Excerpts from the 4th version of HB 1 analysis:

The bill retains the priority for FTC and FES-EO scholarships for those students whose household income does not exceed 185 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) and creates a second priority for households with income not exceeding 400 percent of the FPL. The bill requires that SFOs review student eligibility annually, approve all expenditures prior to
disbursing any funds from the empowerment savings account. The bill expressly authorizes any school in Florida, including public charter schools, to permit a student to enroll part-time and provides that the student will be funded proportionally based on their time of attendance or as contracted services.

The bill expands eligibility for FTC scholarships to include any student who is a resident of Florida and is eligible to enroll in kindergarten through grade 12 in a public school. The parent of an eligible student will receive an empowerment savings account to choose among a variety of options to customize their child’s K-12 education. In addition to expanding FTC eligibility, the bill makes the following changes …

When the student receives a scholarship, the district school board is not obligated to provide the student with a free appropriate public education.

The bill expressly authorizes any public school in the state, including charter schools, to enroll a student on a part-time basis, subject to space and availability. Students that attend public school parttime generate FTE student membership consistent with the definition of “part-time student” currently in law. However, a student that receives a scholarship and attends public school on a part-time basis through contracted services provided by the public school or school district may not be reported for funding. The bill clarifies that students enrolled in public school part-time are not considered to be in regular attendance at a public school.