HB 1243

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to education personnel; amending s.
31012.985, F.S.; authorizing a regional professional
4development academy to receive funds from certain sources
5for the purpose of developing programs and services;
6providing that a regional professional development academy
7is not a component of any school district or governmental
8unit to which it provides services; providing an effective
9date.
10
11Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13     Section 1.  Section 1012.985, Florida Statutes, is amended
14to read:
15     1012.985  Statewide system for inservice professional
16development.--
17     (1)  The intent of this section is to establish a statewide
18system of professional development that provides a wide range of
19targeted inservice training to teachers, managers, and
20administrative personnel designed to upgrade skills and
21knowledge needed to reach world class standards in education.
22The system shall consist of a network of professional
23development academies in each region of the state which that are
24operated in partnership with area business partners to develop
25and deliver high-quality training programs purchased by school
26districts. The academies shall be established to meet the human
27resource development needs of professional educators, schools,
28and school districts. Funds appropriated for the initiation of
29professional development academies shall be allocated by the
30Commissioner of Education, unless otherwise provided in an
31appropriations act. To be eligible for startup funds, the
32academy must:
33     (a)(1)  Be established by the collaborative efforts of one
34or more district school boards, members of the business
35community, and the postsecondary educational institutions which
36may award college credits for courses taught at the academy.
37     (b)(2)  Demonstrate the capacity to provide effective
38training to improve teaching skills in the areas of elementary
39reading and mathematics, the use of instructional technology,
40high school algebra, and classroom management, and to deliver
41such training using face-to-face, distance learning, and
42individualized computer-based delivery systems.
43     (c)(3)  Propose a plan for responding in an effective and
44timely manner to the professional development needs of teachers,
45managers, administrative personnel, schools, and school
46districts relating to improving student achievement and meeting
47state and local education goals.
48     (d)(4)  Demonstrate the ability to provide high-quality
49trainers and training, appropriate followup and coaching for all
50participants, and support school personnel in positively
51impacting student performance.
52     (e)(5)  Be operated under contract with its public partners
53and governed by an independent board of directors, which should
54include at least one district school superintendent and one
55district school board chair from the participating school
56districts, the president of the collective bargaining unit that
57represents the majority of the region's teachers, and at least
58three individuals who are not employees or elected or appointed
59officials of the participating school districts. Regional
60educational consortia as defined in s. 1001.451 satisfy the
61requirements of this paragraph subsection.
62     (f)(6)  Be financed during the first year of operation by
63an equal or greater match from private funding sources and
64demonstrate the ability to be self-supporting within 1 year
65after opening through fees for services, grants, or private
66contributions. Regional educational consortia as defined in s.
671001.451 which serve rural areas of critical economic concern
68are exempt from the funding match required by this paragraph
69subsection.
70     (g)(7)  Own or lease a facility that can be used to deliver
71training onsite and through distance learning and other
72technology-based delivery systems. The participating district
73school boards may lease a site or facility to the academy for a
74nominal fee and may pay all or part of the costs of renovating a
75facility to accommodate the academy. The academy is responsible
76for all operational, maintenance, and repair costs.
77     (h)(8)  Provide professional development services for the
78participating school districts as specified in the contract and
79may provide professional development services to other school
80districts, private schools, and individuals on a fee-for-
81services basis.
82     (2)  Upon compliance with the requirements for the first
83year of operation in paragraph (1)(f), a regional professional
84development academy:
85     (a)  May receive funds from the Department of Education or
86as provided in the General Appropriations Act for the purpose of
87developing programs, expanding services, assessing inservice
88training and professional development, or other programs that
89are consistent with the mission of the academy and the needs of
90the state and region; and
91     (b)  Is not, by virtue of providing services to one or more
92school districts, a component of any school district or any
93governmental unit to which the regional professional development
94academy provides services.
95     Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.


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