Senate Bill sb1148

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1148

    By Senators King and Wise





    8-842-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to education personnel;

  3         amending s. 1012.985, F.S.; authorizing a

  4         regional professional development academy to

  5         receive funds from certain sources for the

  6         purpose of developing programs and services;

  7         providing that a regional professional

  8         development academy is not a component of any

  9         school district or governmental unit to which

10         it provides services; providing an effective

11         date.

12  

13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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15         Section 1.  Section 1012.985, Florida Statutes, is

16  amended to read:

17         1012.985  Statewide system for inservice professional

18  development.--

19         (1)  The intent of this section is to establish a

20  statewide system of professional development that provides a

21  wide range of targeted inservice training to teachers,

22  managers, and administrative personnel designed to upgrade

23  skills and knowledge needed to reach world class standards in

24  education. The system shall consist of a network of

25  professional development academies in each region of the state

26  which that are operated in partnership with area business

27  partners to develop and deliver high-quality training programs

28  purchased by school districts. The academies shall be

29  established to meet the human resource development needs of

30  professional educators, schools, and school districts. Funds

31  appropriated for the initiation of professional development

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1148
    8-842-06




 1  academies shall be allocated by the Commissioner of Education,

 2  unless otherwise provided in an appropriations act. To be

 3  eligible for startup funds, the academy must:

 4         (a)(1)  Be established by the collaborative efforts of

 5  one or more district school boards, members of the business

 6  community, and the postsecondary educational institutions

 7  which may award college credits for courses taught at the

 8  academy.

 9         (b)(2)  Demonstrate the capacity to provide effective

10  training to improve teaching skills in the areas of elementary

11  reading and mathematics, the use of instructional technology,

12  high school algebra, and classroom management, and to deliver

13  such training using face-to-face, distance learning, and

14  individualized computer-based delivery systems.

15         (c)(3)  Propose a plan for responding in an effective

16  and timely manner to the professional development needs of

17  teachers, managers, administrative personnel, schools, and

18  school districts relating to improving student achievement and

19  meeting state and local education goals.

20         (d)(4)  Demonstrate the ability to provide high-quality

21  trainers and training, appropriate followup and coaching for

22  all participants, and support school personnel in positively

23  impacting student performance.

24         (e)(5)  Be operated under contract with its public

25  partners and governed by an independent board of directors,

26  which should include at least one district school

27  superintendent and one district school board chair from the

28  participating school districts, the president of the

29  collective bargaining unit that represents the majority of the

30  region's teachers, and at least three individuals who are not

31  employees or elected or appointed officials of the

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1148
    8-842-06




 1  participating school districts. Regional educational consortia

 2  as defined in s. 1001.451 satisfy the requirements of this

 3  paragraph subsection.

 4         (f)(6)  Be financed during the first year of operation

 5  by an equal or greater match from private funding sources and

 6  demonstrate the ability to be self-supporting within 1 year

 7  after opening through fees for services, grants, or private

 8  contributions. Regional educational consortia as defined in s.

 9  1001.451 which serve rural areas of critical economic concern

10  are exempt from the funding match required by this paragraph

11  subsection.

12         (g)(7)  Own or lease a facility that can be used to

13  deliver training onsite and through distance learning and

14  other technology-based delivery systems. The participating

15  district school boards may lease a site or facility to the

16  academy for a nominal fee and may pay all or part of the costs

17  of renovating a facility to accommodate the academy. The

18  academy is responsible for all operational, maintenance, and

19  repair costs.

20         (h)(8)  Provide professional development services for

21  the participating school districts as specified in the

22  contract and may provide professional development services to

23  other school districts, private schools, and individuals on a

24  fee-for-services basis.

25         (2)  Upon compliance with the requirements for the

26  first year of operation in paragraph (1)(f), a regional

27  professional development academy:

28         (a)  May receive funds from the Department of Education

29  or as provided in the General Appropriations Act for the

30  purpose of developing programs, expanding services, assessing

31  inservice training and professional development, or other

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1148
    8-842-06




 1  programs that are consistent with the mission of the academy

 2  and the needs of the the state and region; and

 3         (b)  Is not, by virtue of providing services to one or

 4  more school districts, a component of any school district or

 5  any governmental unit to which the regional professional

 6  development academy provides services.

 7         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

 8  law.

 9  

10            *****************************************

11                          SENATE SUMMARY

12    Authorizes a regional professional development academy to
      receive funds from certain sources for the purpose of
13    developing programs and services. Provides that a
      regional professional development academy is not a
14    component of any school district or governmental unit to
      which it provides services.
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