The Florida Senate

1001.10  Commissioner of Education; general powers and duties.--The Commissioner of Education is the chief educational officer of the state, and is responsible for giving full assistance to the State Board of Education in enforcing compliance with the mission and goals of the seamless K-20 education system. To facilitate innovative practices and to allow local selection of educational methods, the State Board of Education may authorize the commissioner to waive, upon the request of a district school board, State Board of Education rules that relate to district school instruction and school operations, except those rules pertaining to civil rights, and student health, safety, and welfare. The Commissioner of Education is not authorized to grant waivers for any provisions in rule pertaining to the allocation and appropriation of state and local funds for public education; the election, compensation, and organization of school board members and superintendents; graduation and state accountability standards; financial reporting requirements; reporting of out-of-field teaching assignments under s. 1012.42; public meetings; public records; or due process hearings governed by chapter 120. No later than January 1 of each year, the commissioner shall report to the Legislature and the State Board of Education all approved waiver requests in the preceding year. Additionally, the commissioner has the following general powers and duties:

(1)  To appoint staff necessary to carry out his or her powers and duties.

(2)  To advise and counsel with the State Board of Education on all matters pertaining to education; to recommend to the State Board of Education actions and policies as, in the commissioner's opinion, should be acted upon or adopted; and to execute or provide for the execution of all acts and policies as are approved.

(3)  To keep such records as are necessary to set forth clearly all acts and proceedings of the State Board of Education.

(4)  To have a seal for his or her office with which, in connection with his or her own signature, the commissioner shall authenticate true copies of decisions, acts, or documents.

(5)  To recommend to the State Board of Education policies and steps designed to protect and preserve the principal of the State School Fund; to provide an assured and stable income from the fund; to execute such policies and actions as are approved; and to administer the State School Fund.

(6)  To take action on the release of mineral rights based upon the recommendations of the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund.

(7)  To submit to the State Board of Education, on or before August 1 of each year, recommendations for a coordinated K-20 education budget that estimates the expenditures for the State Board of Education, including the Department of Education, the Commissioner of Education, and all of the boards, institutions, agencies, and services under the general supervision of the State Board of Education for the ensuing fiscal year. Any program recommended to the State Board of Education that will require increases in state funding for more than 1 year must be presented in a multiyear budget plan.

(8)  To develop and implement a plan for cooperating with the Federal Government in carrying out any or all phases of the educational program and to recommend policies for administering funds that are appropriated by Congress and apportioned to the state for any or all educational purposes.

(9)  To develop and implement policies for cooperating with other public agencies in carrying out those phases of the program in which such cooperation is required by law or is deemed by the commissioner to be desirable and to cooperate with public and nonpublic agencies in planning and bringing about improvements in the educational program.

(10)  To prepare forms and procedures as are necessary to be used by district school boards and all other educational agencies to assure uniformity, accuracy, and efficiency in the keeping of records, the execution of contracts, the preparation of budgets, or the submission of reports; and to furnish at state expense, when deemed advisable by the commissioner, those forms that can more economically and efficiently be provided.

(11)  To implement a program of school improvement and education accountability designed to provide all students the opportunity to make adequate learning gains in each year of school as provided by statute and State Board of Education rule based upon the achievement of the state education goals, recognizing the following:

(a)  The State Board of Education is the body corporate responsible for the supervision of the system of public education.

(b)  The district school board is responsible for school and student performance.

(c)  The individual school is the unit for education accountability.

(d)  The community college board of trustees is responsible for community college performance and student performance.

(e)  The university board of trustees is responsible for university performance and student performance.

(12)  To establish a Citizen Information Center responsible for the preparation, publication, and distribution of materials relating to the state system of seamless K-20 public education.

(13)  To prepare and publish annually reports giving statistics and other useful information pertaining to the Opportunity Scholarship Program.

(14)  To have printed or electronic copies of school laws, forms, instruments, instructions, and rules of the State Board of Education and provide for their distribution.

(15)  To develop criteria for use by state instructional materials committees in evaluating materials submitted for adoption consideration. The criteria shall, as appropriate, be based on instructional expectations reflected in curriculum frameworks and student performance standards. The criteria for each subject or course shall be made available to publishers of instructional materials pursuant to the requirements of chapter 1006.

(16)  To prescribe procedures for evaluating instructional materials submitted by publishers and manufacturers in each adoption.

The commissioner's office shall operate all statewide functions necessary to support the State Board of Education and the K-20 education system, including strategic planning and budget development, general administration, and assessment and accountability.

History.--s. 23, ch. 2002-387.