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
1
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
2
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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