| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Florida Teachers Lead Program |
| 3 | Stipend; amending s. 1012.71, F.S.; extending the stipend |
| 4 | to teachers of prekindergarten students, charter school |
| 5 | teachers, and job-share classroom teachers; revising |
| 6 | provisions relating to the calculation, deposit, and |
| 7 | disbursement of stipend funds; revising definition of the |
| 8 | term "classroom teacher" to conform; providing an |
| 9 | effective date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Section 1. Section 1012.71, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 14 | to read: |
| 15 | 1012.71 The Florida Teachers Lead Program Stipend.-- |
| 16 | (1) Funding for the Florida Teachers Lead Program Stipend |
| 17 | shall be as determined by the Legislature in the General |
| 18 | Appropriations Act. Funds appropriated for the Florida Teachers |
| 19 | Lead Program Stipend are provided to purchase classroom |
| 20 | materials and supplies used in the instruction of students who |
| 21 | are funded through the Florida Education Finance Program, |
| 22 | including charter school students, in prekindergarten |
| 23 | kindergarten through grade 12 of the public school system. From |
| 24 | the funds appropriated, the Commissioner of Education shall |
| 25 | calculate an amount for each school district by prorating the |
| 26 | total of each school district's share of the total K-12 |
| 27 | unweighted FTE student enrollment in prekindergarten through |
| 28 | grade 12 that is funded through the Florida Education Finance |
| 29 | Program. |
| 30 | (2) From the funds allocated to each district, the |
| 31 | district school board shall calculate an identical amount for |
| 32 | each classroom teacher which is his or her proportionate share |
| 33 | of the amount allocated to the district for the total number of |
| 34 | classroom teachers in the district. A job-share classroom |
| 35 | teacher shall receive his or her prorated share of a regular |
| 36 | full-time classroom teacher's proportionate share of the |
| 37 | stipend. The district school board shall provide the funds no |
| 38 | later than September 30 of each year directly to each classroom |
| 39 | teacher or charter school for its classroom teachers as a |
| 40 | stipend to purchase, on behalf of the school district or charter |
| 41 | school, classroom materials and supplies to be used in the |
| 42 | instruction of students assigned to the teacher. Each classroom |
| 43 | teacher shall have sole discretion regarding which classroom |
| 44 | materials and supplies best meet the needs of the students, when |
| 45 | they are needed, and where they are acquired. The funds expended |
| 46 | by individual classroom teachers shall not be subject to state |
| 47 | or local competitive bidding requirements. Disbursement of |
| 48 | Florida Teachers Lead Program Stipend funds directly to each |
| 49 | classroom teacher or charter school shall complete the school |
| 50 | district's expenditure of these funds, and disbursement of such |
| 51 | funds by the charter school to each charter school classroom |
| 52 | teacher shall complete the charter school's expenditure of these |
| 53 | funds. |
| 54 | (3) Each classroom teacher shall sign a statement |
| 55 | acknowledging receipt of the funds, agreeing to keep receipts to |
| 56 | show the expenditure of the funds used to purchase classroom |
| 57 | materials and supplies for use in the instruction of the |
| 58 | students assigned to them, and agreeing to return any unused |
| 59 | funds by the end of the regular school year. The statement to be |
| 60 | signed and dated by each classroom teacher for receipt of the |
| 61 | Florida Teachers Lead Program Stipend shall include the wording: |
| 62 | "I, (Name of teacher) , am employed by the _____ County |
| 63 | District School Board or by the Charter School as a |
| 64 | regular full-time or job-share classroom teacher. I acknowledge |
| 65 | that Florida Teachers Lead Program Stipend funds are |
| 66 | appropriated by the Legislature for the sole purpose of |
| 67 | purchasing classroom materials and supplies to be used in the |
| 68 | instruction of students assigned to me. In accepting custody of |
| 69 | these funds, I agree to keep receipts for all expenditures. I |
| 70 | understand that if I do not keep receipts showing these funds |
| 71 | were spent to purchase classroom materials and supplies for use |
| 72 | with my students, it will be my personal responsibility to pay |
| 73 | any federal taxes due on these funds. I also agree to return any |
| 74 | unused funds to the district school board at the end of the |
| 75 | regular school year for deposit into the School Advisory Council |
| 76 | account of the school at which I was employed at the time of the |
| 77 | receipt of the funds or for deposit into the Florida Teachers |
| 78 | Lead Program account of the district in which the charter school |
| 79 | is sponsored, as applicable." |
| 80 | (4) Florida Teachers Lead Program Stipend funds shall be |
| 81 | provided to each classroom teacher in addition to any other |
| 82 | funds appropriated for public school operations. |
| 83 | (5) Any unused funds which are returned to the district |
| 84 | school board shall be deposited into the School Advisory Council |
| 85 | account of the school at which the classroom teacher returning |
| 86 | the funds was employed at the time of the receipt of the funds |
| 87 | or into the Florida Teachers Lead Program account of the |
| 88 | district in which the charter school is sponsored, as |
| 89 | applicable. |
| 90 | (6) For purposes of this section, the term "classroom |
| 91 | teacher" includes certified teachers, and also includes charter |
| 92 | school teachers, employed on or before September 1 of each year |
| 93 | whose regular full-time or job-share job responsibility is the |
| 94 | classroom instruction of students who are funded through the |
| 95 | Florida Education Finance Program, including charter school |
| 96 | students, in prekindergarten kindergarten through grade 12, and |
| 97 | full-time media specialists and guidance counselors who serve |
| 98 | such students. A job-share classroom teacher is a teacher who |
| 99 | shares a full-time position with two or more other classroom |
| 100 | teachers in kindergarten through grade 12. Only school district |
| 101 | and charter school personnel employed in these positions are |
| 102 | eligible for the classroom materials and supply stipend from |
| 103 | funds appropriated to implement the provisions of this section. |
| 104 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |