Senate Bill sb0306

    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 306

    By Senator Margolis





    35-408-06                                           See HB 177

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to public K-12 education;

  3         amending s. 1001.42, F.S., relating to powers

  4         and duties of district school boards; providing

  5         a requirement relating to the opening date of

  6         the school year; amending s. 1011.60, F.S.;

  7         including the opening date requirement for

  8         participation in the Florida Education Finance

  9         Program; providing an effective date.

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

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13         Section 1.  Paragraph (f) of subsection (4) of section

14  1001.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

15         1001.42  Powers and duties of district school

16  board.--The district school board, acting as a board, shall

17  exercise all powers and perform all duties listed below:

18         (4)  ESTABLISHMENT, ORGANIZATION, AND OPERATION OF

19  SCHOOLS.--Adopt and provide for the execution of plans for the

20  establishment, organization, and operation of the schools of

21  the district, including, but not limited to, the following:

22         (f)  Opening and closing of schools; fixing uniform

23  date.--Adopt policies for the opening and closing of schools

24  and fix uniform dates provided that the opening date of the

25  school year for schools in the district shall be no earlier

26  than 7 days before Labor Day each year.

27         Section 2.  Subsection (2) of section 1011.60, Florida

28  Statutes, is amended to read:

29         1011.60  Minimum requirements of the Florida Education

30  Finance Program.--Each district which participates in the

31  state appropriations for the Florida Education Finance Program

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 306
    35-408-06                                           See HB 177




 1  shall provide evidence of its effort to maintain an adequate

 2  school program throughout the district and shall meet at least

 3  the following requirements:

 4         (2)  MINIMUM TERM AND OPENING DATE.--Operate all

 5  schools for a term of at least 180 actual teaching days or the

 6  equivalent on an hourly basis as specified by rules of the

 7  State Board of Education each school year provided that the

 8  opening date of the term shall be no earlier than 7 days

 9  before Labor Day each year. The State Board of Education may

10  prescribe procedures for altering, and, upon written

11  application, may alter, this requirement during a national,

12  state, or local emergency as it may apply to an individual

13  school or schools in any district or districts if, in the

14  opinion of the board, it is not feasible to make up lost days,

15  and the apportionment may, at the discretion of the

16  Commissioner of Education and if the board determines that the

17  reduction of school days is caused by the existence of a bona

18  fide emergency, be reduced for such district or districts in

19  proportion to the decrease in the length of term in any such

20  school or schools. A strike, as defined in s. 447.203(6), by

21  employees of the school district may not be considered an

22  emergency.

23         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

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