Statutes & School Improvement Funds

5.(c)

(c) A portion of such net revenues, as determined annually by the Legislature, shall be distributed to each school district and shall be made available to each public school in the district for enhancing school performance through development and implementation of a school improvement plan pursuant to s. 1001.42(16). A portion of these moneys, as determined annually in the General Appropriations Act, must be allocated to each school in an equal amount for each student enrolled. These moneys may be expended only on programs or projects selected by the school advisory council or by a parent advisory committee created pursuant to this paragraph. If a school does not have a school advisory council, the district advisory council must appoint a parent advisory committee composed of parents of students enrolled in that school, which committee is representative of the ethnic, racial, and economic community served by the school, to advise the school's principal on the programs or projects to be funded. Neither school district staff nor principals may override the recommendations of the school advisory council or the parent advisory committee. These moneys may not be used for capital improvements, nor may they be used for any project or program that has a duration of more than 1 year; however, a school advisory council or parent advisory committee may independently determine that a program or project formerly funded under this paragraph should receive funds in a subsequent year.

(d)

No funds shall be released for any purpose from the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund to any school district in which one or more schools do not have an approved school improvement plan pursuant to ss.1001.42(16) or do not comply with school advisory council membership composition requirements pursuant to ss.1001.452 (1). The Commissioner of Education shall withhold disbursements from the trust fund to any school district that fails to adopt the performance-based salary schedule required by ss.1012.22(1).

(e)

All components of the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program shall be funded annually from the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. Funds shall be allocated to this program prior to application of the formula for equitable distribution to public schools, community colleges, and state universities. If shortages require reductions in estimated distributions from the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, funds for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program shall be reduced only after reductions in all other distributions are made.

(f)

Each school district shall, on a quarterly basis, make available to the public and distribute, in an easy to understand format, the expenditures of lottery funds allocated to the school district.