| 1 | The PreK-12 Committee recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Council/Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | A bill to be entitled |
| 6 | An act relating to public K-12 education; amending s. |
| 7 | 1001.42, F.S., relating to powers and duties of district |
| 8 | school boards; providing a requirement relating to the |
| 9 | opening date of the school year; amending s. 1011.60, |
| 10 | F.S.; including the opening date requirement for |
| 11 | participation in the Florida Education Finance Program; |
| 12 | providing applicability beginning with the 2007-2008 |
| 13 | school year unless decision is made to apply beginning |
| 14 | with the 2006-2007 school year; providing an effective |
| 15 | date. |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Section 1. Paragraph (f) of subsection (4) of section |
| 20 | 1001.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 21 | 1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.--The |
| 22 | district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all |
| 23 | powers and perform all duties listed below: |
| 24 | (4) ESTABLISHMENT, ORGANIZATION, AND OPERATION OF |
| 25 | SCHOOLS.--Adopt and provide for the execution of plans for the |
| 26 | establishment, organization, and operation of the schools of the |
| 27 | district, including, but not limited to, the following: |
| 28 | (f) Opening and closing of schools; fixing uniform |
| 29 | date.--Adopt policies for the opening and closing of schools and |
| 30 | fix uniform dates provided that the opening date of the school |
| 31 | year for schools in the district shall be no earlier than 7 days |
| 32 | before Labor Day each year. |
| 33 | Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 1011.60, Florida |
| 34 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 35 | 1011.60 Minimum requirements of the Florida Education |
| 36 | Finance Program.--Each district which participates in the state |
| 37 | appropriations for the Florida Education Finance Program shall |
| 38 | provide evidence of its effort to maintain an adequate school |
| 39 | program throughout the district and shall meet at least the |
| 40 | following requirements: |
| 41 | (2) MINIMUM TERM AND OPENING DATE.--Operate all schools |
| 42 | for a term of at least 180 actual teaching days or the |
| 43 | equivalent on an hourly basis as specified by rules of the State |
| 44 | Board of Education each school year provided that the opening |
| 45 | date of the term shall be no earlier than 7 days before Labor |
| 46 | Day each year. The State Board of Education may prescribe |
| 47 | procedures for altering, and, upon written application, may |
| 48 | alter, this requirement during a national, state, or local |
| 49 | emergency as it may apply to an individual school or schools in |
| 50 | any district or districts if, in the opinion of the board, it is |
| 51 | not feasible to make up lost days, and the apportionment may, at |
| 52 | the discretion of the Commissioner of Education and if the board |
| 53 | determines that the reduction of school days is caused by the |
| 54 | existence of a bona fide emergency, be reduced for such district |
| 55 | or districts in proportion to the decrease in the length of term |
| 56 | in any such school or schools. A strike, as defined in s. |
| 57 | 447.203(6), by employees of the school district may not be |
| 58 | considered an emergency. |
| 59 | Section 3. The amendments to ss. 1001.42(4)(f) and |
| 60 | 1011.60(2), Florida Statutes, by this act shall apply to school |
| 61 | years beginning with the 2007-2008 school year unless a district |
| 62 | school board decides to make such provisions applicable |
| 63 | beginning with the 2006-2007 school year. |
| 64 | Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |