THE BILL ITSELF
HB 345
Funding for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
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A bill to be entitled
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An act relating to funding for the Voluntary
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Prekindergarten Education Program; amending s.
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1002.71, F.S.; revising the calculation of the base
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student allocation for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
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Education Program; requiring the Division of Early
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Learning to annually publish and provide to early
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learning coalitions specified information; authorizing
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the Legislature to provide additional funding for the
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program; providing an effective date.
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section 1002.71, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
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1002.71 Funding; financial and attendance reporting.—
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(3)(a) Each private prekindergarten provider and public
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school delivering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
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Program shall be paid a separate base student allocation per
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full-time equivalent student as in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
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Education Program shall be provided in the General
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Appropriations Act.
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1. Beginning with the 2026-2027 program year, the base
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student allocation for a school-year prekindergarten program and
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for a summer prekindergarten program may not be less than the
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amount appropriated for the previous program year, adjusted
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annually on July 1 by the percentage change in the Consumer
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Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the most recent calendar
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year, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United
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States Department of Labor, not to exceed 5 percent each year.
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The base student allocation for a school-year program shall be
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equal for each student, regardless of whether the student is
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enrolled in a school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a
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public school or a private prekindergarten provider. The base
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student allocation for a summer prekindergarten program shall be
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equal for each student, regardless of whether the student is
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enrolled in a summer prekindergarten program delivered by a
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public school or private prekindergarten provider.
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2. The Division of Early Learning shall annually publish
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on its website the adjusted base student allocation and provide
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the amount of the allocation to each early learning coalition no
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later than May 1 for use in the following program year.
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3. The Legislature may provide a greater base student
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allocation than calculated under subparagraph 1. or additional
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supplements for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
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in the General Appropriations Act.
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Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.