House Bill 0995

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                 HB 995

        By Representative Farkas






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to teacher recruitment and

  3         retention; creating provisions relating to

  4         financial incentives to promote teacher

  5         recruitment and retention; requiring the

  6         Department of Education to award funds for

  7         tuition reimbursement to certain instructional

  8         personnel; requiring the department to award

  9         financial bonuses to certain instructional

10         personnel; prohibiting funds awarded pursuant

11         to this act from being included in calculations

12         of retirement benefits; requiring an

13         appropriation; amending s. 231.173, F.S.;

14         revising requirements for the certification of

15         out-of-state teachers; revising requirements

16         for specialization coverages for out-of-state

17         teachers; providing an effective date.

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

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21         Section 1.  Teacher recruitment and retention;

22  financial incentives.--

23         (1)  The Department of Education shall award a tuition

24  reimbursement in the amount of $5,000 after the 3rd and 5th

25  years of employment in a Florida public school to those

26  instructional personnel hired after July 1, 1999, who have not

27  been employed by a district school board during the 5-year

28  period preceding such employment.

29         (2)  The Department of Education shall award financial

30  bonuses to instructional personnel according to the following

31  schedule:

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                 HB 995

    728-112A-00






  1         (a)  At the end of the 10th year of teaching in a

  2  Florida public school, a bonus of 7 percent of that employee's

  3  base salary for the previous year.

  4         (b)  At the end of the 15th, 20th, 25th, and 30th years

  5  of teaching in a Florida public school, bonuses of 10 percent

  6  of the employee's base salary for the previous year.

  7         (3)  Financial incentives awarded pursuant to this act

  8  shall not be included in any calculation of retirement

  9  benefits.

10         (4)  The Legislature shall annually appropriate to the

11  Department of Education in the General Appropriations Act,

12  based upon the legislative budget request of the department,

13  an amount sufficient to carry out the provisions of this act.

14         Section 2.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) and

15  paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section 231.173, Florida

16  Statutes, are amended to read:

17         231.173  Successful experienced out-of-state teachers

18  and administrators.--

19         (1)  Notwithstanding the provisions of ss. 231.02,

20  231.15, and 231.17 or any other provision of law or rule to

21  the contrary, a successful, experienced, out-of-state teacher

22  or administrator qualifies for a professional certificate if

23  the applicant:

24         (c)  Documents 2 5 years of appropriate successful

25  full-time teaching or administrative experience in another

26  state, including 2 continuous years during the 10-year 5-year

27  period immediately preceding the date of application for

28  certification.

29         (3)  The professional certificate issued in accordance

30  with subsection (1) shall reflect specialization coverages as

31  follows:

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                 HB 995

    728-112A-00






  1         (a)  Teachers.--An applicant shall be eligible for

  2  specialization the academic coverage in an area in which the

  3  teacher is assigned to teach in a public school or nonpublic

  4  school in this state or in the area or areas of specialization

  5  of the applicant's certification by the National Board of

  6  Professional Teaching Standards, or in which the applicant

  7  demonstrates professional competence according to the

  8  provisions of ss. 231.15(1) and 231.17(7).

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

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12                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Requires the Department of Education to award funds to
14    certain instructional personnel for tuition reimbursement
      and salary bonuses. Prohibits funds awarded pursuant to
15    this act from being included in calculations of
      retirement benefits. Requires an appropriation. Revises
16    requirements for certification and area of specialization
      coverage for out-of-state teachers.
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