Senate Bill sb0242
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 SJR 242
By Senator Cowin
20-225-04
1 Senate Joint Resolution No. ____
2 A joint resolution proposing an amendment to
3 Section 1 of Article IX of the State
4 Constitution to require class size reduction
5 only in prekindergarten through grade 3.
6
7 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
8
9 That the following amendment to Section 1 of Article IX
10 of the State Constitution is agreed to and shall be submitted
11 to the electors of this state for approval or rejection at the
12 next general election or at an earlier special election
13 specifically authorized by law for that purpose:
14 ARTICLE IX
15 EDUCATION
16 SECTION 1. Public education.--
17 (a) The education of children is a fundamental value
18 of the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a
19 paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the
20 education of all children residing within its borders.
21 Adequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform,
22 efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free
23 public schools that allows students to obtain a high quality
24 education and for the establishment, maintenance, and
25 operation of institutions of higher learning and other public
26 education programs that the needs of the people may require.
27 To assure that children attending public schools obtain a high
28 quality education, the legislature shall make adequate
29 provision to ensure that, by the beginning of the 2010 school
30 year, there are a sufficient number of classrooms so that:
31
1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 SJR 242
20-225-04
1 (1) the maximum number of students who are assigned to
2 each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
3 prekindergarten through grade 3 does not exceed 18 students;
4 (2) The maximum number of students who are assigned to
5 each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
6 grades 4 through 8 does not exceed 22 students; and
7 (3) The maximum number of students who are assigned to
8 each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
9 grades 9 through 12 does not exceed 25 students.
10
11 The class size requirements of this subsection do not apply to
12 extracurricular classes. Payment of the costs associated with
13 reducing class size to meet these requirements is the
14 responsibility of the state and not of local schools
15 districts. Beginning with the 2003-2004 fiscal year, the
16 legislature shall provide sufficient funds to reduce the
17 average number of students in each classroom by at least two
18 students per year until the maximum number of students per
19 classroom does not exceed the requirements of this subsection.
20 (b) Every four-year-old four-year old child in Florida
21 shall be provided by the State a high quality pre-kindergarten
22 learning opportunity in the form of an early childhood
23 development and education program which shall be voluntary,
24 high quality, free, and delivered according to professionally
25 accepted standards. An early childhood development and
26 education program means an organized program designed to
27 address and enhance each child's ability to make age
28 appropriate progress in an appropriate range of settings in
29 the development of language and cognitive capabilities and
30 emotional, social, regulatory and moral capacities through
31
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 SJR 242
20-225-04
1 education in basic skills and such other skills as the
2 Legislature may determine to be appropriate.
3 (c) The early childhood education and development
4 programs provided by reason of subparagraph (b) shall be
5 implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005 school
6 year through funds generated in addition to those used for
7 existing education, health, and development programs. Existing
8 education, health, and development programs are those funded
9 by the State as of January 1, 2002, that provided for child or
10 adult education, health care, or development.
11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
12 placed on the ballot:
13 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
14 ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1
15 FOCUSED CLASS SIZE REDUCTION FOR PREKINDERGARTEN
16 THROUGH THIRD GRADE.--Proposing an amendment to the State
17 Constitution to continue the class size reduction in
18 prekindergarten through grade 3 adopted in the 2002 general
19 election for public schools, but eliminating the class size
20 reduction requirements in grades 4 through 12.
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
3
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.