Florida Senate - 2006 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SJR 1150
Barcode 264846
CHAMBER ACTION
Senate House
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11 The Committee on Education (Wilson) recommended the following
12 amendment:
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14 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
15 Delete everything after the resolving clause
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17 and insert:
18 That Section 1 of Article IX of the State Constitution
19 shall be submitted to the electors of this state for
20 ratification at the next general election or at an earlier
21 special election specifically authorized by law for that
22 purpose:
23 ARTICLE IX
24 EDUCATION
25 SECTION 1. Public education.--
26 (a) The education of children is a fundamental value
27 of the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a
28 paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the
29 education of all children residing within its borders.
30 Adequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform,
31 efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free
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Florida Senate - 2006 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SJR 1150
Barcode 264846
1 public schools that allows students to obtain a high quality
2 education and for the establishment, maintenance, and
3 operation of institutions of higher learning and other public
4 education programs that the needs of the people may require.
5 To assure that children attending public schools obtain a high
6 quality education, the legislature shall make adequate
7 provision to ensure that, by the beginning of the 2010 school
8 year, there are a sufficient number of classrooms so that:
9 (1) The maximum number of students who are assigned to
10 each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
11 prekindergarten through grade 3 does not exceed 18 students;
12 (2) The maximum number of students who are assigned to
13 each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
14 grades 4 through 8 does not exceed 22 students; and
15 (3) The maximum number of students who are assigned to
16 each teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
17 grades 9 through 12 does not exceed 25 students.
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19 The class size requirements of this subsection do not apply to
20 extracurricular classes. Payment of the costs associated with
21 reducing class size to meet these requirements is the
22 responsibility of the state and not of local schools
23 districts. Beginning with the 2003-2004 fiscal year, the
24 legislature shall provide sufficient funds to reduce the
25 average number of students in each classroom by at least two
26 students per year until the maximum number of students per
27 classroom does not exceed the requirements of this subsection.
28 (b) Every four-year old child in Florida shall be
29 provided by the State a high quality pre-kindergarten learning
30 opportunity in the form of an early childhood development and
31 education program which shall be voluntary, high quality,
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Florida Senate - 2006 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SJR 1150
Barcode 264846
1 free, and delivered according to professionally accepted
2 standards. An early childhood development and education
3 program means an organized program designed to address and
4 enhance each child's ability to make age appropriate progress
5 in an appropriate range of settings in the development of
6 language and cognitive capabilities and emotional, social,
7 regulatory and moral capacities through education in basic
8 skills and such other skills as the Legislature may determine
9 to be appropriate.
10 (c) The early childhood education and development
11 programs provided by reason of subparagraph (b) shall be
12 implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005 school
13 year through funds generated in addition to those used for
14 existing education, health, and development programs. Existing
15 education, health, and development programs are those funded
16 by the State as of January 1, 2002 that provided for child or
17 adult education, health care, or development.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
19 placed on the ballot:
20 RATIFICATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION
21 ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1
22 RATIFICATION OF CLASS SIZE REQUIREMENTS.--Proposing the
23 ratification of Section 1 of Article IX of the State
24 Constitution which requires that the Legislature provide
25 funding for sufficient classrooms so that there be a maximum
26 number of students in public school classes for various grade
27 levels; requires compliance by the beginning of the 2010
28 school year; requires the Legislature, not local school
29 districts, to pay for the costs associated with reduced class
30 size; and prescribes a schedule for phased-in funding to
31 achieve the required maximum class size.
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Florida Senate - 2006 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SJR 1150
Barcode 264846
1 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ===============
2 And the title is amended as follows:
3 Delete everything before the resolving clause
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5 and insert:
6 Senate Joint Resolution
7 A joint resolution proposing the ratification
8 of Section 1 of Article IX of the State
9 Constitution, relating to public education.
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