Florida Senate - 2009                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. HB 7087, 2nd Eng.
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 876844                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
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       Senator Wise moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 1752 and 1753
    4  insert:
    5         Section 23.  Section 1012.985, Florida Statutes, is amended
    6  to read:
    7         1012.985 Regional Statewide system for inservice
    8  professional development academies.—
    9         (1) The intent of this section is to facilitate establish a
   10  statewide system of professional development that provides a
   11  wide range of targeted inservice training to teachers, managers,
   12  and administrative personnel which is designed to upgrade skills
   13  and knowledge needed to attain reach world class standards in
   14  education. The system shall consist of a network of professional
   15  development academies that in each region of the state which are
   16  operated in partnership with area business partners to develop
   17  and deliver high-quality training programs for purchased by
   18  school districts. Each regional professional development academy
   19  The academies shall be established to meet the human resource
   20  development needs of professional educators, schools, and school
   21  districts and shall. Funds appropriated for the initiation of
   22  professional development academies shall be allocated by the
   23  Commissioner of Education, unless otherwise provided in an
   24  appropriations act. To be eligible for startup funds, the
   25  academy must:
   26         (a) Support Be established by the collaborative efforts of
   27  one or more district school boards, members of the business
   28  community, and the postsecondary educational institutions which
   29  may award college credits for courses taught at the academy.
   30         (b)Demonstrate the capacity to provide effective training
   31  to improve teaching skills in the areas of elementary reading
   32  and mathematics, the use of instructional technology, high
   33  school algebra, and classroom management, and to deliver such
   34  training using face-to-face, distance learning, and
   35  individualized computer-based delivery systems.
   36         (c)Propose a plan for responding in an effective and
   37  timely manner to the professional development needs of teachers,
   38  managers, administrative personnel, schools, and school
   39  districts relating to improving student achievement and meeting
   40  state and local education goals.
   41         (b)(d)Demonstrate the ability to Provide high-quality
   42  trainers and training and, appropriate followup and coaching for
   43  all participants, and support school personnel in increasing
   44  student achievement in positively impacting student performance.
   45         (c)(e) Be operated under contract with its public partners.
   46  Contracts between district school boards and each regional
   47  professional development academy shall require:
   48         1.The academy’s independent board of directors to be
   49  responsible for the prudent use of all public and private funds
   50  and to ensure that such funds are used in accordance with
   51  applicable laws, bylaws, and contractual agreements.
   52         2.The academy to retain proper documentation evidencing
   53  that district school board funds provided to the academy are
   54  expended for authorized purposes as prescribed in the contract
   55  and that services to district school boards are commensurate to
   56  the funds paid to the academy for such services. The academy’s
   57  records shall be available for inspection by the district school
   58  board’s internal auditor and the Auditor General.
   59         3.Each district school board to approve any participation
   60  by the academy in the district’s programs or services, including
   61  use of the district’s facilities, furnishings, equipment, other
   62  chattels, personnel, or services.
   63         4.The academy to provide an annual report of its
   64  activities and expenditures to its independent board of
   65  directors and each party to the contract.
   66         5.The academy to be annually audited by an independent
   67  certified public accountant retained and paid for by the academy
   68  and to provide a copy of the audit report to each party to the
   69  contract.
   70         (d)Be and governed by an independent board of directors,
   71  which should include at least one district school superintendent
   72  and one district school board chair from the participating
   73  school districts, the president of the collective bargaining
   74  unit that represents the majority of the region’s teachers, and
   75  at least three individuals who are not employees or elected or
   76  appointed officials of the participating school districts.
   77  Regional educational consortia as defined in s. 1001.451 satisfy
   78  the requirements of this paragraph.
   79         (f)Be financed during the first year of operation by an
   80  equal or greater match from private funding sources and
   81  demonstrate the ability to be self-supporting within 1 year
   82  after opening through fees for services, grants, or private
   83  contributions. Regional educational consortia as defined in s.
   84  1001.451 which serve rural areas of critical economic concern
   85  are exempt from the funding match required by this paragraph.
   86         (g)Own or lease a facility that can be used to deliver
   87  training onsite and through distance learning and other
   88  technology-based delivery systems. The participating district
   89  school boards may lease a site or facility to the academy for a
   90  nominal fee and may pay all or part of the costs of renovating a
   91  facility to accommodate the academy. The academy is responsible
   92  for all operational, maintenance, and repair costs.
   93         (e)(h) Provide professional development services for the
   94  participating school districts as specified in the contract and
   95  may provide professional development services to other school
   96  districts, private schools, and individuals on a fee-for
   97  services basis.
   98         (2) Upon compliance with the requirements for the first
   99  year of operation in paragraph (1)(f), A regional professional
  100  development academy may:
  101         (a) May Receive funds from the Department of Education or
  102  as provided in the General Appropriations Act for the purpose of
  103  developing programs, expanding services, assessing inservice
  104  training and professional development, or other programs that
  105  are consistent with the mission of the academy and the needs of
  106  the state and region; and
  107         (b)Receive, hold, invest, and administer property and any
  108  moneys acquired from private, local, state, and federal sources,
  109  as well as technical and professional income generated or
  110  derived from activities of the academy, for the benefit of the
  111  academy and the fulfillment of its mission. Income generated by
  112  school district personnel at the academy from trademarks,
  113  copyrights, and patents shall be shared between the academy and
  114  the district school board as outlined in the contract.
  115         (b)Is not, by virtue of providing services to one or more
  116  school districts, a component of any school district or any
  117  governmental unit to which the regional professional development
  118  academy provides services.
  119  
  120  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  121         And the title is amended as follows:
  122         Between lines 89 and 90
  123  insert:
  124  amending s. 1012.985, F.S.; providing for regional academies
  125  rather than a statewide system of organization; providing duties
  126  of regional professional development academies; deleting
  127  provisions that require academies to meet certain criteria in
  128  order to receive start-up funds; specifying requirements for
  129  contracts between district school boards and academies; deleting
  130  requirements relating to first-year funding and academy
  131  financial self-sufficiency in future years; authorizing the
  132  academies to administer property and moneys received from
  133  various sources; requiring that income generated from certain
  134  activities be shared between the academy and the district school
  135  board;