TODAY’S HAPPENINGS
In the House Judiciary Committee:
HB 139 – Coaches / Organized Youth Sports by S. Jones – PASSED; PLACED ON CALENDAR ON 2ND READING
Revises definition of term “athletic coach”; expands provisions relating to athletic coaches for independent sanctioning authorities to require such authorities to conduct specified background screening of certain coaches of youth athletic teams; provides that duty may not be delegated; provides for disqualification; provides for exemption from disqualification; requires that specified documentation be maintained for specified period.
In the Senate Appropriations Committee:
SB 7090 – General Appropriations Act by Appropriations – AMENDED; SUBMITTED AS A COMMITTEE BILL – SB 2500
[NOTE: There were several amendments to the Senate Appropriations bill but no substantive changes to FEFP funding. We are preparing a detailed comparison of the House and Senate education budgets and will make it available next week.]
SB 7092 – Implementing Appropriations by Appropriations – SUBMITTED AS A COMMITTEE BILL – SB 2501
SB 2506 – Florida Retirement System / Contribution Rates by GOAC – SUBMITTED AS A COMMITTEE BILL
SB 66 – Discretionary Sales Surtaxes by Flores – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Authorizing a county defined in s. 125.011(1), F.S., to levy a surtax up to a specified amount for the benefit of a Florida College System institution and a state university in the county pursuant to an ordinance conditioned to take effect upon approval in a county referendum; establishing an oversight board with specified duties, responsibilities, and requirements relating to the expenditure of surtax proceeds; requiring that the board of trustees of each institution receiving surtax proceeds prepare an annual plan for submission to the oversight board for approval; providing that state funding may not be reduced because an institution receives surtax funds, etc.
SB 790 – Education Technology by Legg – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Requiring a school district to adopt a district digital classrooms plan and submit the plan to the Department of Education for approval; requiring the State Board of Education to adopt a Florida digital classrooms plan that establishes certain protocols, parameters, requirements, and digital tools; authorizing public schools to provide students in grades K-12 opportunities for learning computer coding and programming; authorizing elementary schools and middle schools to establish digital classrooms for specified purposes, etc.
SB 850 – Education by Legg – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Requiring a school that includes certain grades to include information, data, and instructional strategies in its school improvement plan; requiring district school board, in consultation with the district school superintendent, to make digital materials, CAPE Digital Tool certificates, and CAPE industry certifications available to students, including students with disabilities, in prekindergarten through grade 12 to enable students to attain digital skills; deleting calculations for paid and unpaid high school credits, etc.
SB 1148 – Postsecondary Education by Education – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Deleting a provision relating to the automatic rate of inflation increase in resident undergraduate tuition per credit hour at state universities; deleting a requirement that the Office of Economic and Demographic Research annually report the rate of inflation to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Board of Governors; lowering the annual percentage increase allowed in the aggregate sum of tuition and the tuition differential at state universities, etc.
SB 1642 – Education Accountability by Education – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Providing definitions for the statewide, standardized assessment program and school grading system; requiring the Department of Education to develop a district report card; revising criteria that necessitate a school’s improvement plan to include certain strategies; revising legislative intent for the K-20 education performance accountability system, etc.
In the House Education Committee:
HB 85 – Literacy Jump Start Pilot Project by L. Lee – PASSED; PLACED ON CALENDAR ON 2ND READING
Requires Office of Early Learning (OEL) to establish pilot project in St. Lucie County to assist low-income, at-risk children in developing emergent literacy skills; requires OEL to select organization to implement pilot project; provides eligibility requirements for participation; requires background screening for personnel & emergent literacy training for instructors; requires OEL to allocate funds for pilot project.
HB 87 – Fine Arts Courses by McBurney – PASSED; PLACED ON CALENDAR ON 2ND READING
Requires Commissioner of Education to prepare annual report relating to student access to & participation in fine arts courses & information on educators, facilities, & instruction in such courses.
HB 279 – Public School Instruction by Hil – PASSED; PLACED ON CALENDAR ON 2ND READING
Requires that instructional staff of public schools provide instruction to students about terrorist attacks occurring on September 11, 2001, & impact of those events.
HB 337 – Teachers Classroom Supply Program by Fresen – PASSED; PLACED ON CALENDAR ON 2ND READING
Revises procedures for distributing program funds to classroom teachers.
HB 355 – Instructional Materials Affordability by Porter – PASSED WITH A CS
Requires SBE & BOG to adopt textbook & instructional materials affordability policies, procedures, & guidelines; provides requirements for use of adopted undergraduate textbooks & instructional materials; requires public postsecondary institution to post in course registration system & on website information relating to required & recommended textbooks & instructional materials & prices thereof; requires task force to research affordability issues.
