ENROLLED
       2010 Legislature                                           SJR 2
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                                                20102er
    1  
    2         A joint resolution proposing an amendment to Section 1
    3         of Article IX and the creation of Section 31 of
    4         Article XII of the State Constitution to revise class
    5         size requirements for public schools and to provide an
    6         effective date.
    7  
    8  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         That the following amendment to Section 1 of Article IX and
   11  the creation of Section 31 of Article XII of the State
   12  Constitution are agreed to and shall be submitted to the
   13  electors of this state for approval or rejection at the next
   14  general election or at an earlier special election specifically
   15  authorized by law for that purpose:
   16                             ARTICLE IX                            
   17                              EDUCATION                            
   18         SECTION 1. Public education.—
   19         (a) The education of children is a fundamental value of the
   20  people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a paramount
   21  duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education
   22  of all children residing within its borders. Adequate provision
   23  shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and
   24  high quality system of free public schools that allows students
   25  to obtain a high quality education and for the establishment,
   26  maintenance, and operation of institutions of higher learning
   27  and other public education programs that the needs of the people
   28  may require. To assure that children attending public schools
   29  obtain a high quality education, the legislature shall make
   30  adequate provision to ensure that, by the beginning of the 2010
   31  2011 2010 school year and for each school year thereafter, there
   32  are a sufficient number of classrooms so that:
   33         (1) Within each public school, the average maximum number
   34  of students who are assigned per class to each teacher who is
   35  teaching in public school classrooms for prekindergarten through
   36  grade 3 does not exceed 18 students and the maximum number of
   37  students assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom
   38  does not exceed 21 students;
   39         (2) Within each public school, the average maximum number
   40  of students who are assigned per class to each teacher who is
   41  teaching in public school classrooms for grades 4 through 8 does
   42  not exceed 22 students and the maximum number of students
   43  assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom does not
   44  exceed 27 students; and
   45         (3) Within each public school, the average maximum number
   46  of students who are assigned per class to each teacher who is
   47  teaching in public school classrooms for grades 9 through 12
   48  does not exceed 25 students and the maximum number of students
   49  assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom does not
   50  exceed 30 students.
   51  
   52  The class size requirements of this subsection do not apply to
   53  extracurricular or virtual classes. Payment of the costs
   54  associated with meeting reducing class size to meet these
   55  requirements is the responsibility of the state and not of local
   56  school schools districts. Beginning with the 2003-2004 fiscal
   57  year, The legislature shall provide sufficient funds to maintain
   58  reduce the average number of students required by in each
   59  classroom by at least two students per year until the maximum
   60  number of students per classroom does not exceed the
   61  requirements of this subsection.
   62         (b) Every four-year old child in Florida shall be provided
   63  by the State a high quality prekindergarten pre-kindergarten
   64  learning opportunity in the form of an early childhood
   65  development and education program which shall be voluntary, high
   66  quality, free, and delivered according to professionally
   67  accepted standards. An early childhood development and education
   68  program means an organized program designed to address and
   69  enhance each child’s ability to make age appropriate progress in
   70  an appropriate range of settings in the development of language
   71  and cognitive capabilities and emotional, social, regulatory,
   72  and moral capacities through education in basic skills and such
   73  other skills as the Legislature may determine to be appropriate.
   74         (c) The early childhood education and development programs
   75  provided by reason of subsection subparagraph (b) shall be
   76  implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005 school year
   77  through funds generated in addition to those used for existing
   78  education, health, and development programs. Existing education,
   79  health, and development programs are those funded by the State
   80  as of January 1, 2002, that provided for child or adult
   81  education, health care, or development.
   82                             ARTICLE XII                           
   83                              SCHEDULE                             
   84         SECTION 31. Class size requirements for public schools.—The
   85  amendment to Section 1 of Article IX, relating to class size
   86  requirements for public schools, and this section shall take
   87  effect upon approval by the electors and shall operate
   88  retroactively to the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.
   89         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
   90  placed on the ballot:
   91                      CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT                     
   92                        ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1                      
   93                       ARTICLE XII, SECTION 31                     
   94         REVISION OF THE CLASS SIZE REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC
   95  SCHOOLS.—The Florida Constitution currently limits the maximum
   96  number of students assigned to each teacher in public school
   97  classrooms in the following grade groupings: for prekindergarten
   98  through grade 3, 18 students; for grades 4 through 8, 22
   99  students; and for grades 9 through 12, 25 students. Under this
  100  amendment, the current limits on the maximum number of students
  101  assigned to each teacher in public school classrooms would
  102  become limits on the average number of students assigned per
  103  class to each teacher, by specified grade grouping, in each
  104  public school. This amendment also adopts new limits on the
  105  maximum number of students assigned to each teacher in an
  106  individual classroom as follows: for prekindergarten through
  107  grade 3, 21 students; for grades 4 through 8, 27 students; and
  108  for grades 9 through 12, 30 students. This amendment specifies
  109  that class size limits do not apply to virtual classes, requires
  110  the Legislature to provide sufficient funds to maintain the
  111  average number of students required by this amendment, and
  112  schedules these revisions to take effect upon approval by the
  113  electors of this state and to operate retroactively to the
  114  beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.