HB 0193 2003
1	CHAMBER ACTION
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6	Committee on Education K-20 recommends the following:
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8	Committee Substitute
9	Remove the entire bill and insert:
10	A bill to be entitled
11	An act relating to school readiness; providing legislative
12	findings and purpose; requiring a joint interim study to
13	make recommendations with respect to restructuring the
14	existing school readiness program and creating the new
15	constitutionally required voluntary universal
16	prekindergarten program; providing an effective date.
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18	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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20	Section 1. Legislative findings and purpose.--
21	(1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.--
22	(a) The Legislature finds:
23	1. In 1999, the Legislature created s. 411.01, Florida
24	Statutes, the "School Readiness Act," and expressed legislative
25	intent in s. 411.01(2), Florida Statutes, to provide for an
26	integrated and seamless system of school readiness for the
27	state's at-risk and economically disadvantaged birth-to-
28	kindergarten children, a system coordinated with, but separate
29	from, the state's public school system.
30	2. The focus of the new school readiness program was
31	intended to be appropriate early education, not child care. All
32	programs receiving public funds for school readiness programs
33	were charged with transitioning to the education focus. A
34	statewide board, the Florida Partnership for School Readiness,
35	and local school readiness coalitions were directed to
36	accomplish the intent of the new system.
37	(b) Due to a variety of reasons, the School Readiness Act
38	has failed to be fully implemented in the 4 years since its
39	enactment, as noted in the Office of Program Policy Analysis and
40	Government Accountability report #02-07, entitled "School
41	Readiness Program's Potential Not Realized with Critical Issues
42	Unresolved."
43	(c) Furthermore, there have been indications of
44	inefficiencies, waste of taxpayer dollars at both the state and
45	local levels, and instances of ineligible children being served
46	while eligible children were turned away.
47	(d) In the November 2002 General Election, the voters
48	amended the State Constitution to require, no later than the
49	beginning of the 2005 school year, voluntary universal
50	prekindergarten education for the state's 4-year-old children.
51	The State Constitution includes no eligibility requirements for
52	4-year-old children to participate in the new voluntary
53	universal prekindergarten program. However, the constitutional
54	language stipulates that the new voluntary universal
55	prekindergarten program shall not be funded with funds from any
56	existing education, health, or development program.
57	(e) The 1999 School Readiness Act must now be revisited as
58	part of the process of determining how best to establish and
59	fund the new voluntary universal prekindergarten program for 4-
60	year-old children.
61	(2) LEGISLATIVE PURPOSE.--It is the purpose of the
62	Legislature to:
63	(a) Require, in accordance with provisions and timeframes
64	of this act, a joint interim school readiness study conducted by
65	the State Board of Education, the Office of Program Policy
66	Analysis and Government Accountability, and the Auditor General
67	to assist the Legislature in determining how best to restructure
68	the existing school readiness program, create the new
69	constitutionally required voluntary universal prekindergarten
70	program for 4-year-old children, and efficiently operate and
71	fund both programs.
72	(b) Reexamine the state and local governance structure of
73	the existing school readiness program and prescribe a governance
74	structure that will reduce system bureaucracy; eliminate waste,
75	inefficiency, and duplication; and identify and eliminate
76	obstacles to effective and efficient governance, service
77	delivery, and funding.
78	(c) Prescribe best practices for accomplishing the
79	original legislative intent for the existing school readiness
80	program and for establishing the new voluntary universal
81	prekindergarten program for 4-year-old children in a manner that
82	emphasizes instruction for 4-year-old children in the areas of
83	language, cognitive, and early reading development, based on
84	scientific research and proven instructional and outcome-based
85	assessment practices, so that all 4-year-old children who
86	participate in either program enter school ready to succeed.
87	This should include a recommendation as to the optimal number of
88	hours per day and days per year for voluntary universal
89	prekindergarten education.
90	(d) Prescribe best practices for funding the new voluntary
91	universal prekindergarten program for 4-year-old children in a
92	manner that maximizes the benefit of taxpayer dollars expended
93	on the education of children rather than on system bureaucracy.
94	(e) Assess accountability of school readiness funding
95	based on an audit of funds that have been appropriated by the
96	Legislature for the Florida Partnership for School Readiness for
97	the 2000-2001, 2001-2002, and 2002-2003 fiscal years and the
98	existing school readiness program at the local level for the
99	2001-2002 and 2002-2003 fiscal years. Audit objectives must
100	include a determination of the extent that management controls
101	promoted the achievement of management objectives relating to
102	compliance with controlling laws, rules, and other guidelines;
103	efficient and effective operations; reliability of financial
104	records and reports; and safeguarding of assets. The audit must
105	include, but not be limited to, an identification of waste,
106	inefficiency, and instances of ineligible children being served
107	while eligible children remained on waiting lists. The audit
108	must also include a review of expenditures by the Agency for
109	Workforce Innovation on behalf of the school readiness program.
110	(f) Prescribe a new funding formula for the existing
111	school readiness program that is based on equity for all
112	children eligible for the program and that rewards outcome-based
113	performance.
114	Section 2. Joint interim school readiness study.--The
115	State Board of Education, the Office of Program Policy Analysis
116	and Government Accountability, and the Office of the Auditor
117	General shall collaborate to conduct a joint interim school
118	readiness study to provide the Legislature with findings and
119	recommendations in accordance with the findings, purpose, and
120	requirements of this act.
121	(1) The State Board of Education shall identify best
122	practices in accordance with section 1(2)(a) and (c) of this act
123	and shall report its findings to the Governor, the President of
124	the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives no
125	later than October 1, 2003. Best practices shall be based on
126	recommendations of the Florida Center for Reading Research and
127	the reading office of the Department of Education. Best
128	practices must recognize flexibility but must be based on the
129	framework of appropriate scientific research in language and
130	vocabulary skills, phonological awareness, and alphabetic
131	knowledge. Best practices must include a full spectrum of
132	parental choice options among public, private, and faith-based
133	providers, but shall not include the option of offering any
134	existing school readiness program or new voluntary universal
135	prekindergarten program in a school designated as a performance
136	grade category "D" or "F."
137	(2) The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
138	Accountability shall reexamine the existing school readiness
139	program and governance structure in accordance with section
140	1(2)(a) and (b) of this act; identify best practices for funding
141	the new voluntary universal prekindergarten program in
142	accordance with section 1(2)(a) and (d) of this act; recommend a
143	new funding formula for the existing school readiness program in
144	accordance with section 1(2)(a) and (f) of this act; and report
145	its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President
146	of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
147	no later than January 15, 2004.
148	(3) The Auditor General shall conduct an audit in
149	accordance with the requirements of section 1(2)(a) and (e) of
150	this act and shall include audit procedures as determined
151	necessary by the Auditor General; collaborate with the Office of
152	Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to
153	identify best practices for funding the new voluntary universal
154	prekindergarten program in accordance with section 1(2)(a) and
155	(d) of this act; collaborate, based on the audit performed in
156	accordance with section 1(2)(a) and (e) of this act and other
157	audit results, with the Office of Program Policy Analysis and
158	Government Accountability to recommend a new funding formula for
159	the existing school readiness program in accordance with section
160	1(2)(a) and (f) of this act; and report its findings and
161	recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
162	and the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than
163	January 15, 2004.
164	Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
165	law.