[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6322650,"mediaKeyId","2347068-e0c227b39155594debcc83f3b449bc55","parentId",2347068,"title","Florida education panel reviews district workforce funding model as state readies budget","audioSeconds",1251,"startMs",1024000,"endMs",2275000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2347068-e0c227b39155594debcc83f3b449bc55&start=1024&end=2275","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2347068-e0c227b39155594debcc83f3b449bc55/thumbnail_1024000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6322650/Florida/Florida-education-panel-reviews-district-workforce-funding-model-as-state-readies-budget","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322650-77416146fe08debcde0e991e0bee45dc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146415&Signature=E7drK2U3eByn5gXElI5mPHPX3SV5gq-sIgFYH6ZCKu0ufMqW2R8KRNWK758DwYQnMRBohSNpgJxKJ6iu-YT6lh1MF6kJ-v5a2JoXUh5GKQWnhaUDlVpU08iVCjunN9PXdxF4LisBN6J1RwpHtbZHdlTJKYMls8sfpIqWbzttFBwdNRuZJHaQ7JRmhgnOULo4aAV9LGHjmxqIceF81neRvdxcAusRY~i8cZ-F8UahMnGli8ITYJwPHvOtyg5A5Ycwr3uTn1CTeoUxcW8~YUPJPn-ord6iGcCzMA~LRLCFMjx74bvanXmrB00GhOmCTHcny-sB~wxaUkJDyz5O0CmaIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Florida State Legislature","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","The Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee heard a detailed briefing Wednesday on how Florida calculates state funding for district workforce education programs as lawmakers prepare budget decisions for the upcoming year.

The briefing matters because the funding model determines how state dollars are allocated to career and technical programs in school districts across Florida and figures centrally in requests to increase or reallocate appropriations.

Tara Goodman, vice chancellor of career and adult education at the Florida Department of Education, told the committee that district workforce programs include non–college-credit career certificates and applied technology diplomas, registered apprenticeship partnerships and adult general education designed to prepare individuals for career technical programs. \"A large array of technical career and technical education programs and a variety of literacy programs that are intended to prepare individuals in Florida to enter into those career and technical education programs,\" Goodman said.

Goodman said 56 of Florida's 67 school districts currently offer one or more workforce program types; some rural districts provide only adult general education while neighboring districts or Florida College System institutions deliver technical programs. She provided counts from the department's data showing about 39 districts offer career certificates, 15 offer applied technology diplomas, 19 offer registered apprenticeship partnerships and 55 offer some form of adult general education.

The department explained the model uses historical enrollment rather than current-year estimates. \"There is no estimate of FTE in the current year for district workforce education,\" Goodman said, adding the model presented to the committee is based on a two‑year average of 2022–23 and 2023–24 enrollment and is being used to fund 2025–26. The use of lagged data, she said, is a reason local districts receive a lump-sum appropriation and retain flexibility to reallocate funds to reflect changing local needs.

The model incorporates differential cost weights (low, medium and high) for program types to reflect varying instructional costs and required equipment. Goodman said higher‑cost programs (for example, welding or aviation mechanics) receive larger weights; some health‑care programs and those with intense consumables or low student‑to‑teacher ratios are placed in higher cost categories. \"We're required to assign low, medium, and high funding weights to all of the programs, and that's what this model does,\" she said.

Goodman also described adjustments the model makes for locally collected tuition and fees (which are backed out to calculate the state's funding need), a minimum‑funding floor to support very small rural programs, and a small set of supplemental factors including documented disability costs and GED testing operations. She estimated federal funds available to districts at approximately $34,000,000 from WIOA and about $6,000,000 for postsecondary Perkins (totaling about $40,000,000).

The model sums program costs, applies supplemental factors and subtracts tuition revenue to arrive at a state funding need for each district; comparing that need to the current appropriation produces an \"unmet funding need\" number the department said has historically guided where additional state resources should be placed. Goodman said the workload model is reviewed annually with district technical college directors and that the model's primary driver is the prior year recurring appropriation.

On questions, committee chair Sen. Harrell asked whether very expensive programs such as nursing have additional categories or weights. Goodman said many health care programs are in a higher weight category and some receive a 2.5 weight to reflect greater cost; she offered to share the department's full program list showing each program's assigned weight. \"We're happy to share a list of all the programs and where they might fall,\" Goodman said.

The presentation concluded with the department inviting committee members to ask further questions and confirming that the model is a tool for legislators to determine how to apportion increases, level funding, or reductions based on demonstrated enrollment and costs.

