Florida Senate - 2010                                    SJR 738
       
       
       
       By Senator Bennett
       
       
       
       
       21-00769-10                                            2010738__
    1                       Senate Joint Resolution                     
    2         A joint resolution proposing an amendment to Section 1
    3         of Article IX of the State Constitution, to repeal the
    4         class size limits.
    5  
    6  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    7  
    8         That the following amendment to Section 1 of Article IX of
    9  the State Constitution is agreed to and shall be submitted to
   10  the electors of this state for approval or rejection at the next
   11  general election or at an earlier special election specifically
   12  authorized by law for that purpose:
   13                             ARTICLE IX                            
   14                              EDUCATION                            
   15         SECTION 1. Public education.—
   16         (a) The education of children is a fundamental value of the
   17  people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a paramount
   18  duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education
   19  of all children residing within its borders. Adequate provision
   20  shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and
   21  high quality system of free public schools which that allows
   22  students to obtain a high quality education and for the
   23  establishment, maintenance, and operation of institutions of
   24  higher learning and other public education programs that the
   25  needs of the people may require. To assure that children
   26  attending public schools obtain a high quality education, the
   27  legislature shall make adequate provision to ensure that, by the
   28  beginning of the 2010 school year, there are a sufficient number
   29  of classrooms so that:
   30         (1) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
   31  teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
   32  prekindergarten through grade 3 does not exceed 18 students;
   33         (2) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
   34  teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for grades 4
   35  through 8 does not exceed 22 students; and
   36         (3) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
   37  teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for grades 9
   38  through 12 does not exceed 25 students.
   39  
   40  The class size requirements of this subsection do not apply to
   41  extracurricular classes. Payment of the costs associated with
   42  reducing class size to meet these requirements is the
   43  responsibility of the state and not of local schools districts.
   44  Beginning with the 2003-2004 fiscal year, the legislature shall
   45  provide sufficient funds to reduce the average number of
   46  students in each classroom by at least two students per year
   47  until the maximum number of students per classroom does not
   48  exceed the requirements of this subsection.
   49         (b) Every four-year old child in Florida shall be provided
   50  by the State a high quality pre-kindergarten learning
   51  opportunity in the form of an early childhood development and
   52  education program which shall be voluntary, high quality, free,
   53  and delivered according to professionally accepted standards. An
   54  early childhood development and education program means an
   55  organized program designed to address and enhance each child’s
   56  ability to make age appropriate progress in an appropriate range
   57  of settings in the development of language and cognitive
   58  capabilities and emotional, social, regulatory and moral
   59  capacities through education in basic skills, and such other
   60  skills as the Legislature may determine to be appropriate.
   61         (c) The early childhood education and development programs
   62  provided by reason of subparagraph (b) shall be implemented no
   63  later than the beginning of the 2005 school year through funds
   64  generated in addition to those used for existing education,
   65  health, and development programs. Existing education, health,
   66  and development programs are those funded by the State as of
   67  January 1, 2002 that provided for child or adult education,
   68  health care, or development.
   69         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
   70  placed on the ballot:
   71                      CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT                     
   72                        ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1                      
   73         REPEAL OF CLASS SIZE LIMITS.—The State Constitution
   74  currently limits the number of students who may be assigned to a
   75  teacher in a public school classroom. The State Constitution
   76  does not expressly permit those limits to be exceeded for any
   77  reason. This proposed amendment to the State Constitution
   78  repeals the class size limits.