ENROLLED
2009 Legislature SB 1248, 1st Engrossed
20091248er
1
2 An act relating to public K-12 education; amending s.
3 1006.28, F.S.; deleting a provision that requires a
4 public school principal to collect 50 to 75 percent of
5 a textbook’s purchase price from a student who has
6 lost, destroyed, or damaged a textbook that has been
7 in use for more than 1 year; creating s. 1003.497,
8 F.S.; requiring the Department of Education to
9 encourage school districts to initiate, adopt, expand,
10 and institutionalize service-learning programs,
11 activities, and policies in kindergarten through grade
12 12; defining service learning; providing for
13 department assistance to a school district that
14 chooses to implement service-learning activities;
15 requiring development and adoption of service-learning
16 courses; authorizing service-learning activities to
17 count toward high school graduation or academic award
18 requirements; encouraging school districts to include
19 service learning as part of courses or activities
20 required for high school graduation or receipt of
21 academic awards; amending s. 1008.34, F.S.; revising
22 provisions relating to schools receiving a school
23 grade; amending s. 1012.985, F.S.; providing for
24 regional academies rather than a statewide system of
25 organization; providing duties of regional
26 professional development academies; deleting
27 provisions that require academies to meet certain
28 criteria in order to receive start-up funds;
29 specifying requirements for contracts between district
30 school boards and academies; deleting requirements
31 relating to first-year funding and academy financial
32 self-sufficiency in future years; authorizing the
33 academies to administer property and moneys received
34 from various sources; requiring that income generated
35 from certain activities be shared between the academy
36 and the district school board; providing an effective
37 date.
38
39 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
40
41 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
42 1006.28, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
43 1006.28 Duties of district school board, district school
44 superintendent; and school principal regarding K-12
45 instructional materials.—
46 (3) SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.—The school principal has the
47 following duties for the management and care of instructional
48 materials at the school:
49 (b) Money collected for lost or damaged books;
50 enforcement.—The school principal shall collect from each
51 student or the student’s parent the purchase price of any
52 instructional material the student has lost, destroyed, or
53 unnecessarily damaged and to report and transmit the money
54 collected to the district school superintendent. If
55 instructional materials lost, destroyed, or damaged have been in
56 school use for more than 1 year, a sum ranging between 50 and 75
57 percent of the purchase price of the book shall be collected,
58 determined by the physical condition of the book. The failure to
59 collect such sum upon reasonable effort by the school principal
60 may result in the suspension of the student from participation
61 in extracurricular activities or satisfaction of the debt by the
62 student through community service activities at the school site
63 as determined by the school principal, pursuant to policies
64 adopted by district school board rule.
65 Section 2. Section 1003.497, Florida Statutes, is created
66 to read:
67 1003.497 Service learning.—
68 (1) The Department of Education shall encourage school
69 districts to initiate, adopt, expand, and institutionalize
70 service-learning programs, activities, and policies in
71 kindergarten through grade 12. Service learning refers to a
72 student-centered, research-based teaching and learning strategy
73 that engages students in meaningful service activities in their
74 schools or communities. Service-learning activities are directly
75 tied to academic curricula, standards, and course, district, or
76 state assessments. Service-learning activities foster academic
77 achievement, character development, civic engagement, and career
78 exploration and enable students to apply curriculum content,
79 skills, and behaviors taught in the classroom.
80 (2) Upon request of any school district that chooses to
81 implement service-learning programs, activities, or policies,
82 the department shall provide assistance in locating, leveraging,
83 and utilizing available or alternative financial resources that
84 will assist school districts or teachers desiring to receive
85 training and other resources to develop and administer service
86 learning programs or activities. School districts are encouraged
87 to include kindergarten through grade 12 service-learning
88 programs and activities in proposals they submit to the
89 department under federal entitlement grants and competitive
90 state and federal grants administered through the department.
91 (3)(a) The department shall develop and adopt elective
92 service-learning courses for inclusion in middle and high school
93 course code directories, which will allow additional
94 opportunities for students to engage in service learning. School
95 districts are encouraged to provide support for the use of
96 service learning at any grade level as an instructional strategy
97 to address appropriate areas of state education standards for
98 student knowledge and performance.
99 (b) The hours that high school students devote to course
100 based service-learning activities may be counted toward meeting
101 community service requirements for high school graduation and
102 community service requirements for participation in the Florida
103 Bright Futures Scholarship Program. School districts are
104 encouraged to include service learning as part of any course or
105 activity required for high school graduation and to include and
106 accept service-learning activities and hours in requirements for
107 academic awards, especially those awards that currently include
108 community service as a criterion or selection factor.
109 Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section
110 1008.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
111 1008.34 School grading system; school report cards;
112 district grade.—
113 (3) DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL GRADES.—
114 (a) Each school that has students who are tested and
115 included in the school grading system shall receive a school
116 grade, except as follows:
117 1. A school shall not receive a school grade if the number
118 of its students tested and included in the school grading system
119 is less than the minimum sample size necessary, based on
120 accepted professional practice, for statistical reliability and
121 prevention of the unlawful release of personally identifiable
122 student data under s. 1002.22 or 20 U.S.C. s. 1232g.
123 2. An alternative school may choose to receive a school
124 grade under this section or a school improvement rating under s.
125 1008.341. For charter schools that meet the definition of an
126 alternative school pursuant to State Board of Education rule,
127 the decision to receive a school grade is the decision of the
128 charter school governing board.
