HJR 727

1	House Joint Resolution
2	A joint resolution proposing an amendment to Section 1 of
3	Article IX of the State Constitution relating to public
4	education.
5
6	Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
7
8	That the following amendment to Section 1 of Article IX of
9	the State Constitution is agreed to and shall be submitted to
10	the electors of this state for approval or rejection at the next
11	general election or at an earlier special election specifically
12	authorized by law for that purpose:
13	ARTICLE IX
14	EDUCATION
15	SECTION 1.  Public education.--
16	(a)  The education of children is a fundamental value of
17	the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a
18	paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the
19	education of all children residing within its borders. Adequate
20	provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe,
21	secure, and high quality system of free public schools that
22	allows students to obtain a high quality education and for the
23	establishment, maintenance, and operation of institutions of
24	higher learning and other public education programs that the
25	needs of the people may require. To assure that children
26	attending public schools obtain a high quality education, the
27	legislature shall make adequate provision to ensure that, by the
28	beginning of the 2009-2010 2010 school year and for each school
29	year thereafter, there are a sufficient number of classrooms so
30	that:
31	(1)  The school district average maximum number of students
32	who are assigned to each teacher who is teaching in public
33	school classrooms for prekindergarten through grade 3 does not
34	exceed 18 students and the maximum number of students in any
35	prekindergarten through grade 3 class does not exceed 23
36	students;
37	(2)  The school district average maximum number of students
38	who are assigned to each teacher who is teaching in public
39	school classrooms for grades 4 through 8 does not exceed 22
40	students and the maximum number of students in any grade 4
41	through 8 class does not exceed 27 students; and
42	(3)  The school district average maximum number of students
43	who are assigned to each teacher who is teaching in public
44	school classrooms for grades 9 through 12 does not exceed 25
45	students and the maximum number of students in any grade 9
46	through 12 class does not exceed 30 students.
47
48	The class size requirements of this subsection do not apply to
49	extracurricular classes. Payment of the costs associated with
50	reducing class size to meet these requirements is the
51	responsibility of the state and not of local school schools
52	districts. Beginning with the 2003-2004 fiscal year, the
53	legislature shall provide sufficient funds to reduce the school
54	district average class size number of students in each classroom
55	by at least two students per year until the school district
56	average class size for each of the grade groupings maximum
57	number of students per classroom does not exceed the
58	requirements of this subsection.
59	(b)  In addition to the amounts appropriated to meet the
60	class size requirements of subsection (a), the legislature shall
61	annually cause to be appropriated a separate amount from state
62	funds equal to the difference between the estimated cost of
63	implementing a class size reduction program according to the
64	provisions of subsection (a) as initially adopted in November
65	2002 and the cost of implementing the provisions of subsection
66	(a) as amended in November 2006. Such separate amount shall be
67	appropriated by the legislature first for increasing the salary
68	of public school teachers to the extent necessary to cause the
69	average annual teacher salary in Florida public schools to equal
70	at least the average annual salary of all public school teachers
71	in the United States in prekindergarten through grade 12 and for
72	increasing salaries for other public education employees, and
73	thereafter for funding such public education purposes as deemed
74	appropriate by the legislature.
75	(c)(1)(b)  Every four-year old child in Florida shall be
76	provided by the state a high quality prekindergarten pre-
77	kindergarten learning opportunity in the form of an early
78	childhood development and education program which shall be
79	voluntary, high quality, free, and delivered according to
80	professionally accepted standards. An early childhood
81	development and education program means an organized program
82	designed to address and enhance each child's ability to make age
83	appropriate progress in an appropriate range of settings in the
84	development of language and cognitive capabilities and
85	emotional, social, regulatory, and moral capacities through
86	education in basic skills and such other skills as the
87	Legislature may determine to be appropriate.
88	(2)(c)  The early childhood education and development
89	programs provided by reason of this subsection subparagraph (b)
90	shall be implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005
91	school year through funds generated in addition to those used
92	for existing education, health, and development programs.
93	Existing education, health, and development programs are those
94	funded by the state as of January 1, 2002, that provided for
95	child or adult education, health care, or development.
96	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
97	placed on the ballot:
98	CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
99	ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1
100	PUBLIC EDUCATION; REVISING CLASS SIZE REQUIREMENTS TO
101	INCREASE SALARIES AND FUND OTHER PURPOSES.--Proposing an
102	amendment to the State Constitution to revise class size
103	requirements and their date of implementation to provide that
104	they shall be based on the school district average number of
105	students who are assigned to a teacher in specified grades; to
106	specify the maximum number of students in any one class; to
107	provide that, in addition to the amounts appropriated to meet
108	the revised class size requirements, the Legislature shall
109	appropriate a separate amount equal to the difference between
110	the estimated cost of implementing a class size reduction
111	program according to the constitutional provisions adopted in
112	November 2002 and the cost of implementing these revised class
113	size requirements; and to provide that such separate
114	appropriation shall first be used to increase the salary of
115	public school teachers and other public school employees and
116	thereafter to fund other public education purposes.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.