Senator Brodeur, Chair; Senators Arrington, Berman, DiCeglie, Grall, Massullo, McClain, Nathan, Pizzo, Rodriguez, Sharief, and Truenow; Appropriations Conference Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government/State Administration: Senator Brodeur, Chair; Senators Arrington, Berman, DiCeglie, Grall, Massullo, McClain, Nathan, Pizzo, Rodriguez, Sharief, and Truenow; Appropriations Conference Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice/Justice: Senator Garcia, Chair; Senators Martin, Osgood, Polsky, Simon, Smith, Wright, and Yarborough; Appropriations Conference Committee on Health and Human Services/Health Care: Senator Trumbull, Chair; Senators Brodeur, Burton, Davis, Garcia, Harrell, Rodriguez, Rouson, and Sharief; Appropriations Conference Committee on Higher Education/Higher Education: Senator Harrell, Chair; Senators Bracy Davis, Bradley, Burgess, Calatayud, Davis, and Leek; Appropriations Conference Committee on Pre-K – 12 Education/Pre-K – 12: Senator Burgess, Chair; Senators Bradley, Calatayud, Gaetz, Jones, Massullo, Nathan, Osgood, Pizzo, Simon, and Yarborough; Appropriations Conference Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development/Transportation & Economic Development: Senator DiCeglie, Chair; Senators Arrington, Avila, Bernard, Bracy Davis, Grall, Leek, Martin, Mayfield, McClain, Polsky, Smith, Truenow, and Wright.Latest
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