PUBLIC SCHOOL REQUEST FOR EXCEPTION TO DOE COHORT FIVE-YEAR PROJECTION

 

 

School District _________________________________ Date: __________________________________

 

Section 1013.31,(1)(b)2, Florida Statutes, requires that each survey of a special facility, joint-use facility, or cooperative

career education facility must be based on capital outlay full-time equivalent student enrollment data prepared by the

Florida Department of Education for school districts, community colleges, colleges, and universities.

 

For public schools, this is the COHORT Five-Year Capital Outlay Full Time Equivalent (COFTE) Projection used in

preparing the school district’s Five-Year Educational Plant Survey.

 

Section 1013.32, Florida Statutes, provides an exception to the recommendations in the educational plant survey which

may be allowed if a board considers that it will be advantageous to the welfare of the educational system or that it will

make possible a substantial saving of funds. A board, upon determining that an exception is warranted, must present a

full statement, in writing, setting forth all the facts to the Commissioner of Education.

 

Further, Section 163.3177, Florida Statutes, requires each county and each municipality within the county to adopt a

public school facilities element as part of the local Growth Management Interlocal Agreement, unless exempt or subject

to a waiver.

 

Note: The Capital Outlay Full-Time Equivalent (COFTE) is the average of the unweighted FTE membership during the

second and third FTE counts (Fall and Winter). The C

OFTE numbers do not include hospital, homebound, summer

school, evening school, etc., since these students do not require an additional student station. Therefore; the COFTE

number will always be less than the FTE number on which FEFP (Florida Education Finance Program) dollars are

distributed.

 

The district school board staff has analyzed the DOE COHORT projections, reviewed them with the county growth

planning office, and both the district school board and county growth planning office agree the Department of Education

COHORT five-year projections are low.

 

The District School Board of _____________________ County requests an exception to the Department of Education

COHORT five-year projected Capital Outlay Full Time Equivalent (COFTE) dated _____________________, 20____.

 

 

Fifth Out-Year

DOE Five-Year COHORT

Projections for COFTE

Locally-Determined Five-Year

COHORT Projections for COFTE

Percent

Increase

Elementary (K-3)

  

  

  

Middle (4-8)

  

  

  

High (9-12)

  

  

  

Total

  

  

  

Therefore,

for the reasons explained and/or documented on the attached _____ page(s)

, request approval by the

Commissioner of Education to use the locally determined projected COFTE numbers of students for the fifth out-year,

which are to be used in determining capital outlay need in the required Five-Year Educational Plant Survey.

 

We are aware that, if approved to use the local adjusted COHORT projections in our District Five-Year Educational

Plant Survey, our official Department of Educational COHORT projections will not change.

 

Approved by the _____________________________ District School Board on __________________________, 20___

 

________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

Signed – Superintendent of Schools

Signed - Director of County Growth Planning Office

 

________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

Date

  

  

  

  

  

Date

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Approved by the Commissioner of Education

 

________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

John L. Winn

  

  

  

  

Date