The Florida Senate

229.053  General powers of state board.--

(1)  The State Board of Education is the chief policymaking and coordinating body of public education in Florida. It has authority to adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the provisions of law conferring duties upon it for the improvement of the state system of public education. Except as otherwise provided herein, it may, as it shall find appropriate, delegate its general powers to the Commissioner of Education or the directors of the divisions of the department.

(2)  The board has the following duties:

(a)  To adopt comprehensive educational objectives for public education.

(b)  To adopt comprehensive long-range plans and short-range programs for the development of the state system of public education.

(c)  To exercise general supervision over the divisions of the Department of Education as necessary to ensure coordination of educational plans and programs and resolve controversies and to minimize problems of articulation and student transfers, to assure that students moving from one level of education to the next have acquired competencies necessary for satisfactory performance at that level, and to ensure maximum utilization of facilities.

(d)  To adopt for public universities and community colleges, and from time to time modify, minimum and uniform standards of college-level communication and computation skills generally associated with successful performance and progression through the baccalaureate level and to identify college-preparatory high school coursework and postsecondary-level coursework that prepares students with the academic skills necessary to succeed in postsecondary education.

(e)  To adopt and transmit to the Governor as chief budget officer of the state on official forms furnished for such purposes, on or before September 1 of each year, estimates of expenditure requirements for the State Board of Education, the Commissioner of Education, and all of the boards, institutions, agencies, and services under the general supervision of the State Board of Education for the ensuing fiscal year.

(f)  To hold meetings, transact business, keep records, adopt a seal, and perform such other duties as may be necessary for the enforcement of all laws and regulations relating to the state system of public education.

(g)  To approve plans for cooperating with the Federal Government.

(h)  To approve plans for cooperating with other public agencies in the development of regulations and in the enforcement of laws for which the state board and such agencies are jointly responsible.

(i)  To review plans for cooperating with appropriate nonpublic agencies for the improvement of conditions relating to the welfare of schools.

(j)  To create such subordinate advisory bodies as are required by law or as it finds necessary for the improvement of education.

(k)  To constitute the State Board for Career Education or other structures as required by federal law.

(l)  To assist in the economic development of the state by developing a state-level planning process to identify future training needs for industry, especially high-technology industry.

(m)  To assist in the planning and economic development of the state by establishing a clearinghouse for information on educational programs of value to economic development.

(n)  To contract with independent institutions accredited by an agency holding membership in the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation for the provision of those educational programs and facilities which will meet needs unfulfilled by the state system of public postsecondary education.

(o)  To recommend that a district school board take action consistent with the state board's decision relating to an appeal of a charter school application.

History.--ss. 15, 31, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 1, ch. 75-19; s. 107, ch. 79-222; s. 2, ch. 81-162; s. 1, ch. 82-46; s. 3, ch. 82-180; s. 2, ch. 83-265; s. 6, ch. 84-94; ss. 1, 2, ch. 91-37; s. 2, ch. 91-55; s. 32, ch. 91-109; s. 5, ch. 91-429; s. 3, ch. 94-310; s. 3, ch. 95-411; s. 4, ch. 96-186; s. 84, ch. 97-190; s. 28, ch. 98-200.