CS/HB 1227

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to regional professional development
3	academies; amending s. 1012.985, F.S.; providing for
4	regional academies rather than a statewide system of
5	organization; providing duties of regional professional
6	development academies; deleting provisions that require
7	academies to meet certain criteria in order to receive
8	start-up funds; specifying requirements for contracts
9	between district school boards and academies; deleting
10	requirements relating to first-year funding and academy
11	financial self-sufficiency in future years; authorizing
12	the academies to administer property and moneys received
13	from various sources; requiring that income generated from
14	certain activities be shared between the academy and the
15	district school board; providing an effective date.
16
17	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19	Section 1.  Section 1012.985, Florida Statutes, is amended
20	to read:
21	1012.985  Regional Statewide system for inservice
22	professional development academies.--
23	(1)  The intent of this section is to facilitate establish
24	a statewide system of professional development that provides a
25	wide range of targeted inservice training to teachers, managers,
26	and administrative personnel which is designed to upgrade skills
27	and knowledge needed to attain reach world class standards in
28	education. The system shall consist of a network of professional
29	development academies that in each region of the state which are
30	operated in partnership with area business partners to develop
31	and deliver high-quality training programs for purchased by
32	school districts. Each regional professional development academy
33	The academies shall be established to meet the human resource
34	development needs of professional educators, schools, and school
35	districts and shall. Funds appropriated for the initiation of
36	professional development academies shall be allocated by the
37	Commissioner of Education, unless otherwise provided in an
38	appropriations act. To be eligible for startup funds, the
39	academy must:
40	(a)  Support Be established by the collaborative efforts of
41	one or more district school boards, members of the business
42	community, and the postsecondary educational institutions which
43	may award college credits for courses taught at the academy.
44	(b)  Demonstrate the capacity to provide effective training
45	to improve teaching skills in the areas of elementary reading
46	and mathematics, the use of instructional technology, high
47	school algebra, and classroom management, and to deliver such
48	training using face-to-face, distance learning, and
49	individualized computer-based delivery systems.
50	(c)  Propose a plan for responding in an effective and
51	timely manner to the professional development needs of teachers,
52	managers, administrative personnel, schools, and school
53	districts relating to improving student achievement and meeting
54	state and local education goals.
55	(b)(d)  Demonstrate the ability to Provide high-quality
56	trainers and training and, appropriate followup and coaching for
57	all participants, and support school personnel in increasing
58	student achievement in positively impacting student performance.
59	(c)(e)  Be operated under contract with its public
60	partners. Contracts between district school boards and each
61	regional professional development academy shall require:
62	1.  The academy's independent board of directors to be
63	responsible for the prudent use of all public and private funds
64	and to ensure that such funds are used in accordance with
65	applicable laws, bylaws, and contractual agreements.
66	2.  The academy to retain proper documentation evidencing
67	that district school board funds provided to the academy are
68	expended for authorized purposes as prescribed in the contract
69	and that services to district school boards are commensurate to
70	the funds paid to the academy for such services. The academy's
71	records shall be available for inspection by the district school
72	board's internal auditor and the Auditor General.
73	3.  Each district school board to approve any participation
74	by the academy in the district's programs or services, including
75	use of the district's facilities, furnishings, equipment, other
76	chattels, personnel, or services.
77	4.  The academy to provide an annual report of its
78	activities and expenditures to its independent board of
79	directors and each party to the contract.
80	5.  The academy to be annually audited by an independent
81	certified public accountant retained and paid for by the academy
82	and to provide a copy of the audit report to each party to the
83	contract.
84	(d)  Be and governed by an independent board of directors,
85	which should include at least one district school superintendent
86	and one district school board chair from the participating
87	school districts, the president of the collective bargaining
88	unit that represents the majority of the region's teachers, and
89	at least three individuals who are not employees or elected or
90	appointed officials of the participating school districts.
91	Regional educational consortia as defined in s. 1001.451 satisfy
92	the requirements of this paragraph.
93	(f)  Be financed during the first year of operation by an
94	equal or greater match from private funding sources and
95	demonstrate the ability to be self-supporting within 1 year
96	after opening through fees for services, grants, or private
97	contributions. Regional educational consortia as defined in s.
98	1001.451 which serve rural areas of critical economic concern
99	are exempt from the funding match required by this paragraph.
100	(g)  Own or lease a facility that can be used to deliver
101	training onsite and through distance learning and other
102	technology-based delivery systems. The participating district
103	school boards may lease a site or facility to the academy for a
104	nominal fee and may pay all or part of the costs of renovating a
105	facility to accommodate the academy. The academy is responsible
106	for all operational, maintenance, and repair costs.
107	(e)(h)  Provide professional development services for the
108	participating school districts as specified in the contract and
109	may provide professional development services to other school
110	districts, private schools, and individuals on a fee-for-
111	services basis.
112	(2)  Upon compliance with the requirements for the first
113	year of operation in paragraph (1)(f), A regional professional
114	development academy may:
115	(a)  May Receive funds from the Department of Education or
116	as provided in the General Appropriations Act for the purpose of
117	developing programs, expanding services, assessing inservice
118	training and professional development, or other programs that
119	are consistent with the mission of the academy and the needs of
120	the state and region; and
121	(b)  Receive, hold, invest, and administer property and any
122	moneys acquired from private, local, state, and federal sources,
123	as well as technical and professional income generated or
124	derived from activities of the academy, for the benefit of the
125	academy and the fulfillment of its mission. Income generated by
126	school district personnel at the academy from trademarks,
127	copyrights, and patents shall be shared between the academy and
128	the district school board as outlined in the contract.
129	(b)  Is not, by virtue of providing services to one or more
130	school districts, a component of any school district or any
131	governmental unit to which the regional professional development
132	academy provides services.
133	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.

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