129 3. A school that serves any combination of students in
130 kindergarten through grade 3 which does not receive a school
131 grade because its students are not tested and included in the
132 school grading system shall receive the school grade designation
133 of a K-3 feeder pattern school identified by the Department of
134 Education and verified by the school district. A school feeder
135 pattern exists if at least 60 percent of the students in the
136 school serving a combination of students in kindergarten through
137 grade 3 are scheduled to be assigned to the graded school.
138 Section 4. Section 1012.985, Florida Statutes, is amended
139 to read:
140 1012.985 Regional Statewide system for inservice
141 professional development academies.—
142 (1) The intent of this section is to facilitate establish a
143 statewide system of professional development that provides a
144 wide range of targeted inservice training to teachers, managers,
145 and administrative personnel which is designed to upgrade skills
146 and knowledge needed to attain reach world class standards in
147 education. The system shall consist of a network of professional
148 development academies that in each region of the state which are
149 operated in partnership with area business partners to develop
150 and deliver high-quality training programs for purchased by
151 school districts. Each regional professional development academy
152 must The academies shall be established to meet the human
153 resource development needs of professional educators, schools,
154 and school districts and shall. Funds appropriated for the
155 initiation of professional development academies shall be
156 allocated by the Commissioner of Education, unless otherwise
157 provided in an appropriations act. To be eligible for startup
158 funds, the academy must:
159 (a) Support Be established by the collaborative efforts of
160 one or more district school boards, members of the business
161 community, and the postsecondary educational institutions which
162 may award college credits for courses taught at the academy.
163 (b) Demonstrate the capacity to provide effective training
164 to improve teaching skills in the areas of elementary reading
165 and mathematics, the use of instructional technology, high
166 school algebra, and classroom management, and to deliver such
167 training using face-to-face, distance learning, and
168 individualized computer-based delivery systems.
169 (c) Propose a plan for responding in an effective and
170 timely manner to the professional development needs of teachers,
171 managers, administrative personnel, schools, and school
172 districts relating to improving student achievement and meeting
173 state and local education goals.
174 (b)(d) Demonstrate the ability to Provide high-quality
175 trainers and training and, appropriate followup and coaching for
176 all participants, and support school personnel in increasing
177 student achievement in positively impacting student performance.
178 (c)(e) Be operated under contract with its public partners.
179 Contracts between district school boards and each regional
180 professional development academy must require:
181 1. The academy’s independent board of directors to be
182 responsible for the prudent use of all public and private funds
183 and to ensure that those funds are used in accordance with
184 applicable laws, bylaws, and contractual agreements.
185 2. The academy to retain proper documentation evidencing
186 that district school board funds provided to the academy are
187 expended for authorized purposes as prescribed in the contract
188 and that services to district school boards are commensurate
189 with the funds paid to the academy for those services. The
190 academy’s records must be available for inspection by the
191 district school board’s internal auditor and the Auditor
192 General.
193 3. Each district school board to approve any participation
194 by the academy in the district’s programs or services, including
195 use of the district’s facilities, furnishings, equipment, other
196 chattels, personnel, or services.
197 4. The academy to provide an annual report of its
198 activities and expenditures to its independent board of
199 directors and each party to the contract.
200 5. The academy to be annually audited by an independent
201 certified public accountant retained and paid for by the academy
202 and to provide a copy of the audit report to each party to the
203 contract.
204 (d) Be and governed by an independent board of directors,
205 which should include at least one district school superintendent
206 and one district school board chair from the participating
207 school districts, the president of the collective bargaining
208 unit that represents the majority of the region’s teachers, and
209 at least three individuals who are not employees or elected or
210 appointed officials of the participating school districts.
211 Regional educational consortia as defined in s. 1001.451 satisfy
212 the requirements of this paragraph.
213 (f) Be financed during the first year of operation by an
214 equal or greater match from private funding sources and
215 demonstrate the ability to be self-supporting within 1 year
216 after opening through fees for services, grants, or private
217 contributions. Regional educational consortia as defined in s.
218 1001.451 which serve rural areas of critical economic concern
219 are exempt from the funding match required by this paragraph.
220 (g) Own or lease a facility that can be used to deliver
221 training onsite and through distance learning and other
222 technology-based delivery systems. The participating district
223 school boards may lease a site or facility to the academy for a
224 nominal fee and may pay all or part of the costs of renovating a
225 facility to accommodate the academy. The academy is responsible
226 for all operational, maintenance, and repair costs.
227 (e)(h) Provide professional development services for the
228 participating school districts as specified in the contract and
229 may provide professional development services to other school
230 districts, private schools, and individuals on a fee-for
231 services basis.
232 (2) Upon compliance with the requirements for the first
233 year of operation in paragraph (1)(f), A regional professional
234 development academy may:
235 (a) May Receive funds from the Department of Education or
236 as provided in the General Appropriations Act for the purpose of
237 developing programs, expanding services, assessing inservice
238 training and professional development, or other programs that
239 are consistent with the mission of the academy and the needs of
240 the state and region; and
241 (b) Receive, hold, invest, and administer property and any
242 moneys acquired from private, local, state, and federal sources,
243 as well as technical and professional income generated or
244 derived from activities of the academy, for the benefit of the
245 academy and the fulfillment of its mission. Income generated by
246 school district personnel at the academy from trademarks,
247 copyrights, and patents shall be shared between the academy and
248 the district school board as outlined in the contract.
249 (b) Is not, by virtue of providing services to one or more
250 school districts, a component of any school district or any
251 governmental unit to which the regional professional development
252 academy provides services.
253 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.