House Bill 0367e4

                                          HB 367, Fourth Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to education; creating the

  3         "Florida Maximum Class Size Study Act";

  4         requiring school districts to reduce the

  5         teacher-to-student ratio in certain schools;

  6         requiring the Department of Education to

  7         conduct a study of the efficacy of class size

  8         reductions; providing legislative goals;

  9         amending s. 233.0612, F.S.; encouraging school

10         boards to install character-development

11         programs in elementary schools; providing an

12         effective 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 Study Act."

18         (2)  During school year 1998-1999, each school district

19  using funds provided in the 1998-1999 General Appropriations

20  Act for the purpose of class size reduction shall, in at least

21  one elementary school, reduce the teacher-to-student ratio to

22  one full-time equivalent teacher to 20 students in

23  kindergarten through grade three. In any district where there

24  is a critically low-performing elementary school as identified

25  by the Commissioner of Education, such school shall be

26  selected for inclusion in the program under this subsection in

27  preference to any other school in the district, and the ratio

28  to be achieved in such schools shall be one full-time

29  equivalent teacher to 15 students. In the case of a district

30  with more than one elementary school identified by the

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






                                          HB 367, Fourth Engrossed



  1  commissioner as critically low-performing, the selection of a

  2  school shall be performed by the district school board by lot.

  3         (3)  At the conclusion of the 1998-1999 school year,

  4  the Department of Education shall conduct a complete study of

  5  the efficacy of the reductions in class size provided for in

  6  subsection (2). The study shall involve all participating

  7  schools and shall be focused on obtaining verifiable data

  8  regarding the benefits of class size reduction in terms of

  9  student achievement and performance. Results of the study

10  shall be presented to the Governor, the President of the

11  Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the

12  minority leader of each house not later than January 1, 2000.

13         (4)  Beginning with school year 1998-1999, it shall be

14  the goal of the Legislature and each school district that each

15  elementary school in the school district beginning with

16  kindergarten through grade three class sizes not exceed 20

17  students, with a ratio of one full-time equivalent teacher per

18  20 students; except that only in the case of critically

19  low-performing schools as identified by the Commissioner of

20  Education, the goal in kindergarten through grade three shall

21  be a ratio of one full-time equivalent teacher per 15

22  students.  For purposes of any funding in the General

23  Appropriations Act to meet these goals, the district shall

24  give priority to identified critically low-performing schools

25  in the district.  Second priority for the use of any funds

26  designated for meeting these goals shall be for kindergarten

27  through grade one.  Third priority for the use of any funds

28  designated for meeting these goals shall be for grades two and

29  three.

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

31  Statutes, is amended to read:


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






                                          HB 367, Fourth Engrossed



  1         233.0612  Authorized instruction.--Each school district

  2  may provide students with programs and instruction at the

  3  appropriate grade levels in areas including, but not limited

  4  to, the following:

  5         (1)  Character development and law education. Each

  6  school board shall be encouraged to install in the elementary

  7  schools of the district a program in character development

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

  9  Character First! Education Series. The programs must be

10  secular in nature and stress such character qualities as

11  attentiveness, patience, and initiative.

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

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