The Foundation for Florida’s Future applauds House passage of HB 1145

Nathan Hoffman, FFF Senior Legislative Director, issued the following statement in response to the passage of House Bill 1145, which will improve collaboration between charter schools and employers and help support and expand student success after graduation. 

“Inviting charter schools to participate in the state’s workforce development incentive program will facilitate meaningful partnerships between innovative charter school operators and job creators and support tens of thousands of students in obtaining the skills they need to fill high-demand, higher-wage jobs. 

“This important legislation also expands and improves the state’s existing money-back guarantee program, which is providing students with a stronger guarantee that their training and education at Florida Colleges and public schools will lead to meaningful employment upon graduation.  

“We thank Rep. Jason Shoaf for championing this legislation and the entire Florida House of Representatives for their support.” 

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About House Bill 1145:

• The bill provides charter schools access to the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Program, which provides grants to fund portions of the startup and expansion costs associated with work-based learning programs that lead to credentials on the state’s credential of value list.
• The bill expands the state’s existing money-back guarantee program, requiring Florida College System institutions and participating school districts to designate six programs of study that will be considered tuition-back programs if a student graduates in good standing and is unable to obtain employment at a certain wage in the program of study within six months of graduation. 
• The bill further ensures the integrity of the money-back guarantee program by requiring that Florida College System institutions and participating public schools cannot place additional requirements on students that are more stringent than those required to participate in Florida’s unemployment assistance program.