Senate Bill 2358
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Florida Senate - 1999 SB 2358
By Senator Jones
40-1213-99
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to teacher resource and
3 computer training centers; providing
4 definitions; providing purposes of such
5 centers; providing application procedures;
6 providing for review and approval by the
7 Commissioner of Education; providing for the
8 commissioner to establish criteria and
9 standards for evaluating applications;
10 providing for contracts with institutions of
11 higher education; providing for a board to
12 administer each teacher training center;
13 providing for the composition of the board;
14 providing powers and duties of the boards;
15 requiring teacher training centers to provide
16 data to the commissioner; requiring the
17 commissioner to submit an annual report to the
18 Governor and the Legislature; providing an
19 effective date.
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21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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23 Section 1. Teacher training centers.--
24 (1) As used in this section, the term:
25 (a) "Site" means the location or locations at which
26 the curriculum development and training activities of a
27 teacher training center take place.
28 (b) "Teacher training center" or "teacher resource and
29 computer training center" means any site operated by a school
30 district, a board of cooperative educational services, or a
31 consortium of school districts or boards of cooperative
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Florida Senate - 1999 SB 2358
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1 education services, or both, which is specifically established
2 under this section to provide professional support services to
3 teachers in this state in order to:
4 1. Help teachers to diagnose learning needs,
5 experiment with the use of multiple instructional approaches,
6 to assess student outcomes, to assess staff development needs
7 and plans, and to train other school personnel in effective
8 pedagogical approaches;
9 2. Provide demonstration and training sites where
10 teachers are trained specifically in the use of computers as
11 teaching aids, the criteria for school acquisition and use of
12 computer equipment and software, and the evaluation of
13 computer-related materials;
14 3. Develop and produce curricula and curricular
15 materials designed to meet the educational needs of students
16 through the application of educational research or new or
17 improved methods, practices, and techniques;
18 4. Provide training to improve the skills of teachers
19 in order to enable the teachers to meet the special
20 educational needs of the students they serve and to
21 familiarize the teachers with developments in curriculum
22 formulation and educational research, including how to use the
23 research to improve teaching skills;
24 5. Provide a location where teachers may share
25 resources, ideas, methods, and approaches directly related to
26 classroom instruction and become familiar with current
27 teaching materials and products for use in their classrooms;
28 and
29 6. Retrain teachers and other education personnel so
30 that they become better qualified to teach in subject areas
31 necessary to prepare students for the developing
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Florida Senate - 1999 SB 2358
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1 high-technology era, in the disciplines of mathematics,
2 science, and computer technology.
3 (2) In order to provide the school districts and
4 teachers of the state with an opportunity to develop
5 systematic, ongoing inservice training programs, assure the
6 dissemination and application of educational research
7 developments to classroom instruction, and develop new
8 curricula and curricular materials specifically designed to
9 meet the educational needs of the students served, the
10 Commissioner of Education shall, within available state
11 appropriations and subject to the procedures established in
12 this section, provide to school districts and boards of
13 cooperative educational services funds to be used in planning,
14 establishing, and operating teacher resource and computer
15 training centers. A school district or board of cooperative
16 educational services may apply for these funds in accordance
17 with this section and rules adopted by the Commissioner of
18 Education.
19 (3)(a) Each applicant for funding under this section
20 shall submit, on a form prescribed by the Commissioner of
21 Education, a proposal to plan, establish, and operate a
22 teacher resource and computer training center that has been
23 approved by the district board of education or board of
24 cooperative educational services submitting the application or
25 by each such board of a consortium submitting the application.
26 (b) Each application must:
27 1. Comply with state education laws.
28 2. State the extent of participation by the center's
29 board in the preparation of the application.
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Florida Senate - 1999 SB 2358
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1 3. Indicate the existence of formally established
2 policies to guide the work of the board in an effective and
3 efficient manner.
4 4. Outline the extent to which activities or planned
5 activities fit one or more of the purposes set forth in law.
6 5. Describe the strength of linkages with institutions
7 of higher education and with other cultural and educational
8 institutions that have learning-technology inservice capacity.
9 6. Document the adequacy of the qualifications and
10 experience of the staff operating the center.
11 7. Document the adequacy of the resources and
12 facilities for carrying out the proposed activities.
13 8. Demonstrate the reasonableness of the proposed cost
14 in relation to the expected outcomes.
15 9. Describe the degree to which the center's
16 activities are coordinated with and support the applicant's
17 annual staff development program.
18 (c) Each such application must be reviewed and
19 approved by the Commissioner of Education. If the original
20 application of a school district, board of cooperative
21 educational services, or consortium is rejected, that entity
22 may submit a revised application for further review.
23 Notwithstanding any other provisions to the contrary, an
24 application to continue a teacher resource center that was in
25 operation before the effective date of this act is not
26 affected by this act.
27 (4)(a) The Commissioner of Education shall establish
28 criteria and standards by which applications must be
29 evaluated. These criteria and standards must include
30 provisions for furnishing technical assistance and information
31 provided by the department through the facilities of the
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Florida Senate - 1999 SB 2358
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1 proposed teacher training center; however, such criteria and
2 standards must be consistent with applicable federal
3 regulations.
4 (b) In evaluating applications submitted under this
5 section, the commissioner may consider the distribution of
6 teacher training centers on a regional basis so that access to
7 such centers is available on a wide geographical basis.
8 (5) Any school district, board of cooperative
9 educational services, or consortium having an application
10 approved under this section may collaborate, consult, and
11 contract with an approved institution of higher education in
12 this state to carry out activities under or provide technical
13 assistance in connection with the application.
14 (6) Each teacher training center shall be operated by
15 a board, the majority of which is composed of elementary and
16 secondary school teachers representative of teachers served by
17 the training center. The board must also include individuals
18 designated by the school board or board of cooperative
19 educational services served by the center and at least one
20 representative designated by the institutions of higher
21 education located in the area served by the center. The board
22 must also include at least one parent of an elementary or
23 secondary student and at least one representative of a
24 business or industry.
25 (7) The powers and duties of each teacher training
26 center board include policy formulation, the employment of
27 staff or consultants, budget control and expenditure of funds
28 to accomplish the purposes of this section, making
29 recommendations for subcontracting to secure technical and
30 other kinds of assistance, and the provision of any other
31 appropriate managerial or supervisory activities not otherwise
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Florida Senate - 1999 SB 2358
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1 prohibited by state or local law or regulations of the
2 Commissioner of Education.
3 (8) Teacher resource and computer training centers
4 shall provide data annually as prescribed by the Commissioner
5 of Education. The commissioner shall submit a report on the
6 use of these funds to the Governor and the Legislature by
7 March 1, 2000, and annually thereafter by March 1.
8 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.
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11 SENATE SUMMARY
12 Provides for the creation of teacher resource and
computer training centers, or teacher training centers,
13 to be operated by a school district, a board of
cooperative educational services, or a consortium of
14 school districts or boards of cooperative education
services. (See bill for details.)
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