| 1 | The Choice & Innovation Committee recommends the following: |
| 2 |
|
| 3 | Council/Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | House Joint Resolution |
| 6 | A joint resolution proposing the creation of Section 8 of |
| 7 | Article IX of the State Constitution relating to |
| 8 | education. |
| 9 |
|
| 10 | Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 11 |
|
| 12 | That the following creation of Section 8 of Article IX of |
| 13 | the State Constitution is agreed to and shall be submitted to |
| 14 | the electors of this state for approval or rejection at the next |
| 15 | general election or at an earlier special election specifically |
| 16 | authorized by law for that purpose: |
| 17 | ARTICLE IX |
| 18 | EDUCATION |
| 19 | SECTION 8. Equal opportunity to obtain a high quality |
| 20 | education.--Every child deserves an equal opportunity to obtain |
| 21 | a high quality education, regardless of his or her family's |
| 22 | income, religion, or race. |
| 23 | (a) Funding for a high quality public K-12 education |
| 24 | through classroom instruction is fundamental. To make adequate |
| 25 | provision for a high quality public K-12 education, at least |
| 26 | sixty-five percent of school funding received by school |
| 27 | districts shall be spent on classroom instruction, rather than |
| 28 | administration. Classroom instruction and administration shall |
| 29 | be defined by law. |
| 30 | (b) Students in prekindergarten through college who have |
| 31 | disabilities, are economically disadvantaged, or whose parents |
| 32 | request alternatives to traditional public education programs |
| 33 | may participate, as provided by law, in education programs that |
| 34 | include non-public schools. The legislature may enact and |
| 35 | publicly fund prekindergarten through college education |
| 36 | programs, without regard to the religious nature of any |
| 37 | participant or non-public provider, notwithstanding any other |
| 38 | provision of this Article or Section 3 of Article I of this |
| 39 | constitution. |
| 40 |
|
| 41 | Nothing in this section establishes a right to an education |
| 42 | program not provided by law. |
| 43 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be |
| 44 | placed on the ballot: |
| 45 | CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT |
| 46 | ARTICLE IX, SECTION 8 |
| 47 | EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO OBTAIN A HIGH QUALITY |
| 48 | EDUCATION.--Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to |
| 49 | provide that every child deserves an equal opportunity to obtain |
| 50 | a high quality education, regardless of his or her family's |
| 51 | income, religion, or race; to provide that funding for high |
| 52 | quality public K-12 education through classroom instruction is |
| 53 | fundamental; to provide that to make adequate provision for a |
| 54 | high quality public K-12 education, at least sixty-five percent |
| 55 | of school funding received by school districts shall be spent on |
| 56 | classroom instruction rather than administration; to provide |
| 57 | that classroom instruction and administration shall be defined |
| 58 | by law; to provide that students in prekindergarten through |
| 59 | college who have disabilities, are economically disadvantaged, |
| 60 | or whose parents request alternatives to traditional public |
| 61 | education programs may participate, as provided by law, in |
| 62 | education programs that include non-public schools; to provide |
| 63 | that the Legislature may enact and publicly fund prekindergarten |
| 64 | through college education programs, without regard to the |
| 65 | religious nature of any participant or non-public provider, |
| 66 | notwithstanding any other provision of this Article or of |
| 67 | Section 3 of Article I of the State Constitution; and to provide |
| 68 | that nothing in this amendment to the State Constitution |
| 69 | establishes a right to an education program that is not provided |
| 70 | by law. |