Florida Senate - 2009                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. HB 7087, 2nd Eng.
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 409290                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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                 Floor: WD/2R          .                                
             04/30/2009 02:06 PM       .                                
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       Senator Wise moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (413008) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Between lines 263 and 264
    5  insert:
    6         Section 9. 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  The academies shall be established to meet the human resource
   21  development needs of professional educators, schools, and school
   22  districts and shall. Funds appropriated for the initiation of
   23  professional development academies shall be allocated by the
   24  Commissioner of Education, unless otherwise provided in an
   25  appropriations act. To be eligible for startup funds, the
   26  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 shall 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 such 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 to
   57  the funds paid to the academy for such services. The academy’s
   58  records shall be available for inspection by the district school
   59  board’s internal auditor and the Auditor General.
   60         3.Each district school board to approve any participation
   61  by the academy in the district’s programs or services, including
   62  use of the district’s facilities, furnishings, equipment, other
   63  chattels, personnel, or services.
   64         4.The academy to provide an annual report of its
   65  activities and expenditures to its independent board of
   66  directors and each party to the contract.
   67         5.The academy to be annually audited by an independent
   68  certified public accountant retained and paid for by the academy
   69  and to provide a copy of the audit report to each party to the
   70  contract.
   71         (d)Be and governed by an independent board of directors,
   72  which should include at least one district school superintendent
   73  and one district school board chair from the participating
   74  school districts, the president of the collective bargaining
   75  unit that represents the majority of the region’s teachers, and
   76  at least three individuals who are not employees or elected or
   77  appointed officials of the participating school districts.
   78  Regional educational consortia as defined in s. 1001.451 satisfy
   79  the requirements of this paragraph.
   80         (f) Be financed during the first year of operation by an
   81  equal or greater match from private funding sources and
   82  demonstrate the ability to be self-supporting within 1 year
   83  after opening through fees for services, grants, or private
   84  contributions. Regional educational consortia as defined in s.
   85  1001.451 which serve rural areas of critical economic concern
   86  are exempt from the funding match required by this paragraph.
   87         (g) Own or lease a facility that can be used to deliver
   88  training onsite and through distance learning and other
   89  technology-based delivery systems. The participating district
   90  school boards may lease a site or facility to the academy for a
   91  nominal fee and may pay all or part of the costs of renovating a
   92  facility to accommodate the academy. The academy is responsible
   93  for all operational, maintenance, and repair costs.
   94         (e)(h) Provide professional development services for the
   95  participating school districts as specified in the contract and
   96  may provide professional development services to other school
   97  districts, private schools, and individuals on a fee-for
   98  services basis.
   99         (2) Upon compliance with the requirements for the first
  100  year of operation in paragraph (1)(f), A regional professional
  101  development academy may:
  102         (a) May Receive funds from the Department of Education or
  103  as provided in the General Appropriations Act for the purpose of
  104  developing programs, expanding services, assessing inservice
  105  training and professional development, or other programs that
  106  are consistent with the mission of the academy and the needs of
  107  the state and region; and
  108         (b)Receive, hold, invest, and administer property and any
  109  moneys acquired from private, local, state, and federal sources,
  110  as well as technical and professional income generated or
  111  derived from activities of the academy, for the benefit of the
  112  academy and the fulfillment of its mission. Income generated by
  113  school district personnel at the academy from trademarks,
  114  copyrights, and patents shall be shared between the academy and
  115  the district school board as outlined in the contract.
  116         (b)Is not, by virtue of providing services to one or more
  117  school districts, a component of any school district or any
  118  governmental unit to which the regional professional development
  119  academy provides services.
  120  
  121  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  122         And the title is amended as follows:
  123         Delete line 307
  124  and insert:
  125         amending s. 1012.985, F.S.; providing for regional
  126         academies rather than a statewide system of
  127         organization; providing duties of regional
  128         professional development academies; deleting
  129         provisions that require academies to meet certain
  130         criteria in order to receive start-up funds;
  131         specifying requirements for contracts between district
  132         school boards and academies; deleting requirements
  133         relating to first-year funding and academy financial
  134         self-sufficiency in future years; authorizing the
  135         academies to administer property and moneys received
  136         from various sources; requiring that income generated
  137         from certain activities be shared between the academy
  138         and the district school board; providing an effective
  139         date.