House Bill 0175c2

    Florida House of Representatives - 1998           CS/CS/HB 175

        By the Committees on Education Appropriations, Education
    Innovation and Representatives Rodriguez-Chomat and D. Prewitt





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to education; creating a pilot

  3         program to increase the number of school

  4         counselors, contingent upon an appropriation;

  5         providing for grant allocations; requiring an

  6         evaluation and report; providing an effective

  7         date.

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

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11         Section 1.  There is hereby created a 3-year pilot

12  program, contingent upon the provision of a specific

13  appropriation for this purpose, for school districts to

14  provide additional certified school counselors for middle and

15  high school students in the public schools. In order to

16  positively impact school attendance, student behavior, the

17  graduation rate, the school climate, and parent involvement;

18  to advise students in the decisionmaking process with regard

19  to a student's abilities, aptitudes, and interests; to better

20  assist students in the selection of a program of study

21  appropriate for a student's career goals; to provide guidance

22  regarding career awareness and postsecondary educational

23  options; and to help in the successful transition to the world

24  of work, this funding shall be used to hire additional

25  certified school counselors to result in a low student to

26  counselor ratio of no greater than 300 to 1 for an individual

27  school.

28         Section 2.  Funding shall be awarded to school

29  districts through a process established and administered by

30  the Commissioner of Education. The commissioner may select

31  schools to receive the additional counselor grant allocation

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998           CS/CS/HB 175

    609-102-98






  1  based on high student to counselor ratios and any other

  2  criteria that the school district deems appropriate in

  3  addressing students' educational, behavioral, and career

  4  goals.

  5         Section 3.  A school district involved in the 3-year

  6  pilot program shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot program

  7  and provide a report with recommendations to the President of

  8  the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by

  9  December 1, 2001.

10         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1 of the

11  year in which enacted.

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