House Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #2067 Small School District Stabilization Program
Requester:	Derrell Bryan		Organization:		Hardee County School Board
Project Title:	Small School District Stabilization Program		Date Submitted:		01/28/2000 11:32:22 AM
District Member:	Lindsay Harrington		Service Area:		Statewide
Counties Affected:	{Statewide}
Recipient:	Department of Education		Contact:		Derrell Bryan
	The Capitol		Contact Phone:		(863) 773-9058
	Tallahassee, FL 32399
Project Description:
This request is to provide $2,500,000 to the Small School District Stabilization Program enabling the Florida Department of Education to provide grant funding intended to protect qualifying school districts from continued financial reductions caused by the impact of negative economic conditions. School Districts receiving funding would have to be located in a rural area of critical economic concern as designated pursuant to FS 288.0656(7) and meet the provisions of FS 230.23027.
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
Effective July 1, 2000, and thereafter, the Department of Education may award qualifying school districts a stabilization grant intended to protect the district from continued financial reductions. The amount of the grant will be determined by the Department of Education and may be equivalent to the amount of the decline in revenues projected for the next fiscal year.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
The outcome of this funding will be technical assistance and financial support to maintain the stability of the educational program in designated school districts. Funding would be authorized in accordance with FS 288.0656(7) and FS 230.23027 while the district addresses economic conditions or other significant community influences that negatively impact the school district. Due to lack of space in documentation section at bottom we put it here---The Governor has issued Executive Order 99-275 designating an eight county area in the Panhandle as a rural area of critical economic concern. In addition, FS 288.0656 authorizes the Governor to make two additional rural area of critical economic concern designations. It is possible that these regions will include as many as twenty school districts in the state. Not all will qualify for stabilization funding, however, without any funding, the Department of Education will be unable to respond to the provisions of FS230.23027.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$2,500,000
Total cost of the project:		$2,500,000

Request has been made to fund:			Operations
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?				No
Was this project previously funded by the State?				No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?				Unknown
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?				No
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?				No
Is there a documented need for this project?				Yes
	Documentation:	The Governor has issued Executive Order 99-275
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?				Yes
	Hearing Body:	Hardee County School Board
	Meeting Date:	01/27/2000