TODAY’S HAPPENINGS
In the House Education Committee:
EDC2 – Extracurricular Activities by Education – AMENDED AND SUBMITTED AS A COMMITTEE BILL
Provides that special event fees, sanctioning fees, and gate receipts annually collected by FHSAA must reflect its actual cost; repeals provisions requiring FHSAA to have a board of directors, representative assembly, committees on appeals, and public liaison advisory committee; requires FHSAA to establish a 16 member governing board that proportionately represents public schools, schools of choice, private schools, home education, and parents of student athletes, and regions of the state; requires members of policy-making bodies to annually complete governance training; requires FHSAA to provide for resolution of eligibility disputes; prohibits a student from being declared ineligible until the neutral third party review is completed; allows member schools to participate in FHSAA on a per sport basis; requires FHSAA to develop sportsmanship training; requires operational audits; requires
Commissioner of Education to designate a nonprofit association to regulate interscholastic athletics; authorizes any public school student; home education student; or student enrolled in an unaffiliated private school, to participate in extracurricular activities offered by a public school; establishes guiding principles for student participation in extracurricular activities; limits the reasons a student may be declared ineligible for interscholastic athletics; prohibits school boards and private schools from establishing transfer eligibility policies that are more stringent than the policies established by FHSAA; etc.
HB 477 – Background Screening by Sprowls – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS)
Revises requirement relating to background screening of instructional personnel in virtual instruction programs; provides additional offenses that determine ineligibility for educator certification or employment; revises requirements for submission, retention, search, and reporting of fingerprints of educational personnel and contractual personnel; provides for FDLE participation in national retained print arrest notification program.
HB 747 – Bright Futures Scholarship Program by Rooney – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Delays initial award and renewal period for certain students; revises eligibility requirements for home education students; requires student, as prerequisite for Florida Academic Scholars award, Florida Medallion Scholars award, or Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award, to identify social or civic issue or professional area of interest and develop plan for personal involvement in addressing issue or learning about area; prohibits student from receiving remuneration or academic credit for volunteer service work.
In the House State Affairs Committee:
HB 549 – Membership Associations by M. Diaz – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Defines “membership association”; requires membership association to file annual report with Legislature; specifies required elements of report; prohibits membership association from expending moneys received from public funds on litigation against state.
HB 565 – Retirement by Beshears — PASSED
Authorizes local agency employers to reassess designation of positions for inclusion in SMS Class; provides for removal of certain positions.
In the House SESSION:
HB 7057 – School Administration by K-12 – READ 2ND TIME; AMENDED; PLACED ON 3RD READING FOR 3/27/15
Revises provisions relating to a school district strategic plan, internal audits, certain standards for certain personnel & school officers, early warning system for certain students, annual review of certain procedures, compulsory student attendance, professional development, protected school speech, parental access to homework, out-of-field teachers, related records, policies, court hearings, & penalties, high school equivalency diploma, parental notices for exceptional students, bullying & harassment, certain school districts policies, & certain policies for principals, district school boards employees, & suspension of educator certifications.
HB 7019 – Workforce Services by Economic Development — READ 2ND TIME; AMENDED; PLACED ON 3RD READING FOR 3/27/15
Renames Workforce Florida, Inc., as CareerSource Florida, Inc.; holds in abeyance specified provisions relating to Workforce Estimating Conference; requires EDR to develop & test labor market economic model & submit report; provides for future repeal; creates task force on preparation for state’s implementation of federal Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act; provides membership & duties of task force; requires task force to submit report & recommendations for approval by CareerSource Florida, Inc.; requires CareerSource Florida, Inc., to submit specified state plan to USDOL; provides for abolishment of task force.
HB 7043 – Standard Student Attire by K-12 – READ 2ND TIME; PLACED ON 3RD READING FOR 3/27/15
Designates act as “Students Attired for Education (SAFE) Act”; authorizes school boards to adopt standard student attire policy; limits liability for districts that implement attire policy; creates safe schools allocation to provide funding for certain safe schools activities; provides for withholding of funds from districts that do not comply with certain school safety & student discipline reporting; provides for incentive payments to school districts that implement standard student attire policies; provides appropriation.
HB 7037 – School Choice by Choice & Innovation – READ 2ND TIME; PLACED ON 3RD READING FOR 3/27/15
Revises provisions relating to charter school application, certain appeals, funding for & payments to charter schools, long-term charters, nonrenewal, termination, & closure of charter schools, financial statements, charter school representatives & public meetings, governing board residency requirements, high-performing charter schools, termination of virtual instruction provider contracts, capital outlay funding, & charter school professional development; authorizes charter school to defer opening & use of certain funds for educational purposes; establishes Florida Charter School Innovation Institute; provides appropriation.
