Senate Bill 0904

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



    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 904

    By Senator Gutman





    34-503A-98                                       See CS/HB 175

  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; providing for grant allocations;

  5         requiring an evaluation; providing an effective

  6         date.

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

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

11  program, contingent upon the provision of a specific

12  appropriation for this purpose, for school districts to

13  provide additional certified school counselors in the public

14  schools. In order to positively impact school attendance,

15  student behavior, the graduation rate, the school climate, and

16  parent involvement; to advise students in the decisionmaking

17  process with regard to a student's abilities, aptitudes, and

18  interests; to better assist students in the selection of a

19  program of study appropriate for a student's career goals; to

20  provide guidance regarding career awareness and postsecondary

21  educational options; and to help in the successful transition

22  to the world of work, this funding shall be used to hire

23  additional certified school counselors to result in a low

24  student to counselor ratio of no greater than 300 to 1 for an

25  individual school.

26         Section 2.  Funding shall be awarded to school

27  districts through a process established and administered by

28  the Commissioner of Education. The commissioner may select

29  schools to receive the additional counselor grant allocation

30  based on high student to counselor ratios and any other

31  criteria that the school district deems appropriate in

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






    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 904
    34-503A-98                                       See CS/HB 175




  1  addressing students' educational, behavioral, and career

  2  goals.

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

  4  pilot program shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot program

  5  and provide a report with recommendations to the President of

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

  7  December 1, 2001.

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

  9  year in which enacted.

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12                       LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY

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      Creates a 3-year pilot program to provide additional
14    counselors in the public schools, based on a ratio of
      counselors to students in the schools.  Requires
15    evaluation of the pilot program with recommendations to
      the Legislature.
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