Senate Bill sb2326
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Florida Senate - 2003 SJR 2326
By Senator Cowin
20-328B-03
1 Senate Joint Resolution No. ____
2 A joint resolution proposing an amendment to
3 Section 1 of Article IX of the State
4 Constitution, relating to public education, to
5 revise the date for implementing the maximum
6 number of students in each public school
7 classroom for kindergarten through grade 3,
8 delete class-size requirements for grades 4-12,
9 prescribe minimum salary standards for public
10 school teachers who meet specified standards,
11 and provide for levying a sales tax to fund
12 those salaries.
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14 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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16 That the following amendment to Section 1 of Article IX
17 of the State Constitution is agreed to and shall be submitted
18 to the electors of this state for approval or rejection at the
19 next general election or at an earlier special election
20 specifically authorized by law for that purpose:
21 ARTICLE IX
22 EDUCATION
23 SECTION 1. Public education.--
24 (a) The education of children is a fundamental value
25 of 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.
28 Adequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform,
29 efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free
30 public schools that allows students to obtain a high quality
31 education and for the establishment, maintenance, and
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Florida Senate - 2003 SJR 2326
20-328B-03
1 operation of institutions of higher learning and other public
2 education programs that the needs of the people may require.
3 To assure that children attending public schools obtain a high
4 quality education, the legislature shall make adequate
5 provision to ensure that, by the beginning of the 2010 school
6 year, there are a sufficient number of classrooms so that:
7 (1) the maximum number of students who are assigned to
8 each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
9 prekindergarten through grade 3 does not exceed 18 students;
10 (2) The maximum number of students who are assigned to
11 each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
12 grades 4 through 8 does not exceed 22 students; and
13 (3) The maximum number of students who are assigned to
14 each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
15 grades 9 through 12 does not exceed 25 students.
16 (1) The class size requirements of this subsection do
17 not apply to extracurricular classes. Payment of the costs
18 associated with reducing class size to meet these requirements
19 is the responsibility of the state and not of local schools
20 districts. Beginning with the 2004-2005 2003-2004 fiscal year,
21 the legislature shall provide sufficient funds to reduce the
22 average number of students in each classroom for
23 prekindergarten through grade 3 by at least two students per
24 year until the maximum number of students per classroom does
25 not exceed the requirements of this subsection. A school
26 district that meets the requirements of this subsection shall
27 have flexibility in applying the funds allocated by the state
28 for class size reduction.
29 (2) The minimum salary for each teacher who is
30 teaching in an academic public school classroom for
31 kindergarten through grade 12 and who meets performance
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Florida Senate - 2003 SJR 2326
20-328B-03
1 standards set by the Board of Education must be no less than
2 the national average salary paid for teachers at the
3 comparable grade level. In order to assure equity and to fund
4 any increases in salary necessitated by this paragraph, each
5 county shall levy an optional sales tax. In the aggregate, a
6 county may levy no more than a one-cent optional sales tax.
7 (b) Every four-year old child in Florida shall be
8 provided by the State a high quality pre-kindergarten learning
9 opportunity in the form of an early childhood development and
10 education program which shall be voluntary, high quality,
11 free, and delivered according to professionally accepted
12 standards. An early childhood development and education
13 program means an organized program designed to address and
14 enhance each child's ability to make age appropriate progress
15 in an appropriate range of settings in the development of
16 language and cognitive capabilities and emotional, social,
17 regulatory and moral capacities through education in basic
18 skills and such other skills as the Legislature may determine
19 to be appropriate.
20 (c) The early childhood education and development
21 programs provided by reason of subparagraph (b) shall be
22 implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005 school
23 year through funds generated in addition to those used for
24 existing education, health, and development programs. Existing
25 education, health, and development programs are those funded
26 by the State as of January 1, 2002 that provided for child or
27 adult education, health care, or development.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
29 placed on the ballot:
30 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
31 ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1
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Florida Senate - 2003 SJR 2326
20-328B-03
1 MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE, GRADES K-3; MINIMUM TEACHER
2 SALARIES; FUNDING OF SALARIES.--Proposing an amendment to the
3 State Constitution to postpone the implementation of maximum
4 class sizes in kindergarten through grade 3, to delete
5 requirements for maximum class sizes in grades 4-12, to
6 require that public school teachers in kindergarten through
7 grade 12 who meet performance standards receive salaries equal
8 to national average salaries for comparable teachers, to
9 require counties to levy a local-option sales tax to pay those
10 salaries, and to place a cap on local-option sales taxes.
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