| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to public school personnel; creating s. |
| 3 | 1012.221, F.S.; requiring minimum beginning and average |
| 4 | teacher salaries to be no less than the national average |
| 5 | by the 2010-2011 school year; providing requirements for |
| 6 | salary increases and responsibility for payment thereof; |
| 7 | providing an effective date. |
| 8 |
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| 9 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Section 1. Section 1012.221, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 12 | to read: |
| 13 | 1012.221 Minimum salaries for public school teachers.-- |
| 14 | (1) By the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year: |
| 15 | (a) The beginning salary for full-time public school |
| 16 | teachers shall be no less than the national average beginning |
| 17 | salary for full-time public school teachers as determined by the |
| 18 | United States Department of Education. |
| 19 | (b) The average salary for full-time public school |
| 20 | teachers shall be no less than the national average salary for |
| 21 | full-time public school teachers as determined by the United |
| 22 | States Department of Education. |
| 23 | (2) Increases in the beginning and the average full-time |
| 24 | public school teacher salaries shall be independent of employee |
| 25 | benefits and shall not alter, jeopardize, or decrease existing |
| 26 | employee benefits. Payment of the costs associated with |
| 27 | increasing beginning and average teacher salaries is the |
| 28 | responsibility of the state and not of school districts. Nothing |
| 29 | in this section shall impair collective bargaining. |
| 30 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |