TODAY’S HAPPENINGS
In the House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee:
HB 753 – School Safety by Stube – PASSED WITH A CS
Provides exception to prohibition on possession of firearms or other specified devices on school property or other specified areas for authorized concealed weapon or firearm licensees as designated by school principals or district superintendents; provides requirements for designees; requires school boards to formulate policies & procedures for dealing with active shooters & hostage situations; requires that active shooter training for each school be conducted by law enforcement agency that is first responder agency for school; requires district school boards & private schools allow campus tours by local law enforcement agencies for specified purposes & that their recommendations be documented; permits district school boards to commission one or more school safety officers on each school campus. [NOTE: FSBA is strongly opposed to this bill.]
In the Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee:
SB 514 – Gender-Specific School Pilot Project by Flores – PASSED WITH A CS
Requiring the Department of Education to administer a pilot project in certain school districts in which an elementary school is designated as a Gender-Specific School; requiring school administrators and instructional personnel to participate in certain professional development; providing for funding for pilot project implementation, etc.
SB 530 – Instructional Materials Affordability by Flores – PASSED WITH A CS
Requiring the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors to adopt textbook and instructional materials affordability policies, procedures, and guidelines; providing requirements for the use of adopted undergraduate textbooks and instructional materials and authorizing exceptions; requiring a public postsecondary institution to post in its course registration system and on its website information relating to required and recommended textbooks and instructional materials and prices thereof, etc.
SB 886 – Teachers Classroom Supply Program by Montford – PASSED
Revising procedures for distributing program funds to classroom teachers, etc.
SB 950 – Education / Teacher Certification by Stargel – PASSED WITH A CS
Authorizing a school district to assign to a school that has earned failing grades certain newly hired instructional personnel; revising the powers of a district school superintendent to include authorization to assign certain newly hired instructional personnel to a school that has earned failing grades based on the judgment of a school principal; deleting obsolete provisions relating to acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of professional development; revising certain requirements for the renewal or reinstatement of a professional certificate, etc.
SB 1512 – Students with Disabilities by Stargel – PASSED WITH A CS
Establishing the Florida Personalized Accounts for Learning; specifying criteria for students who are eligible to participate in the program; prohibiting specific providers, schools, institutions, school districts, and other entities from sharing, refunding, or rebating program funds; requiring a school district to notify the parent regarding the option to participate in the program; specifying the school district’s responsibilities for completing a matrix of services and notifying the Department of Education of the completion of the matrix, etc. [NOTE: FSBA had several concerns about this bill before today’s meeting and now that the bill was significantly amended today, we have many more concerns and questions about the legislation. We are still reviewing the details of the amended bill, but among the notable changes: the bill places a great deal of authority for this voucher program with the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) rather than DOE and eliminates references to an “Individual Education Plan” and replaces those references with “Individual Learning Services Plan” (ILSP). We will provide a more detailed analysis of the bill as soon as possible.]
In the House Session:
The House considered their major appropriations, implementing and conforming bills on 2nd Reading:
HB 5001 – Appropriations by Appropriations – READ 2ND TIME; PLACED ON 3RD READING
HB 5003 – Appropriations Implementing by Appropriations – READ 2ND TIME; PLACED ON 3RD READING
HB 5005 – FRS / Contribution Rates by Appropriations – READ 2ND TIME; PLACED ON 3RD READING
HB 5101 – Education Funding by Education Appropriations – READ 2ND TIME; AMENDED; PLACED ON 3RD READING
Establishes FIRN according to specified requirements; revises provisions relating to compliance with maximum class size requirements; provides for masters in science program at New College of Florida; authorizes DOE to collect fees for instructional materials approval process & pay stipend to reviewers; revises provisions relating to dual enrollment articulation agreements, participating postsecondary institutions, student eligibility, costs, payments, & funding; revises certain postsecondary student fees; revises provisions relating to advance payment contracts; revises provisions relating to John M. McKay Scholarship amounts; creates technology supplemental allocation. [NOTE: Today’s amendment revised provisions relating to the Florida Information Resource Network (FIRN) that offers some improvement to the provision, but does not address all concerns.]
In the Senate Rules Committee:
SB 72 – Legislative Session Dates by Flores — PASSED
Fixing the date for convening the regular session of the Legislature in the year 2016, etc.
(SB 566 – Florida Bright Futures Scholarships by T. Lee and SB 602 – Residency/Candidates/Public Officers by Latvala were on the agenda but were not considered)
COMING UP TOMORROW
The House Education Committee will meet – 8:00-10:30 am; Florida Channel webcast – to consider the following items and others:
HB 7033 – Middle Grades Education by K-12
Requires school that includes certain grades to include information in its school improvement plan & implement early warning system to identify students in need of additional academic support; includes middle grades schools under provisions prohibiting hazing; revises penalties; specifies requirements relating to additional FTE funding based on completion of courses or programs & issuance of industry certification; provides requirements for professional development for middle grades educators.
