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





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1574

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
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11  Senator Horne moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         On page 28, between lines 11 and 12,

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16  insert:

17         Section 3.  Section 228.0581, Florida Statutes, is

18  created to read:

19         228.0581  Conversion charter school pilot program.--

20         (1)  The conversion charter school pilot program is

21  hereby established with the intent to provide incentives for

22  local school districts to approve conversion charter schools.

23         (2)  The conversion charter school pilot program shall

24  be a statewide pilot program in which 10 schools shall be

25  selected based on a competitive application process in

26  accordance with this section.

27         (3)  The purpose of the pilot program is to produce

28  significant improvements in student achievement and school

29  management, to encourage and measure the use of innovative

30  learning methods, and to make the school the unit for

31  improvement.

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1574

    Amendment No.    





 1         (4)  Each school principal or a majority of the parents

 2  of students attending the school, a majority of the school's

 3  teachers, or a majority of the members of the school advisory

 4  council, may apply to the school district to participate in

 5  this pilot program on forms which shall be provided by the

 6  Department of Education. The forms shall include

 7  acknowledgement by the principal of applicable provisions of

 8  ss. 228.056 and 228.0561. For purposes of this paragraph, "a

 9  majority of the parents of students attending the school"

10  means more than 50 percent of the parents voting whose

11  children are enrolled at the school, provided that a majority

12  of the parents eligible to vote participate in the ballot

13  process; and "a majority of the school's teachers" means more

14  than 50 percent of the teachers employed at the school,

15  according to procedures established by rule of the State Board

16  of Education pursuant to s. 228.056(3).

17         (5)  A person or group who has applied to participate

18  in the pilot program created by this section, pursuant to

19  subsection (4), shall not be subject to an unlawful reprisal,

20  as defined by s. 228.056(3)(b), as a consequence of such

21  application.  The procedures established by s. 228.056(3)

22  shall apply to any alleged unlawful reprisal which occurs as a

23  consequence of such application.

24         (6)  A district school board shall receive and review

25  all applications by principals, parents, teachers, or school

26  advisory council members to participate in the pilot project;

27  shall select the best applications; and shall submit these

28  applications, together with the district school board's letter

29  of endorsement and commitment of support and cooperation

30  toward the success of program implementation, for review by

31  the statewide selection panel established pursuant to

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1574

    Amendment No.    





 1  subsection (7).

 2         (7)  A conversion charter school pilot program

 3  statewide selection panel is established. The panel shall be

 4  comprised of the following nine members who are not elected

 5  public officials:

 6         (a)  Three members shall be appointed by the Governor.

 7         (b)  Two members shall be appointed by the Commissioner

 8  of Education.

 9         (c)  Two members shall be appointed by the President of

10  the Senate.

11         (d)  Two members shall be appointed by the Speaker of

12  the House of Representatives.

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14  The panel shall review the conversion charter school pilot

15  program applications submitted by the district school boards

16  and shall select the 10 applications which the panel deems

17  best comply with the purpose of the program pursuant to

18  subsection (3).

19         (8)  Each district school board in which there is a

20  school selected by the statewide panel for participation in

21  the pilot program shall receive a grant for the 2001-2002

22  school year as follows, or as otherwise specified in the

23  General Appropriations Act:

24         (a)  One hundred thousand dollars for planning and

25  development for each conversion charter school selected; and

26         (b)1.  Eighty thousand dollars for each conversion

27  charter school selected with 500 or fewer students;

28         2.  One hundred thousand dollars for each conversion

29  charter school selected with more than 500 but fewer than

30  1,001 students; or

31         3.  One hundred twenty thousand dollars for each

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1574

    Amendment No.    





 1  conversion charter school selected with more than 1,000

 2  students.

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 4  The Commissioner of Education is authorized to reduce the

 5  district's 2002-2003 FEFP funding entitlement by the amount of

 6  the grant awarded under this subsection if he or she

 7  determines that the district has failed to comply with its

 8  letter of endorsement and commitment of support and

 9  cooperation submitted under subsection (6).

10         (9)  Each conversion charter school selected for

11  participation in the pilot program shall make annual progress

12  reports to the district school board and the Commissioner of

13  Education detailing the school's progress in achieving the

14  purpose of the program as described in subsection (3).

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16  (Redesignate subsequent sections.)

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19  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

20  And the title is amended as follows:

21         On page 1, line 13, after the semicolon,

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23  insert:

24         creating s. 228.0581, F.S.; establishing a

25         statewide conversion charter school pilot

26         program; providing intent and purpose;

27         providing for application for participation in

28         the pilot program by school principals,

29         parents, teachers, or school advisory council

30         members; prohibiting unlawful reprisals as a

31         result of applying to participate in the pilot

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1574

    Amendment No.    





 1         program; providing procedures for reviewing and

 2         deciding alleged unlawful reprisals; providing

 3         requirements for district school boards;

 4         establishing a program selection panel and

 5         providing membership and duties; authorizing

 6         grants to participating districts and

 7         reductions in funding for violations of

 8         requirements; requiring annual progress

 9         reports;

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