Florida Senate - 2026 SB 182
By Senator Jones
34-00553-26 2026182__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the School Teacher Training and
3 Mentoring Program; creating s. 1012.988, F.S.;
4 establishing the School Teacher Training and Mentoring
5 Program within the Department of Education; providing
6 the purpose of the program; providing for the award of
7 stipends for classroom teacher mentorship, subject to
8 appropriation; providing for the proration of the
9 stipends under certain circumstances; providing
10 department and school district responsibilities;
11 specifying program requirements relating to contracts,
12 standards, mentor requirements, and meetings;
13 authorizing the State Board of Education to adopt
14 rules; providing an effective date.
15
16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18 Section 1. Section 1012.988, Florida Statutes, is created
19 to read:
20 1012.988 School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program.—
21 (1) The School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program is
22 established within the Department of Education. The purpose of
23 the program is to increase the effectiveness and involvement of
24 classroom teachers and improve student achievement, classroom
25 management, and excellence in the state’s public schools.
26 (2)(a) The department shall, subject to appropriation,
27 provide funds to school districts to place retired classroom
28 teachers who were evaluated as highly effective or current
29 classroom teachers who are evaluated as highly effective as
30 mentors to:
31 1. New classroom teachers.
32 2. Classroom teachers who are rated as needs improvement,
33 developing, or unsatisfactory.
34 3. Classroom teachers who struggle with behavior management
35 in the classroom.
36 (b) Each stipend shall be $2,000. The department shall
37 provide enough funds for each school district to establish three
38 mentors at each school within the district. However, if the
39 funds appropriated are inadequate to provide the stipend to each
40 mentor, stipends must be prorated using the same percentage
41 reduction.
42 (3) School districts shall provide a stipend to three
43 mentors at each school within the district. However, if there is
44 a proven need at a school, the school district may allocate more
45 than three stipends to that school. The award of such stipends
46 may be part of a school district’s professional development
47 certification and professional education competency programs
48 under s. 1012.56(8) and (9), respectively.
49 (4)(a) The program must provide a contract for the mentor
50 and mentee which outlines each person’s responsibilities and
51 establishes the framework and goals of the program.
52 (b) The department shall establish standards for the
53 program which must be based on the University College London
54 Mentoring Handbook.
55 (c) The program must pair a more skilled or experienced
56 classroom teacher as a mentor with a less experienced classroom
57 teacher as a mentee.
58 (d) Each mentor must:
59 1. Not have an official management relationship with his or
60 her mentee.
61 2. Provide direction, advice, and a neutral sounding board
62 to his or her mentee.
63 3. Maintain confidentiality, unless prohibited by law.
64 4. Have no personal agenda other than assisting his or her
65 mentee in developing and reaching the mentee’s goals.
66 5. Help his or her mentee in developing skills and
67 expertise, including by drawing upon the mentor’s own personal
68 experiences.
69 (5) The program shall provide mentoring services for 6
70 months as follows:
71 (a) For the first month of the program, each mentor shall
72 complete two 90-minute sessions with his or her mentee.
73 (b) For the second and third months of the program, each
74 mentor shall complete two 60-minute sessions with his or her
75 mentee each month.
76 (c) For the fourth through sixth months of the program,
77 each mentor shall complete one 60-minute session with his or her
78 mentee each month.
79 (6) Each session must include the following:
80 (a) For the first session, the mentor and mentee shall
81 complete an introduction, establish the reason for the mentee’s
82 participation in the program, and define the goals for the
83 remaining sessions.
84 (b) For the second session, the mentor and mentee shall
85 review the established goals, explore the mentee’s current
86 skills, establish the mentee’s desired goals, and establish a
87 plan to attain the mentee’s desired goals.
88 (c) For the third session, the mentor and mentee shall
89 assess the mentee’s skills, strengths, and weaknesses and how
90 those affect his or her goals.
91 (d) For the fourth through eighth sessions, the mentor and
92 mentee shall review the mentee’s progress and address any
93 issues.
94 (e) For the ninth and final session, the mentor and mentee
95 shall complete a final review of the mentee’s progress and
96 achievement of his or her goals and establish any future goals
97 for the mentee.
98 (7) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
99 administer this section.
100 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.