CS/CS/HJR 919

1	House Joint Resolution
2	A joint resolution proposing an amendment to Section 1 of
3	Article IX and the creation of Section 31 of Article XII
4	of the State Constitution to revise class size
5	requirements for public schools and to provide an
6	effective date.
7
8	Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10	That the following amendment to Section 1 of Article IX and
11	the creation of Section 31 of Article XII of the State
12	Constitution are agreed to and shall be submitted to the
13	electors of this state for approval or rejection at the general
14	election to be held in November 2010:
15	ARTICLE IX
16	EDUCATION
17	SECTION 1.  Public education.--
18	(a)  The education of children is a fundamental value of
19	the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a
20	paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the
21	education of all children residing within its borders. Adequate
22	provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe,
23	secure, and high quality system of free public schools that
24	allows students to obtain a high quality education and for the
25	establishment, maintenance, and operation of institutions of
26	higher learning and other public education programs that the
27	needs of the people may require. To assure that children
28	attending public schools obtain a high quality education, the
29	legislature shall make adequate provision to ensure that, by the
30	beginning of the 2010-2011 2010 school year and for each school
31	year thereafter, there are a sufficient number of classrooms so
32	that:
33	(1)  Within each public school, the average maximum number
34	of students who are assigned per class to each teacher who is
35	teaching in public school classrooms for prekindergarten through
36	grade 3 does not exceed 18 students and the maximum number of
37	students assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom
38	does not exceed 21 students;
39	(2)  Within each public school, the average maximum number
40	of students who are assigned per class to each teacher who is
41	teaching in public school classrooms for grades 4 through 8 does
42	not exceed 22 students and the maximum number of students
43	assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom does not
44	exceed 27 students; and
45	(3)  Within each public school, the average maximum number
46	of students who are assigned per class to each teacher who is
47	teaching in public school classrooms for grades 9 through 12
48	does not exceed 25 students and the maximum number of students
49	assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom does not
50	exceed 30 students.
51
52	The class size requirements of this subsection do not apply to
53	extracurricular or virtual classes. Payment of the costs
54	associated with meeting reducing class size to meet these
55	requirements is the responsibility of the state and not of local
56	school schools districts. Beginning with the 2003-2004 fiscal
57	year, The legislature shall provide sufficient funds to maintain
58	reduce the average number of students required by in each
59	classroom by at least two students per year until the maximum
60	number of students per classroom does not exceed the
61	requirements of this subsection.
62	(b)  Every four-year old child in Florida shall be provided
63	by the State a high quality prekindergarten pre-kindergarten
64	learning opportunity in the form of an early childhood
65	development and education program which shall be voluntary, high
66	quality, free, and delivered according to professionally
67	accepted standards. An early childhood development and education
68	program means an organized program designed to address and
69	enhance each child's ability to make age appropriate progress in
70	an appropriate range of settings in the development of language
71	and cognitive capabilities and emotional, social, regulatory,
72	and moral capacities through education in basic skills and such
73	other skills as the Legislature may determine to be appropriate.
74	(c)  The early childhood education and development programs
75	provided by reason of subsection subparagraph (b) shall be
76	implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005 school year
77	through funds generated in addition to those used for existing
78	education, health, and development programs. Existing education,
79	health, and development programs are those funded by the State
80	as of January 1, 2002, that provided for child or adult
81	education, health care, or development.
82	ARTICLE XII
83	SCHEDULE
84	SECTION 31.  Class size requirements for public
85	schools.--The amendment to Section 1 of Article IX, relating to
86	class size requirements for public schools, and this section
87	shall take effect upon approval by the electors and shall
88	operate retroactively to the beginning of the 2010-2011 school
89	year.
90	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
91	placed on the ballot:
92	CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
93	ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1
94	ARTICLE XII, SECTION 31
95	REVISION OF THE CLASS SIZE REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC
96	SCHOOLS.--The Florida Constitution currently limits the maximum
97	number of students assigned to each teacher in public school
98	classrooms as follows: for prekindergarten through grade 3, 18
99	students; for grades 4 through 8, 22 students; and for grades 9
100	through 12, 25 students. Under this amendment, the current
101	limits on the maximum number of students assigned to each
102	teacher in public school classrooms would become limits on the
103	average number of students assigned per class to each teacher,
104	by specified grade level, in each public school. This amendment
105	also adopts new limits on the maximum number of students
106	assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom as follows:
107	for prekindergarten through grade 3, 21 students; for grades 4
108	through 8, 27 students; and for grades 9 through 12, 30
109	students. This amendment specifies that class size limits do not
110	apply to virtual classes, requires the Legislature to provide
111	sufficient funds to maintain the average number of students
112	required by this amendment, and schedules these revisions to
113	take effect upon approval by the electors of this state and to
114	operate retroactively to the beginning of the 2010-2011 school
115	year.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.