Nathan Hoffman from the Foundation for Florida’s Future has responded positively to the passage of House Bill 1145 by the Florida House of Representatives. The bill focuses on strengthening partnerships between charter schools and employers to enhance workforce readiness. Hoffman stated, "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."
The legislation aims to improve the existing money-back guarantee program, ensuring students have better employment options post-education. "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," Hoffman explained.
The bill introduces access to the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Program for charter schools. This program provides financial support for starting up and expanding work-based learning programs that offer credentials from the state’s approved list. Additionally, it requires Florida College Systems and participating school districts to offer six programs classified as tuition-back, where graduates who meet certain criteria but fail to secure employment within six months can receive a tuition refund.
Hoffman also expressed gratitude to Rep. Jason Shoaf for his role in promoting the bill and acknowledged the Florida House of Representatives for their approval. "We thank Rep. Jason Shoaf for championing this legislation and the entire Florida House of Representatives for their support."
The bill places conditions on participating educational institutions to prevent imposing additional requirements on students beyond those for Florida’s unemployment assistance program. These conditions aim to maintain the integrity of the money-back guarantee program, ensuring fair access for students.