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Senator Wise moved the following amendment:

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     Senate Amendment (with directory and title amendments)

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     Delete line(s) 534-618

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and insert:

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     (2)  The Dale Hickam Excellent Teaching Program is created

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to provide categorical funding for monetary incentives and

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bonuses for teaching excellence. The monetary incentives and

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bonuses may be provided for initial certification for up to one

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10-year period. The Department of Education shall distribute to

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each school district or to the NBPTS an amount as prescribed

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annually by the Legislature for the Dale Hickam Excellent

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Teaching Program. For purposes of this section, the Florida

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School for the Deaf and the Blind shall be considered a school

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district. Unless otherwise provided in the General Appropriations

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Act, each distribution shall be the sum of the amounts earned for

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the following incentives and bonuses:

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     (a) A fee subsidy to be paid by the Department of Education

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to the NBPTS on behalf of each individual who is an employee of a

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district school board or a public school within the school

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district, who is certified by the district to have demonstrated

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satisfactory teaching performance pursuant to s. 1012.34 and who

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satisfies the prerequisites for participating in the NBPTS

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certification program, and who agrees, in writing, to pay 10

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percent of the NBPTS participation fee and to participate in the

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NBPTS certification program during the school year for which the

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fee subsidy is provided. The fee subsidy for each eligible

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participant shall be an amount equal to 90 percent of the fee

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charged for participating in the NBPTS certification program. The

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fee subsidy is a one-time award and may not be duplicated for any

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individual.

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     (b) A portfolio-preparation incentive of $150 paid by the

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Department of Education to each teacher employed by a district

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school board or a public school within a school district who is

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participating in the NBPTS certification program. The portfolio-

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preparation incentive is a one-time award paid during the school

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year for which the NBPTS fee subsidy is provided.

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     (a)(c) An annual bonus equal to 10 percent of the prior

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fiscal year's statewide average salary for classroom teachers to

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be distributed to the school district to be paid to each

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individual who holds NBPTS certification and is employed by the

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district school board or by a public school within the school

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district. The district school board shall distribute the annual

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bonus to each individual who meets the requirements of this

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paragraph and who is certified annually by the district to have

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demonstrated satisfactory teaching performance pursuant to s.

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1012.34. The annual bonus may be paid as a single payment or

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divided into not more than three payments.

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     (b)(d) An annual bonus equal to 10 percent of the prior

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fiscal year's statewide average salary for classroom teachers to

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be distributed to the school district to be paid to each

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individual who meets the requirements of paragraph (a) (c) and

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agrees, in writing, to provide the equivalent of 12 workdays of

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mentoring and related services to public school teachers within

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the state who do not hold NBPTS certification. Related services

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must include instruction in helping teachers work more

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effectively with the families of their students. The district

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school board shall distribute the annual bonus in a single

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payment following the completion of all required mentoring and

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related services for the year. It is not the intent of the

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Legislature to remove excellent teachers from their assigned

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classrooms; therefore, credit may not be granted by a school

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district or public school for mentoring or related services

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provided during student contact time during the 196 days of

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required service for the school year.

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     (c)(e) The employer's share of social security and Medicare

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taxes and Florida Retirement System contributions for those

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teachers who qualify for NBPTS certification and receive bonus

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amounts.

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A teacher for whom the state or the school district pays the

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certification fee and who does not complete the certification

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program or does not teach in a public school of this state for at

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least 1 year after completing the certification program must

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repay the amount of the certification fee to the state. However,

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a teacher who completes the certification program but fails to be

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awarded NBPTS certification is not required to repay the amount

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of the certification fee if the teacher meets the 1-year teaching

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requirement. Repayment is not required of a teacher who does not

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complete the certification program or fails to fulfill the

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teaching requirement because of the teacher's death or disability

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or because of other extenuating circumstances as determined by

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the State Board of Education.

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     (3) A school district may pay the following:

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     (a) A fee subsidy to the NBPTS on behalf of each individual

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who is an employee of a district school board or a public school

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within the school district, who is certified by the district to

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have demonstrated satisfactory teaching performance pursuant to

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s. 1012.34, who satisfies the prerequisites for participating in

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the NBPTS certification program, and who agrees, in writing, to

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pay at least 10 percent or more of the NBPTS participation fee

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and to participate in the NBPTS certification program during the

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school year for which the fee subsidy is provided. The fee

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subsidy for each eligible participant shall be an amount up to 90

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percent of the fee charged for participating in the NBPTS

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certification program. The fee subsidy is a one-time award and

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may not be duplicated for any individual.

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     (b) A portfolio-preparation incentive of up to $150 to each

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teacher employed by a district school board or a public school

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within a school district who is participating in the NBPTS

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certification program. The portfolio-preparation incentive is a

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one-time award paid during the school year for which the NBPTS

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fee subsidy is provided.

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     (c) The employer's share of Florida Retirement System

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contributions for any bonus payments under paragraphs (2)(a) and

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(b).

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     (6)(5) If the funds available in any fiscal year are

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insufficient to pay in full the annual bonuses for certification

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and for providing mentoring and related services, such payments

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for mentoring and related services shall be prorated among the

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eligible recipients. If the mentoring and related services are

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prorated, school districts may pay a portion or all of the

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balance. If funds are insufficient to pay in full the annual

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bonuses for certification, payments of bonuses for certification

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shall be prorated among the eligible recipients.

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====== D I R E C T O R Y  C L A U S E  A M E N D M E N T =====

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And the directory clause is amended as follows:

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     Delete line(s) 529-532

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and insert:

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     Section 6.  Subsection (2) of section 1012.72, Florida

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Statutes, and subsection (5) of that section as created by

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section 7 of chapter 2007-328, Laws of Florida, are amended,

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present subsections (3), (4), and (5) of that section are

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redesignated as subsections (4), (5), and (6), respectively, and

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a new subsection (3) is added to that section, to read:

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================ T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================

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And the title is amended as follows:

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     On line(s) 46, after the semicolon,

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insert:

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authorizing a school district to pay a certain percentage

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of a fee subsidy to the National Board of Professional

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Teaching Standards on behalf of certain persons, a

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portfolio-preparation incentive up to a specified amount

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to certain teachers, and the employer's share of

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contributions to the Florida Retirement System;

4/8/2008  11:28:00 AM     5-06628B-08