Senate Bill sb1710

    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1710

    By Senator Wise





    5-1217-06                                               See HB

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to regional consortium service

  3         organizations; amending s. 1001.451, F.S.;

  4         requiring the determination of services and use

  5         of funds to be established by the board of

  6         directors of a regional consortium service

  7         organization; authorizing establishment of

  8         purchasing and bidding programs in lieu of

  9         individual school district bid arrangements;

10         authorizing establishment of an educational

11         foundation governed by an educational

12         foundation board of directors; providing for

13         use of property, facilities, and personnel

14         services by an educational foundation;

15         requiring audits; providing an effective date.

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

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19         Section 1.  Section 1001.451, Florida Statutes, is

20  amended to read:

21         1001.451  Regional consortium service

22  organizations.--In order to provide a full range of programs

23  to larger numbers of students, minimize duplication of

24  services, and encourage the development of new programs and

25  services:

26         (1)  School districts with 20,000 or fewer unweighted

27  full-time equivalent students, developmental research

28  (laboratory) schools established pursuant to s. 1002.32, and

29  the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind may enter into

30  cooperative agreements to form a regional consortium service

31  organization. Each regional consortium service organization

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1710
    5-1217-06                                               See HB




 1  shall provide, at a minimum, three of the following services:

 2  exceptional student education; teacher education centers;

 3  environmental education; federal grant procurement and

 4  coordination; data processing; health insurance; risk

 5  management insurance; staff development; purchasing; or

 6  planning and accountability.

 7         (2)(a)  Each regional consortium service organization

 8  that consists of four or more school districts is eligible to

 9  receive, through the Department of Education, an incentive

10  grant of $50,000 per school district and eligible member to be

11  used for the delivery of services within the participating

12  school districts. The determination of services and use of

13  such funds shall be established by the board of directors of

14  the regional consortium service organization.

15         (b)  Application for incentive grants shall be made to

16  the Commissioner of Education by July 30 of each year for

17  distribution to qualifying regional consortium service

18  organizations by January 1 of the fiscal year.

19         (3)  In order to economically provide programs and

20  services to participating school districts and members, a

21  regional consortium service organization may establish

22  purchasing and bidding programs, including construction and

23  construction management arrangements, in lieu of individual

24  school district bid arrangements. Participation in regional

25  consortium service organization bids shall be accomplished by

26  action of an individual district school board through a letter

27  of intent to participate and shall be reflected in official

28  district school board minutes.

29         (4)  A regional consortium service organization board

30  of directors may elect to establish an educational foundation

31  independent of the regional consortium service organization's

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1710
    5-1217-06                                               See HB




 1  school district of record to be governed by an educational

 2  foundation board of directors. The educational foundation must

 3  be a Florida not-for-profit corporation incorporated under the

 4  provisions of chapter 617 and approved by the Department of

 5  State. A regional consortium service organization board of

 6  directors may permit the use of property, facilities, and

 7  personnel services of the regional consortium service

 8  organization by an approved educational foundation. An

 9  approved educational foundation with more than $100,000 in

10  expenditures or expenses must provide for an annual financial

11  audit of its accounts and records to be conducted by an

12  independent certified public accountant. The annual audit

13  report shall be submitted within 9 months after the end of the

14  fiscal year to the educational foundation board of directors

15  and the regional consortium service organization board of

16  directors.

17         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

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