Senate Bill sb1032

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 1032

    By the Committee on Education





    304-913-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to teacher recruitment and

  3         retention; amending s. 1012.05, F.S.; providing

  4         requirements for the Department of Education

  5         with respect to the retention of qualified

  6         teachers; requiring the department to develop a

  7         long-range plan for educator recruitment and

  8         retention; specifying the contents of the plan;

  9         requiring school districts to consider

10         implementing specified elements of the

11         long-range plan; requiring the department to

12         report annually to the Legislature on the

13         implementation of programs contained in the

14         long-range plan; providing an effective date.

15  

16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

17  

18         Section 1.  Section 1012.05, Florida Statutes, is

19  amended to read:

20         1012.05  Teacher recruitment and retention.--

21         (1)  The Department of Education, in cooperation with

22  teacher organizations, district personnel offices, and

23  schools, colleges, and departments of education in public and

24  nonpublic postsecondary educational institutions, shall

25  concentrate on the recruitment and retention of qualified

26  teachers.

27         (2)  The Department of Education shall:

28         (a)  Develop and implement a system for posting

29  teaching vacancies and establish a database of teacher

30  applicants that is accessible within and outside the state.

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 1032
    304-913-03




 1         (b)  Advertise in major newspapers, national

 2  professional publications, and other professional publications

 3  and in schools of education.

 4         (c)  Utilize state and nationwide toll-free numbers.

 5         (d)  Conduct periodic communications with district

 6  personnel directors regarding applicants.

 7         (e)  Provide district access to the applicant database

 8  by computer or telephone.

 9         (f)  Develop and distribute promotional materials

10  related to teaching as a profession and as a career.

11         (g)  Publish and distribute information pertaining to

12  employment opportunities, application procedures, teacher

13  certification, and teacher salaries.

14         (h)  Provide information related to certification

15  procedures.

16         (i)  Develop and sponsor the Florida Future Educator of

17  America Program throughout the state.

18         (j)  Develop, in consultation with school district

19  staff including, but not limited to, district school

20  superintendents, district school board members, and district

21  human resources personnel, a long-range plan for educator

22  recruitment and retention.

23         (j)(k)  Identify best practices for retaining

24  high-quality teachers.

25         (k)(l)  Develop, in consultation with Workforce

26  Florida, Inc., and the Agency for Workforce Innovation,

27  created pursuant to ss. 445.004 and 20.50, respectively, a

28  plan for accessing and identifying available resources in the

29  state's workforce system for the purpose of enhancing teacher

30  recruitment and retention.

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 1032
    304-913-03




 1         (3)  The Department of Education, in cooperation with

 2  district personnel offices, shall sponsor a job fair in a

 3  central part of the state to match in-state educators and

 4  out-of-state educators with teaching opportunities in this

 5  state.

 6         (4)  The Department of Education shall develop, in

 7  consultation with school district staff, including, but not

 8  limited to, district school superintendents, district school

 9  board members, and district human resources personnel, a

10  long-range plan for educator recruitment and retention. The

11  plan must address the areas of critical teacher shortage for

12  each year.

13         (a)  The plan must include a model comprehensive

14  induction program and a model peer mentoring program for new

15  teachers employed in the state or district for the first time

16  and teachers certified under s. 1012.56(7)(a) and s.

17  1012.57(1). The purpose of the program is to provide an

18  orientation to professional responsibilities and the support

19  activities required to enable the teachers to successfully

20  demonstrate the competencies required by this section.

21         1.  The components of the induction program must

22  include:

23         a.  Preservice activities;

24         b.  Regular meetings between the new teacher and the

25  peer mentor;

26         c.  Partnerships with teacher preparation programs; and

27         d.  Partnerships with other schools within the

28  district.

29         2.  The induction program for a teacher's first year in

30  the district may include:

31         a.  A reduced teaching load;

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 1032
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 1         b.  A limitation on the teacher's initial assignments

 2  to the field in which the teacher is certified.

 3         3.  The plan for the mentoring program must include:

 4         a.  Training for the peer mentor;

 5         b.  Training for the school principal on managing

 6  successful teacher retention efforts and on providing support

 7  for the new teacher and peer mentor;

 8         c.  Assigning a trained mentor within the school to

 9  each new teacher; and

10         d.  Providing opportunities to collaborate with the

11  mentor and other teachers through scheduling and structural

12  changes, including a common planning time, in order to build

13  collegial relationships and promote instructional excellence.

14         (b)  Each school district shall consider implementing

15  the model induction program and the model peer mentoring

16  program contained in the long-range plan.

17         (c)  The Department of Education shall annually report

18  to the Legislature on the number of districts implementing the

19  model induction program and the model peer mentoring program,

20  the retention rates for first-year teachers, and the impact of

21  the model induction program and the model peer mentoring

22  program on the long-range plan for educator recruitment and

23  retention.

24         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

25  law.

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 1032
    304-913-03




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 2                          SENATE SUMMARY

 3    Requires the Department of Education, in conjunction with
      district staff, to develop a long-range plan for educator
 4    recruitment and retention. Provides programs to be
      included in the plan and the purpose of the programs.
 5    Requires the department to report to the Legislature each
      year on the implementation of programs contained in the
 6    long-range plan.

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