The Florida Senate

231.087  Management Training Act; Florida Council on Educational Management; Florida Academy for School Leaders; Center for Interdisciplinary Advanced Graduate Study.--

(1)  INTENT.--The Legislature recognizes that quality education in the public schools of this state requires excellence in its principals and other managers. Efficient and effective management of schools to meet the needs of students in today's society requires a unique blend of skills, experience, and academic background which is rarely provided through typical baccalaureate or graduate programs in education. The purpose of this section is to provide for a state, regional, and district support system for excellence in principals and other educational managers. This support system shall include the identification of those competencies basic to effective management of schools; a performance-based management training program; a program of competency-based certification for school managers, to become effective July 1, 1986; a performance-based evaluation and compensation program for educational managers; and a research and service center for principals and other educational managers. It is further intended that this section encourage career development, inservice training, and skills enhancement for present and potential education managers.

(2)  FLORIDA COUNCIL ON EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT.--

(a)  There is created the Florida Council on Educational Management, to consist of 17 members appointed by the Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives after consultation with the appropriate professional associations, including representatives of the private sector management community.

1.  The Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each appoint two members from the principals of the district school systems of the state.

2.  The Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each appoint one member from the faculties of the institutions of higher learning in the state which offer programs in business administration, educational management, or social sciences.

3.  The Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each appoint one member from the private sector management community.

4.  The Governor shall appoint one member each from the following categories:

a.  Elected school superintendent.

b.  Appointed school superintendent.

c.  District school board member.

d.  District school personnel engaged in management training.

e.  Department of Education personnel with systemwide management responsibilities.

(b)  Each member shall serve for a term of 4 years, and terms shall be staggered. Each member shall be entitled to receive per diem and expenses for travel as provided in s. 112.061 while carrying out official business of the council. The members shall elect annually a chair and such other officers as may be necessary. A vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment and shall be filled for the remainder of the term.

(c)  The council shall be assigned to the Department of Education for administrative purposes.

(3)  DUTIES OF COUNCIL.--The council shall have the following duties:

(a)  To identify those competencies which characterize high-performing principals and other managers in the public schools of this state.

(b)  To validate through scientific research the identified competencies.

(c)  To identify standards and procedures for measuring and evaluating performance of the identified competencies.

(d)  To identify the training processes required for school managers to acquire the identified competencies and to develop training materials which cannot be obtained from existing sources.

(e)  To identify the procedures necessary to develop and implement a program of competency certification for school managers.

(f)  To develop the policies and procedures necessary to adopt and implement a compensation program for school managers which is based on successful performance of the identified competencies.

(g)  To identify criteria for the screening, selection, and appointment of school managers.

(h)  To develop and approve guidelines for the approval of school district training programs used for the certification of principals.

(i)  To establish an educational management and development network to facilitate communication, involvement, and mutual assistance among the educational managers.

(j)  To serve as the Board of Directors of the Florida Academy for School Leaders.

(k)  To report no later than September 1 of each year for the previous fiscal year to the Commissioner of Education, the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairs of the Senate and House of Representatives committees on public school education on the expenditures, activities, and accomplishments of the council, the academy, and the Center for Interdisciplinary Advanced Graduate Study. Such report shall also include a statement of the objectives and overall program for the coming year, the recommended level of funding for the overall program for that year, and any other recommendations deemed by the council to be appropriate.

(l)  To perform such additional studies and activities as are necessary to achieve the purpose of this act.

(4)  FLORIDA ACADEMY FOR SCHOOL LEADERS.--

(a)  There is created the Florida Academy for School Leaders to provide inservice training for school managers for the purpose of upgrading the quality of management at all levels of the public school system in the state.

(b)  The Florida Council on Educational Management shall serve as the board of directors of the academy and shall adopt guidelines under which the academy shall conduct training institutes on current needs and problems of school managers at all levels.

(c)  The academy is assigned to the Department of Education for administrative purposes.

(5)  DISTRICT MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAMS.--

(a)  Pursuant to rules to be adopted by the State Board of Education, each school board may submit to the commissioner a proposed program designed to train district administrators and school-based managers, including principals, assistant principals, school site administrators, and persons who are potential candidates for employment in such administrative positions, in the competencies which have been identified by the Florida Council on Educational Management as being necessary for effective school management. The proposed program shall include a statement of the number of individuals to be included in the program and an itemized statement of the estimated total cost of the program, which shall be paid in part by the district and in part by the department.

(b)  Upon the request of any school board, the department, through the Florida Academy for School Leaders, shall provide such technical assistance to the school board as necessary to develop and submit a proposed program of training for school management.

(c)  The commissioner shall approve, disapprove, or return to the school board for modification each proposed program submitted. For those programs approved, the commissioner shall authorize the distribution of funds.

(6)  CENTER FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY ADVANCED GRADUATE STUDY.--

(a)  The council is authorized to contract with a state university to establish a Center for Interdisciplinary Advanced Graduate Study for school principals. The purpose of the center shall be to provide advanced educational opportunities for school-based instructional leaders and to conduct research for the improvement of school principals which will build upon the work of the council as identified in subsection (3). Additionally, the center shall coordinate with the council to provide training, both at the center and at locations around the state, for currently employed and prospective assistant principals and principals.

(b)1.  The council shall issue a request for proposals for the establishment of the center, which shall include the organization, funding, goals, and objectives of the center and strategies for including current research being conducted in the state relative to teacher effectiveness, student performance, and instructional leadership. Additionally, the center shall establish a followup procedure to determine the effectiveness and job-related success of individual public school assistant principals and principals and to correlate such effectiveness and success with the individual competencies identified by the council.

2.  The proposals shall be evaluated by a panel consisting of the chair of the council, the Governor or the Governor's designate, a member of the Board of Regents, a member of the Postsecondary Education Planning Commission, a member of the Florida Elementary School Principals Association, and a member of the Florida Association of Secondary School Principals. The evaluation of proposals shall include the consideration of interdisciplinary cooperation, the ability to provide the greatest benefit to the state, financial feasibility, and cooperation with state-of-the-art research efforts in the area of instructional leadership. The panel shall forward its recommendation for awarding the proposal to the council for final action.

(c)1.  The center shall be established for a period of 5 years, the first year being designated for planning purposes and the remaining 4 years for implementation.

2.  The State Board of Education, in consultation with the council, shall evaluate the center every 5 years. Should it be determined that the center is not providing benefit to the state or is failing to meet its stated goals and objectives, funding shall be withdrawn and a request for proposals shall be reissued in accordance with paragraph (b).

(d)  The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this subsection.

(7)  REPEAL AND REVIEW OF MANAGEMENT ACT.--The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall conduct a comprehensive review of the Management Training Act to determine its effectiveness and by January 1, 2000, shall make recommendations to the presiding officers of the Legislature for the repeal, revision, or reauthorization of the act. This section is repealed effective June 30, 2000.

History.--ss. 1, 2, ch. 80-297; ss. 1, 3, ch. 81-241; s. 2, ch. 81-318; ss. 1, 4, ch. 82-46; ss. 28, 30, ch. 82-242; s. 2, ch. 83-265; s. 14, ch. 84-336; s. 1, ch. 85-191; ss. 1, 2, 3, ch. 85-239; s. 34, ch. 91-109; ss. 4, 5, ch. 91-429; s. 1241, ch. 95-147; s. 49, ch. 99-398.