The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Appropriations
BILL: SB 244
INTRODUCER: Senators Calatayud and Perry
SUBJECT: K-12 Teachers
DATE: March 27, 2023 REVISED:
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Sagues Bouck ED Favorable
2. Gray Elwell AED Favorable
3. Gray Sadberry AP Favorable
I. Summary:
SB 244 expands opportunities for teacher recruitment and retention, and clarifies teachers’ rights.
Specifically in the areas of teacher recruitment and retention, the bill:
 Authorizes state-approved teacher preparation programs to be eligible for the buy-one-get-
one tuition and fee waiver for qualified students.
 Establishes the Dual Enrollment Educator Scholarship Program to assist Florida public high
school teachers in obtaining the graduate degree and credentials necessary to provide dual
enrollment coursework directly to students on a Florida high school campus.
 Establishes the Teacher Apprenticeship Program as alternative pathway for individuals to
enter the teaching profession, and authorizes a temporary apprenticeship certificate.
 Authorizes the receipt of a master’s degree or higher to satisfy specified educator subject area
certification requirements.
 Waives teacher certification initial exam and certification fees for a retired first responder.
 Establishes the Heroes in the Classroom Bonus Program to provide a one-time sign-on bonus
to retired first responders and veterans who become a full-time classroom teacher.
The bill creates chapter 1015 of the Florida Statutes to catalog a number of teachers’ rights that
are currently guaranteed in law regarding employment, continuing education, controlling the
classroom, directing classroom instruction, and receiving timely assessment data.
However, the bill creates a new pathway for objections by teachers who believe the school
district has directed him or her to violate state law or State Board of Education (SBE) rule. The
bill authorizes the teacher to request an investigation by a special magistrate, who will report
findings to the SBE.
The fiscal impact of the bill is indeterminate at this time. See Section V.
BILL: SB 244 Page 2
The bill takes effect on July 1, 2023.
II. Present Situation:
The Present Situation is presented under Section III, Effect of Proposed Changes.
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
Office of Inspector General
Present Situation
The Office of Chief Inspector General (CIG) is responsible for promoting accountability,
integrity, and efficiency in agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction. The CIG also monitors
the activities of the agency inspectors general under the Governor’s jurisdiction.1
Authorized under s. 20.055, F.S., an Office of Inspector General (OIG) is established in each
state agency to provide a central point for the coordination and responsibility for activities that
promote accountability, integrity, and efficiency in government. Agency OIG duties include:
 Assessing agency performance measures and standards, and evaluating agency actions to
improve performance.
 Supervising and coordinating audits, investigations, and reviews relating to the programs and
operations of the state agency; and
 Conducting, supervising, or coordinating activities to prevent and detect fraud and abuse in
agency programs and operations.2
The OIG in the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) is responsible for promoting
accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness and detecting fraud and abuse within school
districts, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB), and Florida College System
(FCS) institutions in Florida. The OIG is authorized to conduct, coordinate, or request
investigations into substantiated allegations of waste, fraud, or financial mismanagement if the
Commissioner of Education determines a school district, the FSDB, or an FCS institution is
unwilling to address allegations. The office must also investigate allegations or reports of
possible fraud or abuse against a district school board made by any member of the Cabinet; the
presiding officer of either house of the Legislature; a chair of a substantive or appropriations
committee with jurisdiction; or a member of the board for which an investigation is sought. 3
Effect of Proposed Changes
The bill amends s. 1001.20, F.S., to expand the scope of FDOE OIG investigations by
authorizing the Office of Inspector General to investigate allegations or reports of suspected
violations of a student’s, a parent’s, or a teacher’s rights.
1
Section 14.32, F.S.
2
Section 20.055, F.S.
3
Section 1001.20(4)(e), F.S.
BILL: SB 244 Page 3
Postsecondary Tuition and Fees
Present Situation
Under Florida law, “tuition” is defined as the basic fee charged to a student for instruction
provided by a public postsecondary educational institution in the state.4 Florida law provides that
all students enrolled in college credit programs at state universities will be charged fees, except
students that are exempt or those whose fees are waived.
