HJR 1571 2003
1	CHAMBER ACTION
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6	The Committee on Education K-20 recommends the following:
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8	Committee Substitute
9	Remove the entire bill and insert:
10	House Joint Resolution
11	A joint resolution proposing an amendment to Section 1 of
12	Article IX of the State Constitution to require class size
13	reduction only in prekindergarten through grade 3.
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15	Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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17	That the amendment to Section 1 of Article IX of the State
18	Constitution set forth below is agreed to and shall be submitted
19	to the electors of Florida for approval or rejection at the
20	general election to be held in November 2004:
21	ARTICLE IX
22	EDUCATION
23	SECTION 1. Public education.--
24	(a) The education of children is a fundamental value of
25	the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a
26	paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the
27	education of all children residing within its borders. Adequate
28	provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe,
29	secure, and high quality system of free public schools that
30	allows students to obtain a high quality education and for the
31	establishment, maintenance, and operation of institutions of
32	higher learning and other public education programs that the
33	needs of the people may require. To assure that children
34	attending public schools obtain a high quality education, the
35	legislature shall make adequate provision to ensure that, by the
36	beginning of the 2010 school year, there are a sufficient number
37	of classrooms so that:
38	(1)the maximum number of students who are assigned to
39	each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
40	prekindergarten through grade 3 does not exceed 18 students;
41	(2) The maximum number of students who are assigned to
42	each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
43	grades 4 through 8 does not exceed 22 students; and
44	(3) The maximum number of students who are assigned to
45	each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
46	grades 9 through 12 does not exceed 25 students.
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48	The class size requirements of this subsection do not apply to
49	extracurricular classes. Payment of the costs associated with
50	reducing class size to meet these requirements is the
51	responsibility of the state and not of local schools districts.
52	Beginning with the 2003-2004 fiscal year, the legislature shall
53	provide sufficient funds to reduce the average number of
54	students in each classroom by at least two students per year
55	until the maximum number of students per classroom does not
56	exceed the requirements of this subsection.
57	(b) Every four-year-old child in Florida shall be provided
58	by the State a high quality pre-kindergarten learning
59	opportunity in the form of an early childhood development and
60	education program which shall be voluntary, high quality, free,
61	and delivered according to professionally accepted standards. An
62	early childhood development and education program means an
63	organized program designed to address and enhance each child's
64	ability to make age appropriate progress in an appropriate range
65	of settings in the development of language and cognitive
66	capabilities and emotional, social, regulatory and moral
67	capacities through education in basic skills and such other
68	skills as the Legislature may determine to be appropriate.
69	(c) The early childhood education and development programs
70	provided by reason of subparagraph (b) shall be implemented no
71	later than the beginning of the 2005 school year through funds
72	generated in addition to those used for existing education,
73	health, and development programs. Existing education, health,
74	and development programs are those funded by the State as of
75	January 1, 2002 that provided for child or adult education,
76	health care, or development.
77	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the title and substance of the
78	amendment proposed herein shall appear on the ballot as follows:
79	FOCUSED CLASS SIZE REDUCTION
80	FOR PREKINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD GRADE
81	Proposes an amendment to Section 1 of Article IX of the
82	State Constitution to continue the class size reduction in
83	prekindergarten through grade 3 adopted in the 2002 general
84	election for public schools, but eliminates the class size
85	reduction requirements in grades 4 through 12.