Florida Senate - 2013                             CS for SB 1722
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Education; and Senator Legg
       
       
       
       
       581-03367-13                                          20131722c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to early learning; establishing the
    3         Office of Early Learning within the Office of the
    4         Commissioner of Education; establishing
    5         responsibilities of the Office of Early Learning;
    6         providing an effective date.
    7  
    8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         Section 1. The Office of Early Learning.—The Office of
   11  Early Learning is established within the Office of the
   12  Commissioner of Education.
   13         (1) The Office of Early Learning shall administer the
   14  school readiness program and the Voluntary Prekindergarten
   15  Education Program. Administrative staff for the school readiness
   16  program and the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
   17  shall be kept to the minimum necessary to administer the duties
   18  of the Office of Early Learning.
   19         (2) The Office of Early Learning is responsible for the
   20  following:
   21         (a) Prudent use of public and private funds, including, but
   22  not limited to, the adoption of a uniform chart of accounts for
   23  budgeting and financial reporting purposes.
   24         (b) Monitoring and evaluating the performance of each early
   25  learning coalition with regard to its finances, management, and
   26  operations.
   27         (c) Annually publishing a summary of the school readiness
   28  program and the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program,
   29  including, but not limited to, the number of children served and
   30  administrative costs of early learning coalitions relative to
   31  the coalitions’ total expenditures. The summary must be based on
   32  reports that must be submitted annually by the early learning
   33  coalitions to the Office of Early Learning.
   34         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.