Florida Senate - 2016                                     SB 432
       
       
        
       By Senator Hutson
       
       
       
       
       
       6-00482-16                                             2016432__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the STEM Teachers Pilot Program;
    3         creating s. 1012.571, F.S.; requiring the Department
    4         of Education to implement and administer the STEM
    5         Teachers Pilot Program; authorizing certain school
    6         districts to hire an individual who is not a certified
    7         educator, but who holds a specified degree, to teach
    8         courses related to his or her degree; requiring an
    9         individual hired through the pilot program to meet
   10         specified criteria; requiring the department to submit
   11         a report to the Legislature, which must include a
   12         recommendation on continuing the pilot program;
   13         providing for rulemaking; providing an effective date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Section 1012.571, Florida Statutes, is created
   18  to read:
   19         1012.571 STEM Teachers Pilot Program.—
   20         (1) Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the
   21  Department of Education shall implement and administer a 5-year
   22  STEM Teachers Pilot Program.
   23         (2) Under the pilot program, a school district that is
   24  ranked in the top 10 percent of school districts, as determined
   25  by the district grade calculated under s. 1008.34, may hire as a
   26  teacher an individual who does not hold a professional or
   27  temporary certificate to teach in a regular academic field in
   28  the kindergarten through grade 12 school program. The individual
   29  must hold at least a master’s degree in the area of science,
   30  technology, engineering, or mathematics, and the course that he
   31  or she will teach must be related to his or her degree.
   32         (3) An individual hired under the pilot program must meet
   33  the requirements of s. 1012.56(2)(a), (2)(b), (2)(d), (2)(e),
   34  and (2)(f) and document receipt of at least a master’s degree in
   35  the area of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics
   36  from an accredited institution of higher learning.
   37         (4) At the conclusion of the pilot program, the department
   38  shall analyze the performance data of students within
   39  participating school districts and submit a report on the
   40  findings to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the
   41  House of Representatives. At a minimum, the report must include
   42  a recommendation for continuing or terminating the pilot
   43  program.
   44         (5) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
   45  administer this section.
   46         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.