House Bill 0189

    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                 HB 189

        By Representative Rayson






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to class size; amending s.

  3         236.687, F.S., requiring the Legislature to

  4         annually appropriate to the Department of

  5         Education an amount sufficient to reduce the

  6         class size of all kindergarten through grade

  7         three classes to twenty students per full-time

  8         equivalent teacher; providing an effective

  9         date.

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

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13         Section 1.  Subsections (1) and (4) of section 236.687,

14  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

15         236.687  Florida Maximum Class Size Study Act.--

16         (1)  This section may be cited as the "Florida Maximum

17  Class Size Study Act."

18         (4)  Beginning with school year 1998-1999, it shall be

19  the goal of the Legislature and each school district that each

20  elementary school in the school district beginning with

21  kindergarten through grade three class sizes not exceed 20

22  students, with a ratio of one full-time equivalent teacher per

23  20 students; except that only in the case of critically

24  low-performing schools as identified by the Commissioner of

25  Education, the goal in kindergarten through grade three shall

26  be a ratio of one full-time equivalent teacher per 15

27  students. Beginning with the 2000-2001 fiscal year, the

28  Legislature shall annually appropriate to the Department of

29  Education an amount from the General Revenue Fund sufficient

30  to reduce the class size of all kindergarten through grade

31  three classes to twenty students per full-time equivalent

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                 HB 189

    288-209A-00






  1  teacher. For purposes of any funding in the General

  2  Appropriations Act to meet these goals, the district shall

  3  give priority to identified critically low-performing schools

  4  in the district.  Second priority for the use of any funds

  5  designated for meeting these goals shall be for kindergarten

  6  through grade one.  Third priority for the use of any funds

  7  designated for meeting these goals shall be for grades two and

  8  three.

  9         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

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12                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Requires the Legislature to annually appropriate to the
14    Department of Education an amount sufficient to reduce
      the class size of all kindergarten through grade three
15    classes to twenty students per full-time equivalent
      teacher.
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