HB 0177CS

CHAMBER ACTION




1The PreK-12 Committee recommends the following:
2
3     Council/Committee Substitute
4     Remove the entire bill and insert:
5
A bill to be entitled
6An act relating to public K-12 education; amending s.
71001.42, F.S., relating to powers and duties of district
8school boards; providing a requirement relating to the
9opening date of the school year; amending s. 1011.60,
10F.S.; including the opening date requirement for
11participation in the Florida Education Finance Program;
12providing applicability beginning with the 2007-2008
13school year unless decision is made to apply beginning
14with the 2006-2007 school year; providing an effective
15date.
16
17Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19     Section 1.  Paragraph (f) of subsection (4) of section
201001.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
21     1001.42  Powers and duties of district school board.--The
22district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all
23powers and perform all duties listed below:
24     (4)  ESTABLISHMENT, ORGANIZATION, AND OPERATION OF
25SCHOOLS.--Adopt and provide for the execution of plans for the
26establishment, organization, and operation of the schools of the
27district, including, but not limited to, the following:
28     (f)  Opening and closing of schools; fixing uniform
29date.--Adopt policies for the opening and closing of schools and
30fix uniform dates provided that the opening date of the school
31year for schools in the district shall be no earlier than 7 days
32before Labor Day each year.
33     Section 2.  Subsection (2) of section 1011.60, Florida
34Statutes, is amended to read:
35     1011.60  Minimum requirements of the Florida Education
36Finance Program.--Each district which participates in the state
37appropriations for the Florida Education Finance Program shall
38provide evidence of its effort to maintain an adequate school
39program throughout the district and shall meet at least the
40following requirements:
41     (2)  MINIMUM TERM AND OPENING DATE.--Operate all schools
42for a term of at least 180 actual teaching days or the
43equivalent on an hourly basis as specified by rules of the State
44Board of Education each school year provided that the opening
45date of the term shall be no earlier than 7 days before Labor
46Day each year. The State Board of Education may prescribe
47procedures for altering, and, upon written application, may
48alter, this requirement during a national, state, or local
49emergency as it may apply to an individual school or schools in
50any district or districts if, in the opinion of the board, it is
51not feasible to make up lost days, and the apportionment may, at
52the discretion of the Commissioner of Education and if the board
53determines that the reduction of school days is caused by the
54existence of a bona fide emergency, be reduced for such district
55or districts in proportion to the decrease in the length of term
56in any such school or schools. A strike, as defined in s.
57447.203(6), by employees of the school district may not be
58considered an emergency.
59     Section 3.  The amendments to ss. 1001.42(4)(f) and
601011.60(2), Florida Statutes, by this act shall apply to school
61years beginning with the 2007-2008 school year unless a district
62school board decides to make such provisions applicable
63beginning with the 2006-2007 school year.
64     Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.


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