Senate Bill 1374c1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.



    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1374

    By the Committee on Education and Senator Campbell





    304-2195A-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to education; creating the

  3         "Florida Maximum Class Size Goals Act";

  4         providing intent; providing goals relating to

  5         class size in certain grade levels; providing

  6         for funding; providing for review of statutory

  7         mandates; requiring annual reports and a study

  8         based on class size reductions; amending s.

  9         233.0612, F.S.; encouraging school boards to

10         install character-development programs in

11         elementary schools; providing an effective

12         date.

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14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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16         Section 1.  (1)  This section may be cited as the

17  "Florida Maximum Class Size Goals Act."

18         (2)  The Legislature finds that class size, especially

19  in the primary grades, is a major factor in the ability of

20  students to learn and of classroom teachers to teach.  It is,

21  therefore, the intent of the Legislature to establish class

22  size standards that will promote educational success.

23         (3)  It shall be the goal of the Legislature and each

24  school district that each elementary school in the school

25  district beginning with kindergarten in the 1998-1999 school

26  year, for kindergarten and grade level one in the 1999-2000

27  school year, for kindergarten and grade levels one and two in

28  the 2000-2001 school year, and for kindergarten and grade

29  levels one, two, and three in the 2001-2002 school year, class

30  sizes shall not exceed a ratio of one full-time-equivalent

31  teacher per 20 students.  For the purposes of this act, class

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1374
    304-2195A-98




  1  sizes that exceed 20 students meet the goal if, for every ten

  2  students above a base of 20 students, there is at least one

  3  full-time-equivalent teacher aide in the classroom for the

  4  same number of hours as the students.

  5         (4)  Each school district shall implement the goals in

  6  this section to the extent funds are provided through the

  7  General Appropriations Act.

  8         (5)  Beginning January 1, 1999, and each year

  9  thereafter, the Department of Education shall report to the

10  President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of

11  Representatives school district expenditures and class size

12  reductions as a result of this act.

13         (6)  The Department of Education shall provide for a

14  longitudinal study of the benefits to students and the impact

15  on student achievement of small class size based on reductions

16  in class size for the 1998-1999 school year, as a result of an

17  appropriation for such purpose, and for the 1999-2000,

18  2000-2001, and 2001-2002 school years, as a result of

19  implementation of this act. The results of the study shall be

20  reported to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the

21  House of Representatives by December 1, 2002.

22         Section 2.  Subsection (1) of section 233.0612, Florida

23  Statutes, is amended to read:

24         233.0612  Authorized instruction.--Each school district

25  may provide students with programs and instruction at the

26  appropriate grade levels in areas including, but not limited

27  to, the following:

28         (1)  Character development and law education. Each

29  school board shall be encouraged to install in the elementary

30  schools of the district a program in character development

31  which is the same as or similar to the Character Counts or

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1374
    304-2195A-98




  1  Character First! Education Series. The programs must be

  2  secular in nature and stress such character qualities as

  3  attentiveness, patience, and initiative.

  4         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1998.

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  6          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
  7                             SB 1374

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  9  The committee substitute differs from SB 1374 in that school
    districts are encouraged to install character development
10  programs in elementary schools.

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