Florida Senate - 2009                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1248
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 139928                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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                Floor: 3/AD/RM         .            Floor: C            
             05/01/2009 03:28 PM       .      05/01/2009 05:52 PM       
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       Senator Wise moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Substitute for Amendment (529256) to Amendment (with
    2  title amendment)
    3  
    4         After line 435
    5  insert:
    6         Section 8. Section 1012.985, Florida Statutes, is amended
    7  to read:
    8         1012.985 Regional Statewide system for inservice
    9  professional development academies.—
   10         (1) The intent of this section is to facilitate establish a
   11  statewide system of professional development that provides a
   12  wide range of targeted inservice training to teachers, managers,
   13  and administrative personnel which is designed to upgrade skills
   14  and knowledge needed to attain reach world class standards in
   15  education. The system shall consist of a network of professional
   16  development academies that in each region of the state which are
   17  operated in partnership with area business partners to develop
   18  and deliver high-quality training programs for purchased by
   19  school districts. Each regional professional development academy
   20  must The academies shall be established to meet the human
   21  resource development needs of professional educators, schools,
   22  and school districts and shall. Funds appropriated for the
   23  initiation of professional development academies shall be
   24  allocated by the Commissioner of Education, unless otherwise
   25  provided in an appropriations act. To be eligible for startup
   26  funds, the academy must:
   27         (a) Support Be established by the collaborative efforts of
   28  one or more district school boards, members of the business
   29  community, and the postsecondary educational institutions which
   30  may award college credits for courses taught at the academy.
   31         (b)Demonstrate the capacity to provide effective training
   32  to improve teaching skills in the areas of elementary reading
   33  and mathematics, the use of instructional technology, high
   34  school algebra, and classroom management, and to deliver such
   35  training using face-to-face, distance learning, and
   36  individualized computer-based delivery systems.
   37         (c)Propose a plan for responding in an effective and
   38  timely manner to the professional development needs of teachers,
   39  managers, administrative personnel, schools, and school
   40  districts relating to improving student achievement and meeting
   41  state and local education goals.
   42         (b)(d)Demonstrate the ability to Provide high-quality
   43  trainers and training and, appropriate followup and coaching for
   44  all participants, and support school personnel in increasing
   45  student achievement in positively impacting student performance.
   46         (c)(e) Be operated under contract with its public partners.
   47  Contracts between district school boards and each regional
   48  professional development academy must require:
   49         1.The academy’s independent board of directors to be
   50  responsible for the prudent use of all public and private funds
   51  and to ensure that those funds are used in accordance with
   52  applicable laws, bylaws, and contractual agreements.
   53         2.The academy to retain proper documentation evidencing
   54  that district school board funds provided to the academy are
   55  expended for authorized purposes as prescribed in the contract
   56  and that services to district school boards are commensurate
   57  with the funds paid to the academy for those services. The
   58  academy’s records must be available for inspection by the
   59  district school board’s internal auditor and the Auditor
   60  General.
   61         3.Each district school board to approve any participation
   62  by the academy in the district’s programs or services, including
   63  use of the district’s facilities, furnishings, equipment, other
   64  chattels, personnel, or services.
   65         4.The academy to provide an annual report of its
   66  activities and expenditures to its independent board of
   67  directors and each party to the contract.
   68         5.The academy to be annually audited by an independent
   69  certified public accountant retained and paid for by the academy
   70  and to provide a copy of the audit report to each party to the
   71  contract.
   72         (d)Be and governed by an independent board of directors,
   73  which should include at least one district school superintendent
   74  and one district school board chair from the participating
   75  school districts, the president of the collective bargaining
   76  unit that represents the majority of the region’s teachers, and
   77  at least three individuals who are not employees or elected or
   78  appointed officials of the participating school districts.
   79  Regional educational consortia as defined in s. 1001.451 satisfy
   80  the requirements of this paragraph.
   81         (f)Be financed during the first year of operation by an
   82  equal or greater match from private funding sources and
   83  demonstrate the ability to be self-supporting within 1 year
   84  after opening through fees for services, grants, or private
   85  contributions. Regional educational consortia as defined in s.
   86  1001.451 which serve rural areas of critical economic concern
   87  are exempt from the funding match required by this paragraph.
   88         (g)Own or lease a facility that can be used to deliver
   89  training onsite and through distance learning and other
   90  technology-based delivery systems. The participating district
   91  school boards may lease a site or facility to the academy for a
   92  nominal fee and may pay all or part of the costs of renovating a
   93  facility to accommodate the academy. The academy is responsible
   94  for all operational, maintenance, and repair costs.
   95         (e)(h) Provide professional development services for the
   96  participating school districts as specified in the contract and
   97  may provide professional development services to other school
   98  districts, private schools, and individuals on a fee-for
   99  services basis.
  100         (2) Upon compliance with the requirements for the first
  101  year of operation in paragraph (1)(f), A regional professional
  102  development academy may:
  103         (a) May Receive funds from the Department of Education or
  104  as provided in the General Appropriations Act for the purpose of
  105  developing programs, expanding services, assessing inservice
  106  training and professional development, or other programs that
  107  are consistent with the mission of the academy and the needs of
  108  the state and region; and
  109         (b)Receive, hold, invest, and administer property and any
  110  moneys acquired from private, local, state, and federal sources,
  111  as well as technical and professional income generated or
  112  derived from activities of the academy, for the benefit of the
  113  academy and the fulfillment of its mission. Income generated by
  114  school district personnel at the academy from trademarks,
  115  copyrights, and patents shall be shared between the academy and
  116  the district school board as outlined in the contract.
  117         (b)Is not, by virtue of providing services to one or more
  118  school districts, a component of any school district or any
  119  governmental unit to which the regional professional development
  120  academy provides services.
  121  
  122  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  123         And the title is amended as follows:
  124         Delete line 471
  125  and insert:
  126  relating to schools receiving a school grade; amending s.
  127  1012.985, F.S.; providing for regional academies rather than a
  128  statewide system of organization; providing duties of regional
  129  professional development academies; deleting provisions that
  130  require academies to meet certain criteria in order to receive
  131  start-up funds; specifying requirements for contracts between
  132  district school boards and academies; deleting requirements
  133  relating to first-year funding and academy financial self
  134  sufficiency in future years; authorizing the academies to
  135  administer property and moneys received from various sources;
  136  requiring that income generated from certain activities be
  137  shared between the academy and the district school board;
  138  providing an