| 1 | Representative(s) Bendross-Mindingall offered the following: |
| 2 |
|
| 3 | Substitute Amendment for Amendment (432841) (with ballot |
| 4 | statement amendment) |
| 5 | Remove line(s) 16-86 and insert: |
| 6 | SECTION 1. Public education.-- |
| 7 | (a) The education of children is a fundamental value of |
| 8 | the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a |
| 9 | paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the |
| 10 | education of all children residing within its borders. Adequate |
| 11 | provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, |
| 12 | secure, and high quality system of free public schools that |
| 13 | allows students to obtain a high quality education and for the |
| 14 | establishment, maintenance, and operation of institutions of |
| 15 | higher learning and other public education programs that the |
| 16 | needs of the people may require. To assure that children |
| 17 | attending public schools obtain a high quality education, the |
| 18 | legislature shall make adequate provision to ensure that, by the |
| 19 | beginning of the 2010 school year, there are a sufficient number |
| 20 | of classrooms so that: |
| 21 | (1) The maximum number of students who are assigned to |
| 22 | each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for |
| 23 | prekindergarten through grade 3 does not exceed 18 students; |
| 24 | (2) The maximum number of students who are assigned to |
| 25 | each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for |
| 26 | grades 4 through 8 does not exceed 22 students; and |
| 27 | (3) The maximum number of students who are assigned to |
| 28 | each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for |
| 29 | grades 9 through 12 does not exceed 25 students. |
| 30 |
|
| 31 | The class size requirements of this subsection do not apply to |
| 32 | extracurricular classes. Payment of the costs associated with |
| 33 | reducing class size to meet these requirements is the |
| 34 | responsibility of the state and not of local schools districts. |
| 35 | Beginning with the 2003-2004 fiscal year, the legislature shall |
| 36 | provide sufficient funds to reduce the average number of |
| 37 | students in each classroom by at least two students per year |
| 38 | until the maximum number of students per classroom does not |
| 39 | exceed the requirements of this subsection. |
| 40 | (b) By 2010, the average minimum salary for full-time |
| 41 | public school teachers shall be no less than the national |
| 42 | average beginning pay for public school teachers, as provided by |
| 43 | law. By 2010, the average salary for full-time public school |
| 44 | teachers shall be no less than the national average, as provided |
| 45 | by law. The increases in the beginning and average full-time |
| 46 | public school teacher salaries shall be independent of employee |
| 47 | benefits and shall not alter, jeopardize, or decrease existing |
| 48 | employee benefits. Payment of the costs associated with |
| 49 | increasing beginning and average teacher pay is the |
| 50 | responsibility of the state and not of school districts. Nothing |
| 51 | in this subsection shall impair collective bargaining. |
| 52 | (c)(b) Every four-year old child in Florida shall be |
| 53 | provided by the State a high quality pre-kindergarten learning |
| 54 | opportunity in the form of an early childhood development and |
| 55 | education program which shall be voluntary, high quality, free, |
| 56 | and delivered according to professionally accepted standards. An |
| 57 | early childhood development and education program means an |
| 58 | organized program designed to address and enhance each child's |
| 59 | ability to make age appropriate progress in an appropriate range |
| 60 | of settings in the development of language and cognitive |
| 61 | capabilities and emotional, social, regulatory and moral |
| 62 | capacities through education in basic skills and such other |
| 63 | skills as the Legislature may determine to be appropriate. |
| 64 | (d)(c) The early childhood education and development |
| 65 | programs provided by reason of subsection (c) subparagraph (b) |
| 66 | shall be implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005 |
| 67 | school year through funds generated in addition to those used |
| 68 | for existing education, health, and development programs. |
| 69 | Existing education, health, and development programs are those |
| 70 | funded by the State as of January 1, 2002 that provided for |
| 71 | child or adult education, health care, or development. |
| 72 | ARTICLE XII |
| 73 | SCHEDULE |
| 74 | SECTION 26. Beginning and average teacher salaries.--The |
| 75 | amendment to Section 1 of Article IX relating to public |
| 76 | education, which establishes beginning and average teacher |
| 77 | salaries, shall take effect July 1 following approval by the |
| 78 | electors. |
| 79 |
|
| 80 | =========== B A L L O T S T A T E M E N T ========== |
| 81 | Remove line(s) 90-102 and insert: |
| 82 | ESTABLISHING BEGINNING AND AVERAGE TEACHER SALARIES |
| 83 | Proposes an amendment to Section 1 of Article IX and the |
| 84 | creation of Section 26 of Article XII of the State Constitution |
| 85 | to require that, by 2010, the average minimum salary for full- |
| 86 | time public school teachers shall be no less than the national |
| 87 | average beginning pay for public school teachers, as provided by |
| 88 | law; to require that, by 2010, the average salary for full-time |
| 89 | public school teachers shall be no less than the national |
| 90 | average, as provided by law; to provide that the increases in |
| 91 | the beginning and average full-time public school teacher |
| 92 | salaries shall be independent of employee benefits and shall not |
| 93 | alter, jeopardize, or decrease existing employee benefits; to |
| 94 | provide that payment of the costs associated with increasing |
| 95 | beginning and average teacher pay is the responsibility of the |
| 96 | state and not of school districts; to provide that nothing in |
| 97 | this amendment providing for beginning and average teacher |
| 98 | salaries shall impair collective bargaining; and to provide for |
| 99 | taking effect July 1 following approval by the electors. |