House Bill hb1665c1

    Florida House of Representatives - 2002             CS/HB 1665

        By the Council for Lifelong Learning and Representative
    Ritter





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to charter schools; amending s.

  3         228.056, F.S.; revising provisions relating to

  4         the purpose of charter schools; revising

  5         provisions relating to compliance with the

  6         Florida Building Code; providing for compliance

  7         with the Life Safety Code; requiring charter

  8         schools to be classified as public schools for

  9         the purpose of zoning approval and the

10         assessment of certain fees; providing for

11         exemption from certain fees; providing

12         requirements for hearings and administrative

13         reviews; providing an effective date.

14

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

16

17         Section 1.  Subsection (2) and paragraph (c) of

18  subsection (17) of section 228.056, Florida Statutes, are

19  amended, and paragraph (d) is added to subsection (17) of said

20  section, to read:

21         228.056  Charter schools.--

22         (2)  PURPOSE.--The purpose of charter schools shall be

23  to:

24         (a)  Improve student learning.

25         (b)  Increase learning opportunities for all students,

26  with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for

27  students who are identified as academically low achieving.

28         (c)  Encourage the use of different and innovative

29  learning methods.

30         (d)  Increase choice of learning opportunities for

31  students.

                                  1

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002             CS/HB 1665

    400-126-02






  1         (e)  Establish a new form of accountability for

  2  schools.

  3         (f)  Require the measurement of learning outcomes and

  4  create innovative measurement tools.

  5         (g)  Make the school the unit for improvement.

  6         (h)  Create new professional opportunities for

  7  teachers, including the opportunity to own the learning

  8  program at the school site.

  9         (i)  Provide rigorous competition within the public

10  school district to stimulate continual improvement in all

11  public schools.

12         (j)  Provide additional academic choices for parents

13  and students.

14         (k)  Expand the capacity of the public school system.

15

16  Nothing in this subsection shall require an individual charter

17  school to comply with all of the purposes listed herein.

18         (17)  FACILITIES.--

19         (c)  After the Florida Building Code takes effect

20  January 1, 2001, a charter school facilities shall utilize

21  facilities that which comply with the Florida Building Code,

22  pursuant to chapter 553, and the Florida Fire Prevention Code

23  and the Life Safety Code, pursuant to chapter 633. The

24  facilities shall either comply with the requirements for

25  public educational facilities specified in the Florida

26  Building Code or shall be exempt from such requirements, in

27  which case the facilities shall comply with all other

28  requirements for educational occupancies specified in the

29  Florida Building Code. Facilities owned by or leased from a

30  district school board must comply with the requirements for

31

                                  2

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002             CS/HB 1665

    400-126-02






  1  public educational facilities specified in the Florida

  2  Building Code.

  3         (d)  Charter schools shall be classified as public

  4  schools for the purpose of zoning approval and the assessment

  5  of zoning fees, site plan fees, and development fees. Charter

  6  school facilities are exempt from assessment of fees for

  7  building permits, except as provided in s. 553.80, and impact

  8  fees or service availability fees. Municipalities and counties

  9  shall adopt procedures to ensure that hearings and

10  administrative reviews involving charter schools are scheduled

11  and conducted on an expedited basis and that charter schools

12  receive a final determination from the municipality or county

13  within 30 days after the beginning of a process that requires

14  only an administrative review and within 90 days after the

15  beginning of a process that requires a public hearing and

16  allows an appeal to a board of adjustment, city or town

17  council, or board of supervisors. No political subdivision of

18  this state may enact or interpret any law, rule, or ordinance

19  in a manner that conflicts with the provisions of this

20  paragraph.

21         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  3

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