Senate Bill 0904c1

    Florida Senate - 1998                            CS for SB 904

    By the Committee on Education and Senator Gutman





    304-1764-98

  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 for middle and

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

15  positively impact school attendance, student behavior, the

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

17  to advise students in the decisionmaking process with regard

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

19  assist students in the selection of a program of study

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

21  regarding career awareness and postsecondary educational

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

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

24  certified school counselors to result in a low student to

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

26  school.

27         Section 2.  Funding shall be awarded to school

28  districts through a process established and administered by

29  the Commissioner of Education. The commissioner may select

30  schools to receive the additional counselor grant allocation

31  based on high student to counselor ratios and any other

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






    Florida Senate - 1998                            CS for SB 904
    304-1764-98




  1  criteria that the school district deems appropriate in

  2  addressing students' educational, behavioral, and career

  3  goals.

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

  5  pilot program shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot program

  6  and provide a report with recommendations to the President of

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

  8  December 1, 2001.

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

10  year in which enacted.

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12          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
13                              SB 904

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15  The Committee Substitute differs from Senate Bill 904 in that
    it would restrict the pilot projects so that additional
16  counselors could be provided only to middle and high schools.

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