HB 7083 – Charter Schools by Choice & Innovation
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: FSBA is opposed to this bill. The Senate companion – SB 1528 – has been significantly amended and no longer contains any of the provisions of this House bill.]
The House Health & Human Services Committee will meet – 8:00-10:30 am; Florida Channel webcast – to consider the following item and others:
HB 159 – Mental Health First Aid Training Program by Berman
Requires DCF to establish mental health first aid training program; provides course requirements & requires certification of instructors; provides for expiration of program; provides appropriation.
The House Regulatory Affairs Committee will meet – 8:00-10:30 am; Florida Channel webcast – to consider the following item and others:
HB 785 – Workmans’ Compensation by Albritton
Authorizes employers to negotiate retrospectively rated premium with insurers under certain conditions.
The House Local & Federal Affairs Committee will meet – 8:45-10:30 am; Florida Channel webcast – to consider the following items and others:
HB 651 – Value Adjustment Board Proceedings by Hutson
Requires clerk of VAB to have available & distribute specified forms; authorizes owner of multiple items of tangible personal property to file joint petition with VAB; requires property appraiser to include property record card in an evidence list for VAB hearing.
HB 1315 – Public Officers and Employees by McBurney
Requires procedures of local ethics agency or commission to conform to certain procedures governing ethics complaints & investigations.
The Senate Governmental Oversight & Accountability Committee will meet – 9:00-10:30 am; Florida Channel webcast – to consider the following items and others:
SB 286 – Concrete Masonry Education by Richter
Creating the “Concrete Masonry Education Act”; creating the Florida Concrete Masonry Education Council, Inc.; authorizing the council to accept grants, donations, contributions, and gifts under certain circumstances; providing for collection of a voluntary assessment on concrete masonry units; requiring manufacturers who elect to pay the assessment to commit to paying the assessment for a specified period, etc.
SB 1318 – Public Records / Public-Private Partnerships by Evers
Creating an exemption from public records requirements for unsolicited proposals for a qualifying public-private project received by a responsible public entity for a specified period; creating an exemption from public meetings requirements for portions of meetings at which confidential and exempt information is discussed; requiring a recording to be made of a closed portion of a meeting; providing for future repeal and legislative review of the exemptions; providing statements of public necessity, etc.
SB 1628 – Government Accountability by Bean
Revising the responsibilities of department heads, the Supreme Court as it relates to the state courts system, the Justice Administrative Commission, state attorneys, public defenders, criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, the Guardian Ad Litem program, the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation, local governmental entities, and governing bodies of charter schools to include the responsibility of establishing certain internal controls; expanding the definition of the term “agency head”, etc.
The House will be in Session – 11:00 am-N/A; Florida Channel webcast – to consider their Appropriations, Implementing and Conforming bills and other items on 3rd Reading:
HB 5101 – Education Funding by Education Appropriations
HB 5005 – FRS / Contribution Rates by Appropriations
HB 5009 – Education Capital Outlay by Appropriations
HB 5003 – Appropriations Implementing by Appropriations
HB 5001 – Appropriations by Appropriations
The Senate will be in Session – 11:00 am-6:00 pm; Florida Channel webcast – to consider the following item and others:
3rd Reading:
SB 160 – Food Distributed Free of Charge by Bullard
Limiting the liability of public schools with respect to canned or perishable food donated to charitable or nonprofit organizations, etc.
2nd Reading:
SB 2500 – Appropriations by Appropriations
SB 2502 – Appropriations Implementing by Appropriations
SB 2506 – Florida Retirement System / Contribution Rates by GOAC
SB 852 – Education Assessments by Education
Prohibiting a student from taking certain local assessments during a specified time, etc.
SB 864 – Instructional Materials / Adoption by Hays
Providing that the district school board has the constitutional duty and responsibility to select and provide adequate instructional materials for all students; requiring a district school board or consortium of school districts to implement an instructional materials program; repealing provisions relating to bids, proposals, and advertisement regarding the adoption of instructional materials; requiring the district school board, rather than the commissioner, to conduct an independent investigation to determine the accuracy of district-adopted instructional materials, etc. [NOTE: FSBA is opposed to this bill. The House companion – HB 921 – has been substantially amended to retain the current state level adoption process and provide guidelines for districts that choose to follow the optional local adoption process.]
SB 1642 – Education Accountability by Education
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. [NOTE: This bill reflects DOE’s plan for the transition to the new state standards and assessments. While it contains many desirable provisions, FSBA is concerned that it does not address all of the areas of concern to ensure a thoughtful and successful transition.]
SB 358 – Volunteers / Organized Youth Sports by Ring
Revising the definition of the term “athletic coach”; expanding 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; providing that the duty may not be delegated; providing for disqualification; providing for exemption from disqualification; requiring that specified documentation be maintained for a specified period by such authorities, etc.
IN THE NEWS
Tampa Bay Times – 4/2/14
Bill to move Florida textbook adoption to districts scaled back
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/
Tampa Bay Times (Opinion) – 4/1/14
Column: Charter schools fail to boost achievement
http://www.tampabay.com/
