Florida Senate - 2009 CS for SB 2272
By the Committee on Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Wise
581-05225-09 20092272c1
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
6 professional development academies; deleting
7 provisions that require academies to meet certain
8 criteria in order to receive start-up funds;
9 specifying requirements for contracts between district
10 school boards and academies; deleting requirements
11 relating to first-year funding and academy financial
12 self-sufficiency in future years; authorizing the
13 academies to administer property and moneys received
14 from various sources; requiring that income generated
15 from certain activities be shared between the academy
16 and the district school board; providing an effective
17 date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Section 1012.985, Florida Statutes, is amended
22 to read:
23 1012.985 Regional Statewide system for inservice
24 professional development academies.—
25 (1) The intent of this section is to facilitate establish a
26 statewide system of professional development that provides a
27 wide range of targeted inservice training to teachers, managers,
28 and administrative personnel which is designed to upgrade skills
29 and knowledge needed to attain reach world class standards in
30 education. The system shall consist of a network of professional
31 development academies that in each region of the state which are
32 operated in partnership with area business partners to develop
33 and deliver high-quality training programs for purchased by
34 school districts. Each regional professional development academy
35 The academies shall be established to meet the human resource
36 development needs of professional educators, schools, and school
37 districts and shall. Funds appropriated for the initiation of
38 professional development academies shall be allocated by the
39 Commissioner of Education, unless otherwise provided in an
40 appropriations act. To be eligible for startup funds, the
41 academy must:
42 (a) Support Be established by the collaborative efforts of
43 one or more district school boards, members of the business
44 community, and the postsecondary educational institutions which
45 may award college credits for courses taught at the academy.
46 (b) Demonstrate the capacity to provide effective training
47 to improve teaching skills in the areas of elementary reading
48 and mathematics, the use of instructional technology, high
49 school algebra, and classroom management, and to deliver such
50 training using face-to-face, distance learning, and
51 individualized computer-based delivery systems.
52 (c) Propose a plan for responding in an effective and
53 timely manner to the professional development needs of teachers,
54 managers, administrative personnel, schools, and school
55 districts relating to improving student achievement and meeting
56 state and local education goals.
57 (b)(d) Demonstrate the ability to Provide high-quality
58 trainers and training and, appropriate followup and coaching for
59 all participants, and support school personnel in increasing
60 student achievement in positively impacting student performance.
61 (c)(e) Be operated under contract with its public partners.
62 Contracts between district school boards and each regional
63 professional development academy shall require:
64 1. The academy’s independent board of directors to be
65 responsible for the prudent use of all public and private funds
66 and to ensure that such funds are used in accordance with
67 applicable laws, bylaws, and contractual agreements.
68 2. The academy to retain proper documentation evidencing
69 that district school board funds provided to the academy are
70 expended for authorized purposes as prescribed in the contract
71 and that services to district school boards are commensurate to
72 the funds paid to the academy for such services. The academy’s
73 records shall be available for inspection by the district school
74 board’s internal auditor and the Auditor General.
75 3. Each district school board to approve any participation
76 by the academy in the district’s programs or services, including
77 use of the district’s facilities, furnishings, equipment, other
78 chattels, personnel, or services.
79 4. The academy to provide an annual report of its
80 activities and expenditures to its independent board of
81 directors and each party to the contract.
82 5. The academy to be annually audited by an independent
83 certified public accountant retained and paid for by the academy
84 and to provide a copy of the audit report to each party to the
85 contract.
86 (d) Be and governed by an independent board of directors,
87 which should include at least one district school superintendent
88 and one district school board chair from the participating
89 school districts, the president of the collective bargaining
90 unit that represents the majority of the region’s teachers, and
91 at least three individuals who are not employees or elected or
92 appointed officials of the participating school districts.
93 Regional educational consortia as defined in s. 1001.451 satisfy
94 the requirements of this paragraph.
95 (f) Be financed during the first year of operation by an
96 equal or greater match from private funding sources and
97 demonstrate the ability to be self-supporting within 1 year
98 after opening through fees for services, grants, or private
99 contributions. Regional educational consortia as defined in s.
100 1001.451 which serve rural areas of critical economic concern
101 are exempt from the funding match required by this paragraph.
102 (g) Own or lease a facility that can be used to deliver
103 training onsite and through distance learning and other
104 technology-based delivery systems. The participating district
105 school boards may lease a site or facility to the academy for a
106 nominal fee and may pay all or part of the costs of renovating a
107 facility to accommodate the academy. The academy is responsible
108 for all operational, maintenance, and repair costs.
109 (e)(h) Provide professional development services for the
110 participating school districts as specified in the contract and
111 may provide professional development services to other school
112 districts, private schools, and individuals on a fee-for
113 services basis.
114 (2) Upon compliance with the requirements for the first
115 year of operation in paragraph (1)(f), A regional professional
116 development academy may:
117 (a) May Receive funds from the Department of Education or
118 as provided in the General Appropriations Act for the purpose of
119 developing programs, expanding services, assessing inservice
120 training and professional development, or other programs that
121 are consistent with the mission of the academy and the needs of
122 the state and region; and
123 (b) Receive, hold, invest, and administer property and any
124 moneys acquired from private, local, state, and federal sources,
125 as well as technical and professional income generated or
126 derived from activities of the academy, for the benefit of the
127 academy and the fulfillment of its mission. Income generated by
128 school district personnel at the academy from trademarks,
129 copyrights, and patents shall be shared between the academy and
130 the district school board as outlined in the contract.
131 (b) Is not, by virtue of providing services to one or more
132 school districts, a component of any school district or any
133 governmental unit to which the regional professional development
134 academy provides services.
135 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.