Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 182
By the Committee on Education Pre-K - 12; and Senators Jones and
Yarborough
581-02723-26 2026182c1
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; authorizing school
7 districts and charter schools to place certain
8 classroom teachers as teacher mentors in specified
9 schools for specified purposes; providing requirements
10 for teacher mentors and mentees; authorizing teacher
11 mentors to receive a stipend and work with multiple
12 classroom teachers; providing department and teacher
13 mentor responsibilities; authorizing the State Board
14 of Education to adopt rules; amending s. 1011.62,
15 F.S.; authorizing specified funds to be used for the
16 School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program;
17 providing an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Section 1012.988, Florida Statutes, is created
22 to read:
23 1012.988 School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program.—
24 (1) The School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program is
25 established within the Department of Education. The purpose of
26 the program is to increase the effectiveness and involvement of
27 classroom teachers and improve student achievement, classroom
28 management, and excellence in the state’s public schools.
29 (2)(a) School districts and charter schools may place
30 retired classroom teachers or current classroom teachers in
31 schools earning a grade of “D” or “F” to act as teacher mentors
32 to:
33 1. New classroom teachers;
34 2. Classroom teachers who are rated as needs improvement,
35 developing, or unsatisfactory on the prior year’s performance
36 evaluation under s. 1012.34; or
37 3. Classroom teachers identified by the school
38 administrator as struggling with behavior management within the
39 classroom.
40 (b) Each teacher mentor selected by the school district,
41 charter school, or charter management organization must have:
42 1. At least 3 years of teaching experience in
43 prekindergarten through grade 12.
44 2. Earned a highly effective rating on his or her most
45 recent performance evaluation under s. 1012.34.
46 (c) Each teacher mentor may receive a stipend of up to
47 $3,000. The teacher mentor may work with multiple classroom
48 teachers.
49 (3) The Department of Education shall establish program
50 standards and a standard contract template for the teacher
51 mentor and mentee which outlines the responsibilities of each
52 person and establishes the framework and goals of the program.
53 (4) Each teacher mentor must:
54 (a) Not have an official management relationship with his
55 or her mentee.
56 (b) Provide direction, advice, and a neutral sounding board
57 to his or her mentee.
58 (c) Maintain confidentiality, unless prohibited by law.
59 (d) Not have a personal agenda other than assisting his or
60 her mentee in developing and reaching the mentee’s goals.
61 (e) Help his or her mentee in developing skills and
62 expertise, including drawing upon the teacher mentor’s own
63 personal experiences.
64 (5) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
65 administer this section.
66 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section
67 1011.62, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
68 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
69 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
70 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
71 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
72 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
73 follows:
74 (7) EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT ALLOCATION.—
75 (a) The educational enrichment allocation is created to
76 assist school districts in providing educational enrichment
77 activities and services that support and increase the academic
78 achievement of students in grades kindergarten through 12.
79 Educational enrichment activities and services may be provided
80 in a manner and at any time during or beyond the regular 180-day
81 term identified by the school district as being the most
82 effective and efficient way to best help the student progress
83 from grade to grade and graduate from high school. Funds from
84 the educational enrichment allocation may be used for the School
85 Teacher Training and Mentoring Program under s. 1012.988. For
86 fiscal year 2023-2024, the educational enrichment allocation
87 shall consist of a base amount as specified in the General
88 Appropriations Act. Beginning in fiscal year 2024-2025, the
89 educational enrichment allocation shall consist of the base
90 amount that includes a workload adjustment based on changes in
91 the unweighted full-time equivalent membership. Beginning in
92 fiscal year 2025-2026, and each year thereafter, the statewide
93 average base amount as specified in the General Appropriations
94 Act shall be used for any new educational entity funded in the
95 Florida Education Finance Program.
96 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.