Florida Senate - 2022                                    SB 1576
       
       
        
       By Senator Polsky
       
       
       
       
       
       29-00381C-22                                          20221576__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to educational support staff; creating
    3         s. 1012.08, F.S.; providing that a staff support
    4         position that has over a specified amount of positions
    5         vacant constitutes a critical shortage area; requiring
    6         each district superintendent to compile specified
    7         information by a specified date each year; requiring
    8         districts to fund certain incentives; requiring
    9         district superintendents to file a report with the
   10         Legislature documenting certain information by a
   11         specified date each year; providing an effective date.
   12  
   13         WHEREAS, this state has a vested interest in addressing the
   14  critical shortage of education support employees and
   15  paraprofessionals who are valued and vital members of the
   16  education workforce, who ensure that students achieve success at
   17  their highest levels, and who engage students and keep them
   18  connected to the larger school community. Education staff
   19  professionals keep students emotionally and physically healthy
   20  and safe, and
   21         WHEREAS, education staff professionals are critical members
   22  of the education workforce and ensure student success from
   23  preschool through college, and
   24         WHEREAS, it is a state priority to provide funding so that
   25  districts can maintain adequate staffing of staff support
   26  professionals in all of the schools in this state, NOW,
   27  THEREFORE,
   28  
   29  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   30  
   31         Section 1. Section 1012.08, Florida Statutes, is created to
   32  read:
   33         1012.08 Support staff critical shortage areas.—
   34         (1) A staff support position that has over 20 percent of
   35  its available staffing positions vacant constitutes a critical
   36  shortage area.
   37         (2) Not later than April 1 of each year, each district
   38  superintendent shall compile a listing of critical employment
   39  shortages for education support employees as defined in s.
   40  1012.40(1)(a) and paraprofessionals as defined in s.
   41  1012.01(2)(e) based on evidence of a shortage for each position.
   42         (3) Each district shall fund incentives that will help
   43  retain and recruit personnel for critical shortages or hard to
   44  staff positions or worksites in support staff positions as
   45  appropriated in the General Appropriations Act.
   46         (4) By December 1 of each year, the district
   47  superintendents shall file a report to the President of the
   48  Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives with
   49  documentation of the shortage and how the funds were used.
   50         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.