House Bill 1673c1

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







    Florida House of Representatives - 2000             CS/HB 1673

        By the Committee on Community Colleges & Career Prep and
    Representatives Wise and Casey





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to adult workforce development

  3         education; creating s. 239.214, F.S.; creating

  4         the "Workforce Development Education

  5         Unification Act of 2000"; providing a short

  6         title; providing legislative intent; requiring

  7         a formal agreement and implementation plan

  8         between community colleges and district school

  9         boards; establishing an independent panel;

10         providing for the transfer of all public adult

11         workforce development programs and area

12         technical centers from school districts to

13         community colleges; providing for the transfer

14         of educational plants and related equipment;

15         providing for the transfer of staff; requiring

16         an analysis; requiring the Division of

17         Community Colleges to recommend necessary

18         statutory revisions to the Legislature;

19         providing an effective date.

20

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

22

23         Section 1.  Section 239.214, Florida Statutes, is

24  created to read:

25         239.214  Workforce development education.--

26         (1)  SHORT TITLE.--This act may be cited as the

27  "Workforce Development Education Unification Act of 2000."

28         (2)  LEGISLATIVE INTENT.--It is the intent of the

29  Legislature to unify and consolidate the delivery of adult

30  workforce development education programs to accomplish the

31  following state-level priorities:

                                  1

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000             CS/HB 1673

    613-131-00






  1         (a)  Focus public schools on the mission of educating

  2  K-12 students.

  3         (b)  Strengthen secondary vocational education programs

  4  that prepare students for postsecondary workforce development

  5  education opportunities.

  6         (c)  Eliminate duplicative adult workforce development

  7  education programs and services.

  8         (d)  Reduce administrative costs associated with the

  9  delivery of adult workforce development education.

10         (e)  Identify single points of entry for businesses and

11  students for workforce development certificate, adult

12  education, and continuing workforce education.

13         (f)  Provide one point of accountability relating to

14  return on the investment of public dollars.

15         (g)  Minimize waste by maximizing the transfer of

16  credit hours without jeopardizing institutional accreditation.

17         (h)  Unify facilities' planning, funding, and

18  construction.

19         (3)  FORMAL AGREEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN;

20  INDEPENDENT PANEL.--By July 1, 2002, a formal agreement and

21  implementation plan must exist between every local community

22  college board of trustees and affected school board that

23  defines the governance and delivery of workforce development

24  programs. If such an agreement is not formally adopted by July

25  1, 2002, an independent panel shall convene to develop and

26  implement an agreement. The panel shall be comprised of a

27  school board member, a district school superintendent, a

28  member of a community college board of trustees, and a member

29  of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. The respective statewide

30  organizations shall make the appointments within 60 days after

31

                                  2

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000             CS/HB 1673

    613-131-00






  1  the implementation of this law. These four members shall then

  2  select a fifth member to serve on the panel.

  3         (4)  TRANSFER OF EXISTING ADULT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

  4  PROGRAMS.--All public adult workforce development programs and

  5  all area technical centers shall be transferred to community

  6  colleges effective July 1, 2002, at which time:

  7         (a)  Responsibility for the provision of all public

  8  adult workforce development education will be shifted from the

  9  school district to the community college in whose service area

10  the adult workforce development education program is located.

11         (b)  School districts will be responsible for the

12  provision of secondary vocational education and community

13  colleges will be responsible for the provision of public adult

14  workforce development education.

15         (c)  The community college shall be responsible for

16  maintaining all standards necessary to continue current

17  certification and accreditation of transferred adult workforce

18  development education programs until such time as the programs

19  are discontinued.

20         (d)  Area technical center and adult vocational program

21  educational facilities or educational plants, as defined in s.

22  235.011(6) and (7), and related equipment, which are owned by

23  the state and paid for with only state funds, shall be

24  transferred to the community college in whose service area the

25  area technical center is located. If a facility or educational

26  plant is used for purposes in addition to adult vocational

27  education, an independent panel shall mediate the transfer or

28  the development and implementation of a suitable and equitable

29  multiuse arrangement between the local district school board

30  and the community college board of trustees.

31

                                  3

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000             CS/HB 1673

    613-131-00






  1         (e)  Area technical center and adult vocational program

  2  educational facilities or educational plants, as defined in s.

  3  235.011(6) and (7), and related equipment, which are owned by

  4  the school district and paid for in whole or in part with

  5  local tax funds shall be leased to the community college in

  6  whose service area the area technical center is located.

  7  However, if such adult vocational program facility or

  8  educational plant, or part of such facility or plant, is used

  9  for other purposes in addition to adult vocational education,

10  an independent panel shall mediate a suitable and equitable

11  lease agreement between the local school board and the

12  community college board of trustees. If a school district and

13  a community college cannot agree on the terms and conditions

14  of the lease agreement, an independent panel shall finalize

15  the agreement and report its decision to the Legislature.

16         (f)  Notwithstanding s. 240.335, the community college

17  board of trustees shall provide for school district area

18  technical center or adult vocational center staff employed in

19  full-time budgeted positions to be transferred into the

20  community college personnel system at the same rate of salary.

21  Retirement provisions shall be transferred according to law.

22  In transferring staff from school districts to the community

23  college, the community college shall make every effort

24  possible to place current school district adult vocational

25  center staff in the community college and to assist such staff

26  in acquiring training and certification necessary to be

27  employed in the community college's adult vocational education

28  programs.

29         (5)  ANALYSIS.--By December 31, 2000, the Bureau of

30  Educational Facilities of the Department of Education, in

31  collaboration with the Department of Management Services,

                                  4

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000             CS/HB 1673

    613-131-00






  1  shall conduct an analysis to determine the amount of local tax

  2  contribution used in the construction of a

  3  school-district-owned area technical center, other adult

  4  vocational center, or other educational plant affected by the

  5  transfer.  The local community college district board of

  6  trustees may make a legislative budget request through the

  7  State Board of Community Colleges to purchase the area

  8  technical center facility or educational plant, or the

  9  community college may continue to lease the facility from the

10  local school district.

11         Section 2.  No later than January 1, 2001, the Division

12  of Community Colleges shall submit to the President of the

13  Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the

14  chairs of the appropriate substantive committees recommended

15  statutory revisions necessary to carry out the provisions of

16  this act.

17         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  5