HB 7083 – Charter Schools by Choice & Innovation – TEMPORARILY DEFERRED
Revises charter school provisions relating to applications & contracts, termination of charter, student enrollment, use of school district facilities, & model forms, contracts, & evaluation instruments; revises provisions relating to high-performing charter schools & high-performing charter school systems; specifies conditions under which virtual instruction provider’s contract is automatically terminated; revises eligibility for receipt of capital outlay funding. [NOTE: The Senate version of this bill — SB 1528 — was substantially amended in the Senate — references to the use of a standard contract, out-of-state high performing charter schools, and charter school access to district school facilities that are no longer used as schools were removed. Several amendments have been filed to the House bill but they do not appear to mirror the amendments to the Senate version. Bill Sponsor Representative Diaz deferred action on this bill in order to more carefully review the filed amendments.]
EDC-3 – Digital Learning and Support Services by Education – SUBMITTED AS A COMMITTEE BILL – HB 7165
Providing that the Commissioner of Education shall oversee the development and implementation of a strategic plan for establishing digital classrooms; providing that a school district shall develop and annually update a plan for establishing the digital classrooms system; providing content and reporting requirements for the plan; providing that the State Board of Education shall adopt rules to establish minimum standards for a district digital classrooms system; deleting provisions establishing the Florida Virtual Campus; establishing a Florida Library Automation Cooperative; etc.
In the House Session:
Bills on 3rd Reading:
HB 313 – Gender-Specific School Pilot Project by M. Diaz – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Provides requirements for district school board when establishing gender-specific elementary, middle, or high school; requires school administrative & instructional personnel to participate in professional development; provides accountability requirements.
HB 433 – Educator Certification by Spano – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Provides requirements for certain instructional personnel who supervise or direct preservice field experience; revises acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of general knowledge, subject area knowledge, & professional preparation & education competence; revises components of competency-based professional development certification & education competency program; repeals study to compare performance of certain certificateholders; revises certain requirements for renewal or reinstatement of professional certificate.
HB 533 – Student Eligibility / Athletics by M. Diaz – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Revises provisions enabling home education, charter school, virtual education, & certain private school students to participate in extracurricular activities at public school; authorizes students attending certain public schools to participate in extracurricular activities at another public school; requires district school board eligibility policies to apply evenly to all students regardless of student’s extracurricular activity; requires FHSAA bylaws to specify that preparticipation physical evaluation form advise students to complete cardiovascular assessment that includes electrocardiogram.
HB 707 – Background Screening by M. Diaz – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
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, & reporting of fingerprints of educational personnel & contractual personnel; provides for FDLE participation in national retained print arrest notification program.
HB 7057 – Career & Charter Technical Career Centers by Education – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Authorizes career center & charter technical career center to offer college credit courses applicable toward specific certificates or degrees; provides process for approval to offer specific degree programs; renames & clarifies applied technology diploma program; revises & clarifies tuition & fees for specific workforce education programs; revises funding calculation & allocation for workforce education programs.
HB 9 – Legislative Session Dates by Nuñez – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Fixes date for convening regular session of Legislature in even-numbered years.
COMING UP TOMORROW
The House Education Appropriations Subcommittee will meet – 9:00 am-1:00 pm; Florida Channel webcast – to consider:
EDAS-3 – Educational Choice by Education Appropriations
Revising the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program’s student eligibility criteria, scholarship amounts, tax credit availability, and scholarship-funding organization (SFO) accountability standards; and creating the Florida Personal Learning Scholarship Account program. [NOTE: This is the new bill created in the wake of the Senate’s withdrawal of their Tax Credit Scholarship program bill — SB 1620. This Proposed Committee Bill combines most of the provisions of the House’s Tax Credit Scholarship bill — HB 7099 – and the provisions of the House’s ESE Scholarship bill — HB 5103. This is an effort to keep the Tax Credit Scholarship bill “alive” for consideration. See the Miami Herald article below under In the News.]
We will report on this bill and send out Dr. Blanton’s latest Video Update tomorrow afternoon.
IN THE NEWS
Miami Herald – 3/26/14
School voucher bill gets second chance
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Tampa Bay Times – 3/27/14
Florida Education Association takes issue with lawmaker’s comments on Common Core
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/
Herald Tribune – 3/26/14
School construction funding in line for boost
http://politics.heraldtribune.
