House Bill 1917c1

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999             CS/HB 1917

        By the Committee on Governmental Rules & Regulations and
    Representative Ryan





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to teacher training centers;

  3         creating s. 231.6015, F.S., relating to teacher

  4         training centers; providing legislative intent;

  5         defining terms; establishing procedures for

  6         center approval; providing for funding;

  7         requiring each teacher training center to be

  8         operated by a board of directors; providing

  9         membership requirements and duties; requiring

10         the adoption of rules; requiring an annual

11         report; providing an effective date.

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

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15         Section 1.  Section 231.6015, Florida Statutes, is

16  created to read:

17         231.6015  Teacher training centers.--In order to

18  provide the school districts and teachers of the state with an

19  opportunity to develop systematic, ongoing inservice training

20  programs, to assure the dissemination and application of

21  educational research developments to classroom instruction,

22  and to develop new curricula and curricular materials

23  specifically designed to meet the educational needs of the

24  students served, the Commissioner of Education shall, from

25  funds appropriated for this purpose and subject to the

26  procedures established in this section, provide funds to

27  school boards to plan, establish, and operate teacher training

28  centers.

29         (1)  As used in this section, the term:

30         (a)  "Teacher training center" means any site

31  established by a school board, or consortium of school boards,

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999             CS/HB 1917

    607-114-99






  1  pursuant to this section to provide professional support

  2  services to teachers within the state in order to:

  3         1.  Assist teachers in diagnosing learning needs,

  4  experimenting with the use of multiple instructional

  5  approaches, assessing student outcomes, assessing staff

  6  development needs and plans, and training other school

  7  personnel in effective pedagogical approaches.

  8         2.  Provide demonstration and training sites where

  9  instructional personnel are trained specifically in the use of

10  computers as teaching aides and as delivery systems.

11         3.  Develop and produce curricula and curricular

12  material designed to meet the educational needs of the

13  students being served through the application of educational

14  research, and new or improved teaching methods, practices, and

15  techniques.

16         4.  Provide training to enable teachers to improve

17  skills in order to meet the educational needs of the pupils

18  they serve.

19         5.  Provide a location for collaboration and the

20  sharing of resources, ideas, methods, and approaches related

21  to classroom instruction and management.

22         6.  Retrain teachers and other education personnel to

23  become better qualified to teach in rapidly evolving, high

24  technology disciplines including mathematics, science, and

25  computer technology.

26         (b)  "Site" means the location or locations where the

27  curriculum development and training activities of the teacher

28  training center take place.

29         (2)  Pursuant to this section and State Board of

30  Education rule, any school board, or consortium of school

31  boards, requesting funds for the planning, establishment, or

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999             CS/HB 1917

    607-114-99






  1  operation of a teacher training center shall apply to the

  2  Commissioner of Education. The State Board of Education shall

  3  adopt rules which establish criteria and standards by which

  4  each application shall be evaluated which shall be limited to

  5  the following:

  6         (a)  Compliance with requirements set forth in law.

  7         (b)  The extent of participation by the teacher

  8  training center board in the preparation of the application.

  9         (c)  The strength of linkages with institutions of

10  higher education and with other cultural and educational

11  institutions which provide learning technology inservice

12  training.

13         (d)  Whether the proposed cost is reasonable in

14  relation to expected outcomes.

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16  The commissioner shall review each application and recommend

17  to the state board the approval of those centers meeting the

18  requirements of this section; however, the regional

19  distribution of sites may be considered as a factor in

20  recommendation for approval. Based on the recommendations of

21  the commissioner, the state board shall approve the

22  establishment of teacher training centers. The state board

23  must notify the applicant of reasons for denial of an

24  application. A school district may submit a revised

25  application for further consideration by the commissioner and

26  the state board.

27         (3)  The State Board of Education shall provide funding

28  for the planning, establishment, or operation of a teacher

29  training center to each school board, or consortium of school

30  boards, whose application is approved according to subsection

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999             CS/HB 1917

    607-114-99






  1  (2), to the extent specifically provided annually by the

  2  Legislature in the General Appropriations Act.

  3         (4)  Each teacher training center shall be operated by

  4  a board of directors, the powers and duties of which shall

  5  include conducting training needs assessments; formulating

  6  policy; employing a center director and staff or consultants;

  7  conducting training activities including workshops, seminars,

  8  and teacher "exchanges"; developing a budget and controlling

  9  the expenditure of funds; making recommendations for

10  subcontracting to secure technical and other kinds of

11  assistance; and managing and supervising the activities of the

12  teacher training center. Each board must include:

13         (a)  A majority of members who are elementary and

14  secondary school teachers representative of teachers served by

15  the training center.

16         (b)  Individuals designated by the school board.

17         (c)  At least one individual designated by the

18  institutions of higher education located in the area served by

19  the center.

20         (d)  At least one parent of an elementary or secondary

21  pupil.

22         (e)  At least one representative of a business or

23  industry.

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25  The board of directors shall elect a chairperson from its

26  membership by majority vote.

27         (5)  By January 1, annually, the board of directors of

28  each teacher training center shall submit to the Commissioner

29  of Education a report which includes a summary of the

30  activities of the teacher training center and an evaluation of

31  the effectiveness of these activities in providing

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999             CS/HB 1917

    607-114-99






  1  high-quality, cost-effective inservice professional

  2  development.

  3         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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