HB 357 – Principal Autonomy Pilot Program by M. Diaz – READ 2ND TIME; PLACED ON 3RD READING FOR 3/27/15
Creates Principal Autonomy Pilot Program Initiative; provides requirements for participation, exemptions, professional development, rulemaking, & reporting; provides authorization period for participation in program; provides for renewal or revocation of authorization to participate in program; revises school district minimum classroom expenditure requirements; requires district school boards participating in program to provide certain funding allocations; provides additional authority & responsibilities to school principals of participating school districts; specifies contents of professional development program.
HB 665 – Maximum Class Size by Moraitis – READ 2ND TIME; PLACED ON 3RD READING FOR 3/27/15
Revises calculation of school district’s class size categorical allocation reduction to school average when maximum class size requirements are not met; provides for expenditure of funds; requires that district plan for compliance with class size maximums be posted to district website & provided to school advisory council of each noncompliant school; authorizes that plan be posted on noncompliant school’s website.
HB 55 – Children and Youth Cabinet by Harrell – READ 2ND TIME; PLACED ON 3RD READING FOR 3/27/15
Revises membership of Children & Youth Cabinet.
COMING UP TOMORROW
The House will be in SESSION (9:00 am – completion of business) to consider the following items and others on 3rd Reading [NOTE: These are the bills of interest that were on 2nd Reading on Thursday]:
HB 7057 – School Administration
Revises provisions relating to a school district strategic plan, internal audits, certain standards for certain personnel & school officers, early warning system for certain students, annual review of certain procedures, compulsory student attendance, professional development, protected school speech, parental access to homework, out-of-field teachers, related records, policies, court hearings, & penalties, high school equivalency diploma, parental notices for exceptional students, bullying & harassment, certain school districts policies, & certain policies for principals, district school boards employees, & suspension of educator certifications.
HB 7019 – Workforce Services by Economic Development
Renames Workforce Florida, Inc., as CareerSource Florida, Inc.; holds in abeyance specified provisions relating to Workforce Estimating Conference; requires EDR to develop & test labor market economic model & submit report; provides for future repeal; creates task force on preparation for state’s implementation of federal Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act; provides membership & duties of task force; requires task force to submit report & recommendations for approval by CareerSource Florida, Inc.; requires CareerSource Florida, Inc., to submit specified state plan to USDOL; provides for abolishment of task force.
HB 7043 – Standard Student Attire by K-12
Designates act as “Students Attired for Education (SAFE) Act”; authorizes school boards to adopt standard student attire policy; limits liability for districts that implement attire policy; creates safe schools allocation to provide funding for certain safe schools activities; provides for withholding of funds from districts that do not comply with certain school safety & student discipline reporting; provides for incentive payments to school districts that implement standard student attire policies; provides appropriation.
HB 7037 – School Choice by Choice & Innovation
Revises provisions relating to charter school application, certain appeals, funding for and payments to charter schools, long-term charters, nonrenewal, termination, and closure of charter schools, financial statements, charter school representatives and public meetings, governing board residency requirements, high-performing charter schools, termination of virtual instruction provider contracts, capital outlay funding, and charter school professional development; authorizes charter school to defer opening and use of certain funds for educational purposes; establishes Florida Charter School Innovation Institute; provides appropriation.
HB 357 – Principal Autonomy Pilot Program by M. Diaz
Creates Principal Autonomy Pilot Program Initiative; provides requirements for participation, exemptions, professional development, rulemaking, and reporting; provides authorization period for participation in program; provides for renewal or revocation of authorization to participate in program; revises school district minimum classroom expenditure requirements; requires district school boards participating in program to provide certain funding allocations; provides additional authority and responsibilities to school principals of participating school districts; specifies contents of professional development program.
HB 665 – Maximum Class Size by Moraitis
Revises calculation of school district’s class size categorical allocation reduction to school average when maximum class size requirements are not met; provides for expenditure of funds; requires that district plan for compliance with class size maximums be posted to district website & provided to school advisory council of each noncompliant school; authorizes that plan be posted on noncompliant school’s website.
HB 55 – Children and Youth Cabinet by Harrell
Revises membership of Children and Youth Cabinet.
Ruth Haseman Melton
Director of Government Relations
Florida School Boards Association
Office: 850 / 414-2578
Cell: 850 / 509-6411
Email: melton@fsba.org