No formal committee votes were recorded on the funding model during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Appropriations Committee on Higher Education 2/19/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee heard a detailed briefing Wednesday on how Florida calculates state funding for district workforce education programs as lawmakers prepare budget decisions for the upcoming year.","taxTitle","Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee, House, Legislative, Florida","taxId",25416,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6322646,"Senate committee reviews Florida College System funding model and small‑college floor",1287,2388000,3675000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2347068-e0c227b39155594debcc83f3b449bc55&start=2388&end=3675","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2347068-e0c227b39155594debcc83f3b449bc55/thumbnail_2388000.jpg","/articles/6322646/Florida/Senate-committee-reviews-Florida-College-System-funding-model-and-smallcollege-floor","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322646-4f14be454a5e1b4a272ed8f94e2b0049/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146415&Signature=jdde9ovqFE4O10BjTJ99ArsBxVbYdpSTlFA2OCPmkD6RlDJbzC37rP9NTK~h2L9HzsLJ9YnA5b~7Sipwj59XwHa~H1Tm6m6EM0F8NWsMLZ4TY~dEVpjnXFeJ7jpJiQyvEVagfNSBXEnuQAKZrqX0O952FzUqZIi-n0UDfc7u32fvh0Xwx8sN7FsMQtlELyYrCcMZIEmvefwxBTs-6c7f8qE0tUVsqKXF93wk6bmPh8rRBSX7r3JVYCAUY8GN6VQT3o61xELIdKLhoNrGGIipq2o9MvDcoYktFHeBWLgowXaPnnY-eKn9GwtE9PDbRdZfujv~~z19BRZxNRzH~ZVFeQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee received a presentation on a recommended funding model for the Florida College System as lawmakers consider how to allocate operational dollars to the state's 28 colleges.

The model matters because it is the mechanism the colleges and the department expect policymakers to use to distribute a base of recurring appropriations and any additional funds the Legislature provides for the Florida College System.

Kathy Hebda, chancellor of the Division of Florida Colleges at the Florida Department of Education, told the committee the model starts with a three‑year average FTE and last year's base appropriation and then distributes new funds through two components: an index distribution and targeted funding. \"The College System program fund is the base budget, if you wanna think about it that way, the recurring dollars, operational dollars for the Florida College System,\" Hebda said.

Hebda said the presidents of the 28 colleges developed guiding principles and ran many model variants (the department staff tested 172 versions) before agreeing on a recommended approach. The index rewards enrollment (50 percent of the index), workforce‑weighted FTE (weighted at 1.5 times non‑workforce enrollment), completions (40 percent of the index with degree completions weighted more heavily) and a small‑college factor to address economies of scale. The model also applies a regional cost differential at the end of the calculation.

The targeted funding component establishes a per‑student funding floor based on the K‑12 base student allocation and recommends additional dollars be distributed to colleges whose state funding per FTE falls below that target. Hebda said the spreadsheet‑based model is transparent and can be rerun with current data each year; how much money is available to distribute remains a legislative decision.

Seminole State College President Georgia Lorenz, who participated in the presidents' discussions, praised the outcome. \"I'm very proud of the model. I'm proud to have been part of the process to develop it,\" Lorenz said, adding that the model holds institutions accountable for enrollment and completions while allowing flexibility to respond to state priorities such as workforce needs.

Sen. Davis asked whether the model had identified colleges below the funding floor. Hebda said the spreadsheet calculates the per‑FTE funding for each college and that \"there are probably 10 or so colleges that are below that target,\" with a range of sizes and circumstances causing the shortfall. Hebda said it is up to the Legislature to decide how much money to put through the model to raise underfunded colleges toward the floor.

Committee members asked about how the model accounts for high‑cost programs (for example, nursing, lab sciences) and faculty compensation. Hebda said workforce programs and baccalaureate workforce enrollments receive the 1.5 weight; institutional leaders designed the weights as proxies to reflect the higher costs associated with those programs rather than attempting to parse every student/course by cost.

The presentation closed with the committee thanking presenters and one college president for attending. No formal votes on funding allocations were taken at the meeting.

","The committee heard a presentation on a new recommended funding model for the Florida College System that uses a three‑year average FTE, an index rewarding workforce enrollment and completions, and a targeted floor to reduce disparities. College leaders said the model balances enrollment, completions and regional cost differences; the legislature","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Florida education panel reviews district workforce funding model as state readies budget

Senate committee reviews Florida College System funding model and small‑college floor