Senate Bill sb1478
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1478
By Senator Wilson
43-1236-03
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to teacher salaries; creating
3 the Teacher Salary Incentive Program to provide
4 funding for improved salaries for instructional
5 personnel; providing eligibility for salary
6 increases; authorizing school districts to
7 establish additional criteria; requiring the
8 Department of Education to provide technical
9 assistance to school districts; authorizing the
10 department to adopt rules to administer the
11 program; providing an appropriation; providing
12 an effective date.
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14 WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that caring and
15 qualified public school teachers play a critical role in
16 preparing children and young adults for success in higher
17 education and in the workplace, and
18 WHEREAS, the Legislature further recognizes that
19 Florida's average teacher salary is significantly below the
20 national average, and that the State of Florida will need an
21 estimated 162,296 teachers over the next 10 years to address
22 the high turnover of new and retiring teachers, plus
23 additional teachers in order to comply with the amendment to
24 Section 1 of Article IX of the State Constitution, and
25 WHEREAS, it is therefore the intent of the Legislature
26 to provide funding for competitive salaries to help school
27 districts retain and recruit caring and qualified teachers in
28 the public schools, NOW, THEREFORE,
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30 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1478
43-1236-03
1 Section 1. Teacher Salary Improvement Program.--
2 (1) The Teacher Salary Improvement Program is created
3 to provide funding for improved salaries for instructional
4 personnel, as defined in section 1012.01, Florida Statutes, in
5 the K-12 public school system. For purposes of this section,
6 the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind shall be
7 considered a school district.
8 (2) The Department of Education shall distribute to
9 each school district an amount as prescribed annually by the
10 Legislature for the Teacher Salary Improvement Program. Unless
11 otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act, each
12 school district shall increase the salary of each member of
13 instructional personnel eligible pursuant to this section.
14 (a) Each member of instructional personnel who
15 received a satisfactory performance review, pursuant to
16 section 1012.34, Florida Statutes, during the previous school
17 year, and with whom the school district has entered into a
18 professional services contract during the current school year,
19 shall be eligible to receive a salary increase pursuant to
20 this section.
21 (b) A school district may establish additional
22 criteria in order to award funds allocated to the district for
23 purposes of this section.
24 (3) The Department of Education shall provide
25 technical assistance to any school district that requests
26 guidance regarding the implementation of this section.
27 (4) The Department of Education may adopt rules
28 pursuant to sections 120.536(1) and 120.54, Florida Statutes,
29 to administer this section.
30 Section 2. The sum of $192,150,200 is appropriated
31 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Education
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1478
43-1236-03
1 for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act
2 during the 2003-2004 fiscal year.
3 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.
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6 SENATE SUMMARY
7 Establishes the Teacher Salary Incentive Program to fund
an increase in salaries for instructional personnel in
8 the K-12 public school system. Requires that the
Department of Education provide technical assistance to
9 school districts and authorizes the department to adopt
rules to administer the program. Provides an
10 appropriation.
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