The resident undergraduate tuition rate for the State University System (SUS) is currently set in
statute at $105.07 per credit hour.5 The average tuition and fees per credit hour are $199.72.6
Florida law provides for waivers from specified fees to certain students who meet identified
criteria. Some waivers are mandatory, while others are permissive. For example, an SUS or FCS
institution may waive tuition and fees for a classroom teacher who is employed full-time by a
school district and who meets the established academic requirements, up to 6 credit hours per
term on a space-available basis in undergraduate courses approved by the FDOE. Such courses
must be limited to undergraduate courses related to special education, mathematics, or science.
Buy One, Get One Free Tuition & Fee Waiver
SUS institutions must provide a “buy one, get one free” (BOGO) tuition and fee waiver on
upper-level courses in one of ten science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) programs of
strategic emphasis (PSE), as adopted by the Board of Governors (BOG). Specifically, for every
course in a qualifying PSE in which a student is enrolled, a state university must waive 100
percent of the tuition and fees for an equivalent course in such program. To be eligible, a student
must:
 Be a resident for tuition purposes;7
 Earn at least 60 semester credit hours towards a baccalaureate degree within two academic
years after initial enrollment at a Florida public postsecondary institution; and
 Be enrolled in one of 10 STEM PSE. 8
On June 22, 2021, the BOG adopted eight programs for the BOGO fee waiver: Civil
Engineering, Computer + Information Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical + Electronics
Engineering, Information Technology, Management Information Systems, Mathematics, and
Physics.9
4
Section 1009.01 (1), F.S.
5
Section1009.24, F.S.
6
See State University System of Florida, Tuition and Required Fees, 2022-23 (2022), available at https://www.flbog.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2023/01/2022-2023-SUS-Tuition-and-Fees-Report_updated-with-footnote.pdf
7
A student who is classified as a “resident for tuition purposes” is a student who qualifies for the in-state tuition rate. Section
1009.21(1)(g), F.S.
8
Section 1009.26, F.S., Rule 6A-14.0542, F.A.C.
9
State University System, Strategic Planning Committee Meeting Agenda for June 22, 2021, available at
https://www.flbog.edu/session/strategic-planning-committee-klwekqle/ Strategic Planning Committee - State University
System of Florida (flbog.edu)
BILL: SB 244 Page 4
Beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year, students are eligible to receive the tuition and fee
waiver in two additional PSE, finance and accounting, as adopted by the BOG.10
The tuition and fee waiver is applicable only for upper-level courses and for up to 110 percent of
the number of required credit hours of the degree program for which the student is enrolled.11
This means that for a 120-credit hour state university baccalaureate degree program, the waiver
is applicable unless the student has earned an excess of 132 credit hours.
Effect of Proposed Changes
In order to increase the number of students who choose to enroll in an initial teacher preparation
program at a state university, the bill amends s. 1009.26, F.S., to include state-approved teacher
preparation programs as eligible for the buy-one-get-one tuition and fee waiver for qualified
students.
Dual Enrollment
Present Situation
Dual enrollment (DE) is the enrollment of an eligible public or private school student in grades
6-12 or home education student in a postsecondary course creditable toward both a high school
diploma and a career certificate or an associate or baccalaureate degree. Students who meet the
eligibility requirement and who participate in DE programs are exempt from the payment of
registration, tuition, and laboratory fees.12 However, exemption and fees do not apply to dual
enrollment at an eligible private postsecondary institution.13
Each faculty member providing instruction in college credit DE courses must, among other
requirements, meet the qualifications, including college level teaching credentials, required by
the entity accrediting the postsecondary institution offering the course, regardless of the location
of instruction.14 For example, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools requires faculty teaching general education courses to have a doctorate or
master’s degree in the teaching discipline, or a master’s degree with at least 18 graduate semester
hours in the teaching discipline.15
Effect of Proposed Changes
Dual Enrollment Educator Scholarship Program
The bill establishes s. 1009.31, F.S., the Dual Enrollment Educator Scholarship Program (DEES
Program), administered by the FDOE in accordance with SBE rules, to assist Florida public high
school teachers in obtaining the graduate degree and credentials necessary in order to provide DE
10
The Florida Channel, Florida BOG Meeting Part 2 June 29, 2022, available at https://thefloridachannel.org/videos/6-29-
22-florida-board-of-governors-meeting-part-2/ at 6:20 – 14:51.
11
Section 1009.26(b), F.S.
12
Section 1007.271, F.S.
13
Section 1011.62(1)(i), F.S.
14
Section 1007.271(5), F.S.
