Florida Senate - 2015                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 948
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì740600cÎ740600                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/23/2015           .                                
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       The Committee on Higher Education (Gaetz) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 329 and 330
    4  insert:
    5         Section 10.  Section 1012.731, Florida Statutes, is created
    6  to read:
    7         1012.731 The Florida Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship
    8  Program.—
    9         (1) The Legislature recognizes that, second only to
   10  parents, teachers play the most critical role in preparing
   11  students to achieve a high level of academic performance. The
   12  Legislature further recognizes that research has linked student
   13  outcomes to a teacher’s own academic achievement. Therefore, it
   14  is the intent of the Legislature to designate teachers who have
   15  achieved high academic standards during their own education as
   16  Florida’s best and brightest teacher scholars.
   17         (2) There is created the Florida Best and Brightest Teacher
   18  Scholarship Program to be administered by the Department of
   19  Education. Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, categorical
   20  funds may be appropriated, as provided in the General
   21  Appropriations Act, to award scholarships to teachers who have
   22  demonstrated a high level of academic achievement.
   23         (3) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
   24  implement the program, which must include, but are not limited
   25  to:
   26         (a) Timeframes and requirements for submitting reports.
   27         (b) Eligibility criteria for receiving the scholarship.
   28         (c) Requirements for distributing scholarship funds.
   29  
   30  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   31  And the title is amended as follows:
   32         Between lines 26 and 27
   33  insert:
   34         creating s. 1012.731, F.S.; providing legislative
   35         intent; establishing the Florida Best and Brightest
   36         Teacher Scholarship Program; authorizing funding;
   37         requiring that the State Board of Education adopt
   38         rules;