Important Changes to the FEFP for the 23-24 School Year

Charter School Funding for 2023-24… what are the facts and what is still up in the air? In the webinar, Josh Bemis from the FLDOE Office of Funding and Financial Reporting will share changes to Base Funding Changes, Salary Increase Allocation, Class Size Reduction.

Charter School Revenue Estimator Worksheet

Additional Attachments

Important Web Sites and Resources

FLDOE Office of Funding and Financial Reporting: http://www.fldoe.org/fefp/

Charter School Revenue Estimate Worksheet 23-23:  https://www.fldoe.org/finance/fl-edu-finance-program-fefp/charter-school-revenue-estimate-worksh.stml

Follow Ups for Questions From the webinar

1.       Question regarding staff eligible for the Salary Increase Allocation – Nothing has changed here from previous years. Per section 1011.62, F.S., salary increases may be provided to full-time classroom teachers or other full-time instructional personnel as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(b)-(d), F.S. That section is as follows:

(b) Student personnel services.—Student personnel services include staff members responsible for: advising students with regard to their abilities and aptitudes, educational and occupational opportunities, and personal and social adjustments; providing placement services; performing educational evaluations; and similar functions. Included in this classification are certified school counselors, social workers, career specialists, and school psychologists.

(c) Librarians/media specialists.—Librarians/media specialists are staff members responsible for providing school library media services. These employees are responsible for evaluating, selecting, organizing, and managing media and technology resources, equipment, and related systems; facilitating access to information resources beyond the school; working with teachers to make resources available in the instructional programs; assisting teachers and students in media productions; and instructing students in the location and use of information resources.

(d) Other instructional staff.—Other instructional staff are staff members who are part of the instructional staff but are not classified in one of the categories specified in paragraphs (a)-(c). Included in this classification are primary specialists, learning resource specialists, instructional trainers, adjunct educators certified pursuant to s. 1012.57, and similar positions.

 As I mentioned on the webinar, paraprofessionals are not included in this definition (they are subsection (e) and outside the quoted block) and substitutes are also specifically excluded from this in s. 1011.62, F.S.

2.       Question regarding whether Florida School Recognition Program funding would be provided in the 2023-24 year – Specific Appropriation 83 of chapter 2023-239, Laws of Florida, appropriates $200 million to the program for the coming year.

3.       Question regarding the Revenue Estimate Worksheet removing the Salary Increase Allocation funds twice – There is no error on the sheet. The total on row 89 includes all allocations and the total on row 91 removes the Salary Increase Allocation for the purposes of calculating the administrative fee. The confusion may come from the fact that the specific cutout for the Salary Increase Allocation on row 44 is not included in the total. That is because it is already included in the Base Funding total on row 39. As the red text notes under the title in row 41, the amounts there are for the purposes of providing the cutout for salary increases. For example, if the school’s Base Funding amount in 39 is $100,000, the Salary Increase amount in row 44 will be $5,930. That $5,930 is part of the $100,000, which is why it is not added to the total separately but is backed out for the total in row 91.