HJR 0813

1	House Joint Resolution
2	A joint resolution proposing an amendment to Section 1 of
3	Article IX of the State Constitution, relating to public
4	education, to limit class size reductions and provide
5	funds for increased teacher compensation and other public
6	education purposes.
7
8	Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10	That the amendment to Section 1 of Article IX of the State
11	Constitution set forth below is agreed to and shall be submitted
12	to the electors of Florida for approval or rejection at the
13	general election to be held in November 2006:
14	ARTICLE IX
15	EDUCATION
16	SECTION 1.  Public education.--
17	(a)  The education of children is a fundamental value of
18	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. Adequate
21	provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe,
22	secure, and high quality system of free public schools that
23	allows students to obtain a high quality education and for the
24	establishment, maintenance, and operation of institutions of
25	higher learning and other public education programs that the
26	needs of the people may require. To assure that children
27	attending public schools obtain a high quality education, the
28	legislature shall make adequate provision to ensure that, by the
29	beginning of the 2010 school year, there are a sufficient number
30	of classrooms so that on the average in each school district:
31	(1)  The maximum number of students who are assigned to
32	each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
33	prekindergarten through grade 3 does not exceed 18 students; and
34	(2)  The maximum number of students who are assigned to
35	each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
36	grades 4 and 5 through 8 does not exceed 22 students.; and
37	(3)  The maximum number of students who are assigned to
38	each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
39	grades 9 through 12 does not exceed 25 students.
40
41	The class size requirements of this subsection do not apply to
42	extracurricular classes. Payment of the costs associated with
43	reducing class size to meet these requirements is the
44	responsibility of the state and not of local schools districts.
45	Beginning with the 2003-2004 fiscal year, the legislature shall
46	provide sufficient funds to reduce the average number of
47	students in each classroom by at least two students per year
48	until the maximum number of students per classroom does not
49	exceed the requirements of this subsection.
50	(b)  In addition to the amounts appropriated to meet the
51	class size requirements of subsection (a), the legislature shall
52	annually cause to be appropriated a separate amount equal to the
53	difference between the estimated cost of implementing a class
54	size reduction program according to the provisions of subsection
55	(a) as initially adopted in November 2002 and the cost of
56	implementing the provisions of subsection (a) as amended in
57	November 2006. Such separate amount shall be appropriated by the
58	legislature first for increasing the compensation of public
59	school teachers to the extent necessary to cause the average
60	annual teacher compensation in Florida public schools to equal
61	at least the average annual compensation of all public school
62	teachers in the United States in prekindergarten through grade
63	12, and thereafter for funding such public education purposes as
64	deemed appropriate by the legislature. The legislature shall by
65	general law take such action as is necessary and proper to
66	implement the intent of this subsection, including determining
67	and defining the compensation levels required to be paid
68	pursuant to this subsection.
69	(c)(b)  Every four-year old child in Florida shall be
70	provided by the State a high quality pre-kindergarten learning
71	opportunity in the form of an early childhood development and
72	education program which shall be voluntary, high quality, free,
73	and delivered according to professionally accepted standards. An
74	early childhood development and education program means an
75	organized program designed to address and enhance each child's
76	ability to make age appropriate progress in an appropriate range
77	of settings in the development of language and cognitive
78	capabilities and emotional, social, regulatory and moral
79	capacities through education in basic skills and such other
80	skills as the Legislature may determine to be appropriate.
81	(d)(c)  The early childhood education and development
82	programs provided by reason of subsection (c) subparagraph (b)
83	shall be implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005
84	school year through funds generated in addition to those used
85	for existing education, health, and development programs.
86	Existing education, health, and development programs are those
87	funded by the State as of January 1, 2002, that provided for
88	child or adult education, health care, or development.
89	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the title and substance of the
90	amendment proposed herein shall appear on the ballot as follows:
91	LIMITING CLASS SIZE REDUCTIONS TO SUPPLEMENT
92	TEACHER COMPENSATION AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
93	Proposes an amendment to Section 1 of Article IX of the
94	State Constitution to limit class size reduction requirements to
95	prekindergarten through grade 3 and to grades 4 and 5 on a
96	school district average basis; to provide that, in addition to
97	the amounts appropriated to meet the revised class size
98	requirements, the Legislature shall appropriate a separate
99	amount equal to the difference between the estimated cost of
100	implementing a class size reduction program according to the
101	constitutional provisions adopted in November 2002 and the cost
102	of implementing these limited class size reduction requirements;
103	and to provide that such separate appropriation shall first be
104	used to increase the compensation of public school teachers and
105	thereafter to fund other public education purposes.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.