| 1 | The Education Council recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 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 |
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| 10 | Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 11 |
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| 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, the |
| 26 | legislature shall ensure that funding provided for public |
| 27 | schools shall primarily be used for classroom instruction rather |
| 28 | than administration. Classroom instruction and administration |
| 29 | shall be defined by law. |
| 30 | (b) Students in prekindergarten through college who have |
| 31 | disabilities, are economically disadvantaged, or meet other |
| 32 | legislatively specified criteria may participate, as provided by |
| 33 | law, in education programs that include nonpublic schools. The |
| 34 | legislature may enact and publicly fund prekindergarten through |
| 35 | college education programs, without regard to the religious |
| 36 | nature of any participant or nonpublic provider, notwithstanding |
| 37 | any other provision of this Article or the last sentence of |
| 38 | Section 3 of Article I of this constitution. |
| 39 |
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| 40 | Nothing in this section establishes a right to an education |
| 41 | program not provided by law. |
| 42 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be |
| 43 | placed on the ballot: |
| 44 | CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT |
| 45 | ARTICLE IX, SECTION 8 |
| 46 | EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO OBTAIN A HIGH QUALITY |
| 47 | EDUCATION.--Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to |
| 48 | provide that every child deserves an equal opportunity to obtain |
| 49 | a high quality education, regardless of his or her family's |
| 50 | income, religion, or race; to provide that funding for a high |
| 51 | quality public K-12 education through classroom instruction is |
| 52 | fundamental; to provide that to make adequate provision for a |
| 53 | high quality public K-12 education, the Legislature shall ensure |
| 54 | that funding provided for public schools shall primarily be used |
| 55 | for classroom instruction rather than administration; to provide |
| 56 | that classroom instruction and administration shall be defined |
| 57 | by law; to provide that students in prekindergarten through |
| 58 | college who have disabilities, are economically disadvantaged, |
| 59 | or meet other legislatively specified criteria may participate, |
| 60 | as provided by law, in education programs that include nonpublic |
| 61 | schools; to provide that the Legislature may enact and publicly |
| 62 | fund prekindergarten through college education programs, without |
| 63 | regard to the religious nature of any participant or nonpublic |
| 64 | provider, notwithstanding any other provision of this Article or |
| 65 | the last sentence of Section 3 of Article I of the State |
| 66 | Constitution; and to provide that this amendment to the State |
| 67 | Constitution does not establish a right to an education program |
| 68 | that is not provided by law. |