15
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges, Faculty Credentials Guidelines (Apr. 2018),
available at https://sacscoc.org/app/uploads/2019/07/faculty-credentials.pdf.
BILL: SB 244 Page 5
coursework directly to student on a Florida high school campus. The FDOE, in consultation with
the BOG, must:
 Identify graduate-level degree programs offered at SUS institutions that would authorize an
individual to teach postsecondary general education core courses and post it on its website.
 Identify qualified degree programs that are available entirely online.
The FDOE must:
 Identify and prioritize districts for participation in the DEES Program based on each district’s
ratio of students from low-income and moderate-income households, the availability of DE
courses in the district, and the geographic proximity of high schools in the district to
participating postsecondary institutions.
 Prioritize DEES Program applicants who are currently enrolled in an approved graduate
program at a state university.
 Identify school districts with the highest need for teachers, in which participants completing
the DEES Program may teach at for at least three years.
To be eligible for the DEES Program, an applicant must be a certified teacher in grades 9-12 in a
Florida public school and be accepted into, or currently enrolled in, an approved graduate
program in a subject within his or her area of certification.
As a condition of receiving a scholarship, the recipient must agree to do all of the following:
 Complete the graduate degree program and additional required credentials within three
academic years of the initial award.
 Upon completion of the degree, teach at least one identified and mutually agreed upon
general education core course per semester at a public school. The recipient may teach
additional courses at the school upon approval.
 Remain in his or her district, or an eligible district as a certified classroom teacher for at least
three school years after completion of his or her degree.
A scholarship recipient who does not complete an identified degree, or who does not complete at
least three school years of service after the completion of such degree, must repay the amount of
the scholarship to the FDOE. The FDOE may provide the teacher additional time to meet the
service requirement under specified circumstances.
Funding for the DEES Program is contingent upon the appropriation of funds in the General
Appropriations Act (GAA).
The SBE must adopt rules to implement the DEES Program.
Apprenticeship Programs
Present Situation
The federal government works in cooperation with states to oversee the nation’s apprenticeship
programs. The states have the authority to register apprenticeship programs through federally-
recognized State Apprenticeship Agencies. In Florida, the Department of Education serves as the
BILL: SB 244 Page 6
registering entity to ensure compliance with federal and state apprenticeship standards, provide
technical assistance, and conduct quality assurance assessments.16
Work-based learning opportunities in Florida are encouraged to prioritize paid experiences, such
as apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs.17
Registered Apprenticeship Programs
Florida law defines an apprentice as a person at least 16 years of age who has entered into a
written apprentice agreement with an employer, an association of employers, or a local joint
apprenticeship committee to learn a recognized skilled trade through actual work experience
under the supervision of another worker who has completed an apprenticeship program or has
worked in the field for a minimum number of years established by industry standard. Training
for an apprentice should be combined with properly coordinated studies of related technical and
supplementary instruction.
An apprenticeship program must be registered and approved by the FDOE,18 which is
responsible for establishing minimum standards for registered apprenticeship programs and
facilitating and supervising registered apprenticeship programs.19 In the 2021-2022 program
year, the FDOE registered 27 new apprenticeship programs for a total of 275 programs, training
15,479 apprentices. Of these apprentices, 1,917 completed a program and received an
apprenticeship certificate and an average exit annual salary of $49,629.20
Grow Your Own Programs
Grow Your Own (GYO) programs can be targeted to different groups, including high school
students and paraprofessionals,21 or teaching positions, including hard-to-staff schools, but they
are typically focused on recruiting and preparing community members to address local teacher
shortages. Several states are in various stages of development for a GYO program, including
teacher apprenticeships. Tennessee and West Virginia have registered teacher apprenticeship
programs with the United States Department of Labor. 22
Effect of Proposed Changes
Teacher Apprenticeship Program
The bill establishes s. 1012.555, the Teacher Apprenticeship Program (TAP), administered by
the FDOE, to create an alternative pathway for an individual to enter the teaching profession.
16
29 C.F.R. s. 29
17
Section 446.0915, F.S.
18
Section 446.021, F.S.
19
Section 446.041, F.S.
20
FDOE, Florida’s Annual Apprenticeship and Preapprenticeship Report (2022), available at
https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/9904/urlt/2122ApprenticeshipReport.pdf, at 6 and 31.
2