Florida Senate - 2020                                   SJR 1216
       
       
        
       By Senator Gruters
       
       
       
       
       
       23-01781A-20                                          20201216__
    1                       Senate Joint Resolution                     
    2         A joint resolution proposing an amendment to Section 4
    3         of Article IX and the creation of a new section in
    4         Article XII of the State Constitution to limit the
    5         terms of office for a member of a district school
    6         board.
    7  
    8  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         That the following amendment to Section 4 of Article IX and
   11  the creation of a new section in 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 next
   14  general election or at an earlier special election specifically
   15  authorized by law for that purpose:
   16                             ARTICLE IX                            
   17                              EDUCATION                            
   18         SECTION 4. School districts; school boards.—
   19         (a) Each county shall constitute a school district;
   20  provided, two or more contiguous counties, upon vote of the
   21  electors of each county pursuant to law, may be combined into
   22  one school district. In each school district there shall be a
   23  school board composed of five or more members chosen by vote of
   24  the electors in a nonpartisan election for appropriately
   25  staggered terms of four years, as provided by law.
   26         (b) The school board shall operate, control and supervise
   27  all free public schools within the school district and determine
   28  the rate of school district taxes within the limits prescribed
   29  herein. Two or more school districts may operate and finance
   30  joint educational programs.
   31         (c) A person may not appear on the ballot for reelection to
   32  the office of school board member if, by the end of his or her
   33  current term of office, the person will have served, or but for
   34  resignation would have served, in that office for twelve
   35  consecutive years.
   36                             ARTICLE XII                           
   37                              SCHEDULE                             
   38         Limitation on terms of office for members of a district
   39  school board.—This section and the amendment to Section 4 of
   40  Article IX imposing limits on the terms of office for members of
   41  a district school board shall take effect on the date they are
   42  approved by the electorate, but no service in a term of office
   43  that commenced before November 3, 2020, will be counted toward
   44  the limitation imposed by this amendment.
   45         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
   46  placed on the ballot:
   47                      CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT                     
   48                        ARTICLE IX, SECTION 4                      
   49                             ARTICLE XII                           
   50         LIMITATION ON TERMS OF OFFICE FOR MEMBERS OF A DISTRICT
   51  SCHOOL BOARD.—Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution
   52  to limit terms for school board members by prohibiting incumbent
   53  members who have held the office for the preceding twelve years
   54  from appearing on a ballot for reelection to that office and to
   55  specify that the amendment applies only to terms of office
   56  beginning on or after November 3, 2020.