Bill > S1622

This bill: 1. Requires "hope operators" (a term defined in the existing law) that have not been notified of a financial audit by the Auditor General to retain an independent certified public accountant to complete an annual financial audit of their accounts within 9 months after the end of their fiscal year, to be paid from their public funds. 2. Revises the definition of "persistently low-performing school" to clarify the criteria for determining such designation. 3. Authorizes, rather than requires, a "school of hope" (a type of charter school) designated as a local education agency to report its students to the Department of Education in accordance with procedures and timelines adopted by the Department. 4. Allows "hope operators" to use underused, vacant, or surplus facilities owned or operated by school districts at no cost or a mutually agreeable cost not exceeding $600 per student. 5. Extends from 5 to 7 years the period that unspent funds allocated for the Schools of Hope Program can be carried forward. 6. Requires instructional and noninstructional personnel hired or contracted in "schools of hope" to undergo background screening by submitting fingerprints to the school or school district, rather than the district school board.

Education

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/1622