Bill Text: FL S0002 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Class Size Requirements for Public Schools [WPSC]

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 18-2)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2010-05-19 - Signed by Officers and filed with Secretary of State; companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 5101 (Ch. 2010-154) [S0002 Detail]

Download: Florida-2010-S0002-Introduced.html

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       Florida Senate - 2010                                      SJR 2 
        
       By Senators Gaetz, Thrasher, Detert, Wise, Bennett, Fasano, 
       Richter, Haridopolos, Baker, Negron, Dean, Gardiner, 
       Constantine, Oelrich, Ring, Siplin, and Alexander 
       4-00885A-10                                              20102__ 
    1                       Senate Joint Resolution                      
    2         A joint resolution proposing an amendment to Section 1 
    3         of Article IX and the creation of Section 31 of 
    4         Article XII of the State Constitution to revise class 
    5         size requirements for public schools and to provide an 
    6         effective date. 
    7   
    8  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
    9   
   10         That the following amendment to Section 1 of Article IX and 
   11  the creation of Section 31 of Article XII of the State 
   12  Constitution are agreed to and shall be submitted to the 
   13  electors of this state for approval or rejection at the next 
   14  general election or at an earlier special election specifically 
   15  authorized by law for that purpose: 
   16                             ARTICLE IX                             
   17                              EDUCATION                             
   18         SECTION 1. Public education.— 
   19         (a) The education of children is a fundamental value of the 
   20  people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a paramount 
   21  duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education 
   22  of all children residing within its borders. Adequate provision 
   23  shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and 
   24  high quality system of free public schools that allows students 
   25  to obtain a high quality education and for the establishment, 
   26  maintenance, and operation of institutions of higher learning 
   27  and other public education programs that the needs of the people 
   28  may require. To assure that children attending public schools 
   29  obtain a high quality education, the legislature shall make 
   30  adequate provision to ensure that, by the beginning of the 2010 
   31  2011 2010 school year and for each school year thereafter, there 
   32  are a sufficient number of classrooms so that: 
   33         (1) Within each public school, the average maximum number 
   34  of students who are assigned per class to each teacher who is 
   35  teaching in public school classrooms for prekindergarten through 
   36  grade 3 does not exceed 18 students and the maximum number of 
   37  students assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom 
   38  does not exceed 21 students; 
   39         (2) Within each public school, the average maximum number 
   40  of students who are assigned per class to each teacher who is 
   41  teaching in public school classrooms for grades 4 through 8 does 
   42  not exceed 22 students and the maximum number of students 
   43  assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom does not 
   44  exceed 27 students; and 
   45         (3) Within each public school, the average maximum number 
   46  of students who are assigned per class to each teacher who is 
   47  teaching in public school classrooms for grades 9 through 12 
   48  does not exceed 25 students and the maximum number of students 
   49  assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom does not 
   50  exceed 30 students. 
   51   
   52  The class size requirements of this subsection do not apply to 
   53  extracurricular or virtual classes. Payment of the costs 
   54  associated with meeting reducing class size to meet these 
   55  requirements is the responsibility of the state and not of local 
   56  school schools districts. Beginning with the 2003-2004 fiscal 
   57  year, The legislature shall provide sufficient funds to maintain 
   58  reduce the average number of students required by in each 
   59  classroom by at least two students per year until the maximum 
   60  number of students per classroom does not exceed the 
   61  requirements of this subsection. 
   62         (b) Every four-year old child in Florida shall be provided 
   63  by the State a high quality prekindergarten pre-kindergarten 
   64  learning opportunity in the form of an early childhood 
   65  development and education program which shall be voluntary, high 
   66  quality, free, and delivered according to professionally 
   67  accepted standards. An early childhood development and education 
   68  program means an organized program designed to address and 
   69  enhance each child’s ability to make age appropriate progress in 
   70  an appropriate range of settings in the development of language 
   71  and cognitive capabilities and emotional, social, regulatory, 
   72  and moral capacities through education in basic skills and such 
   73  other skills as the Legislature may determine to be appropriate. 
   74         (c) The early childhood education and development programs 
   75  provided by reason of subsection subparagraph (b) shall be 
   76  implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005 school year 
   77  through funds generated in addition to those used for existing 
   78  education, health, and development programs. Existing education, 
   79  health, and development programs are those funded by the State 
   80  as of January 1, 2002, that provided for child or adult 
   81  education, health care, or development. 
   82                             ARTICLE XII                            
   83                              SCHEDULE                              
   84         SECTION 31. Class size requirements for public schools.—The 
   85  amendment to Section 1 of Article IX, relating to class size 
   86  requirements for public schools, and this section shall take 
   87  effect upon approval by the electors and shall operate 
   88  retroactively to the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. 
   89         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be 
   90  placed on the ballot: 
   91                      CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT                      
   92                        ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1                       
   93                       ARTICLE XII, SECTION 31                      
   94         REVISION OF THE CLASS SIZE REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC 
   95  SCHOOLS.—The Florida Constitution currently limits the maximum 
   96  number of students assigned to each teacher in public school 
   97  classrooms in the following grade groupings: for prekindergarten 
   98  through grade 3, 18 students; for grades 4 through 8, 22 
   99  students; and for grades 9 through 12, 25 students. Under this 
  100  amendment, the current limits on the maximum number of students 
  101  assigned to each teacher in public school classrooms would 
  102  become limits on the average number of students assigned per 
  103  class to each teacher, by specified grade grouping, in each 
  104  public school. This amendment also adopts new limits on the 
  105  maximum number of students assigned to each teacher in an 
  106  individual classroom as follows: for prekindergarten through 
  107  grade 3, 21 students; for grades 4 through 8, 27 students; and 
  108  for grades 9 through 12, 30 students. This amendment specifies 
  109  that class size limits do not apply to virtual classes, requires 
  110  the Legislature to provide sufficient funds to maintain the 
  111  average number of students required by this amendment, and 
  112  schedules these revisions to take effect upon approval by the 
  113  electors of this state and to operate retroactively to the 
  114  beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.