Florida Senate - 2009 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. SJR 1828
Barcode 301412
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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Senator Bullard moved the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with ballot amendment)
2
3 Delete lines 15 - 88
4 and insert:
5 ARTICLE IX
6 EDUCATION
7 SECTION 1. Public education.—
8 (a) The education of children is a fundamental value of the
9 people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a paramount
10 duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education
11 of all children residing within its borders. Adequate provision
12 shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and
13 high quality system of free public schools that allows students
14 to obtain a high quality education and for the establishment,
15 maintenance, and operation of institutions of higher learning
16 and other public education programs that the needs of the people
17 may require. To assure that children attending public schools
18 obtain a high quality education, the legislature shall make
19 adequate provision to ensure that, by the beginning of the 2010
20 2011 2010 school year and for each school year thereafter, there
21 are a sufficient number of classrooms so that:
22 (1) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
23 teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for
24 prekindergarten through grade 3 does not exceed 18 students;
25 (2) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
26 teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for grades 4
27 through 8 does not exceed 22 students; and
28 (3) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
29 teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for grades 9
30 through 12 does not exceed 25 students.
31 (b) Upon confirmation that schools have met the class size
32 requirements of subsection (a) through the October student
33 membership survey each year, schools may exceed these
34 requirements in the event of unexpected student enrollment
35 growth with the following restrictions:
36 (1) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
37 teacher in an individual classroom for prekindergarten through
38 grade 3 does not exceed 21 students;
39 (2) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
40 teacher in an individual classroom for grades 4 through 8 does
41 not exceed 27 students; and
42 (3) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each
43 teacher in an individual classroom for grades 9 through 12 does
44 not exceed 30 students.
45
46 The class size requirements of subsections (a) and (b) this
47 subsection do not apply to extracurricular or virtual classes.
48 Payment of the costs associated with reducing class size to meet
49 these requirements is the responsibility of the state and not of
50 local school schools districts. Beginning with the 2003-2004
51 fiscal year, The legislature shall provide sufficient funds to
52 maintain reduce the average number of students required by
53 subsections (a) and (b) in each classroom by at least two
54 students per year until the maximum number of students per
55 classroom does not exceed the requirements of this subsection.
56 (c)(b) Every four-year old child in Florida shall be
57 provided by the State a high quality prekindergarten pre
58 kindergarten learning opportunity in the form of an early
59 childhood development and education program which shall be
60 voluntary, high quality, free, and delivered according to
61 professionally accepted standards. An early childhood
62 development and education program means an organized program
63 designed to address and enhance each child's ability to make age
64 appropriate progress in an appropriate range of settings in the
65 development of language and cognitive capabilities and
66 emotional, social, regulatory, and moral capacities through
67 education in basic skills and such other skills as the
68 Legislature may determine to be appropriate.
69 (d)(c) The early childhood education and development
70 programs provided by reason of subsection (c) subparagraph (b)
71 shall be implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005
72 school year through funds generated in addition to those used
73 for existing education, health, and development programs.
74 Existing education, health, and development programs are those
75 funded by the State as of January 1, 2002, that provided for
76 child or adult education, health care, or development.
77 ARTICLE XII
78 SCHEDULE
79 SECTION 31. Class size requirements for public schools.—The
80 amendment to Section 1 of Article IX, which provides flexibility
81 for schools to meet class size requirements for public schools
82 due to unexpected student growth after the October student
83 membership survey, and this section shall take effect upon
84 approval by the electors and shall operate retroactively to the
85 beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.
86
87
88 ====== B A L L O T S T A T E M E N T A M E N D M E N T ======
89 And the ballot statement is amended as follows:
90 Delete lines 89 - 110
91 and insert:
92 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be 90
93 placed on the ballot:
94 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
95 ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1
96 ARTICLE XII, SECTION 31
97 REVISION OF THE CLASS SIZE REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC
98 SCHOOLS.—Proposes amendment of the State Constitution to provide
99 flexibility for schools to meet class size requirements for
100 public schools due to unexpected student growth after the
101 October student membership survey. For public school classrooms
102 for prekindergarten through grade 3, for grades 4 through 8, and
103 for grades 9 through 12, upon confirmation that a school has met
104 class size requirements through the October student membership
105 survey, provides a limit on the maximum number of students who
106 may be assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom.
107 Provides that class size requirements do not apply to virtual
108 classes. Modifies requirements for funding to require that the
109 Legislature provide sufficient funds to maintain class size
110 requirements. Clarifies that class size requirements apply by
111 the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year and for each school
112 year thereafter. Schedules these revisions to take effect upon
113 approval by the electors of this state and to operate
114 retroactively to the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.
115