The Florida Senate

233.07  State instructional materials committees.--

(1)  Each school year, not later than April 15, the Commissioner of Education shall appoint state instructional materials committees composed of persons actively engaged in teaching or in the supervision of teaching in the public elementary or secondary schools and representing the major fields and levels in which instructional materials are used in the public schools of the state and, in addition, lay citizens not professionally connected with education. There shall be committees for the recommendation of instructional materials for the elementary and secondary grades as may be found necessary by the Commissioner of Education. Committee members shall receive training pursuant to s. 233.095 in competencies related to the evaluation and selection of instructional materials.

(a)  There shall be nine or more members on each committee: At least 50 percent of the members shall be classroom teachers who are certified in an area directly related to the academic area or level being considered for adoption, two shall be laypersons, one shall be a school board member, and two shall be supervisors of teachers. The committee must have the capacity or expertise to address the broad racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity of the student population of the state. Personnel selected as teachers of the year at the school, district, regional, or state level pursuant to the provisions of the program conducted by the Department of Education shall be encouraged to serve on instructional materials committees.

(b)  The membership of each committee must reflect the broad racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity of the state, including a balanced representation from the state's geographic regions.

(c)  The commissioner shall determine annually the areas in which instructional materials shall be submitted for adoption. One of the factors upon which the commissioner shall base his or her decision is the desires of the school districts. The commissioner shall also determine the number of titles to be adopted in each area.

(2)(a)  All appointments shall be pursuant to the conditions prescribed in this section. No member shall serve more than two consecutive terms on any committee. All appointments shall be for 18-month terms. All vacancies shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment for only the time remaining in the unexpired term. At no time may a school district have more than one representative on a committee, it being the intent of the Legislature to involve representatives from the maximum number of school districts in the process of instructional materials selection. The Commissioner of Education and a member of the Department of Education whom he or she shall designate shall be additional and ex officio members of each committee.

(b)  The names and mailing addresses of the members of the state instructional materials committees shall be made public when appointments are made.

(c)  The district school board shall be reimbursed for the actual cost of substitute teachers for each workday that a member of its instructional staff is absent from his or her assigned duties for the purpose of rendering service to the state instructional materials committee. In addition, committee members shall be reimbursed for travel expenses, and per diem shall be paid to each committee member as provided in s. 112.061 for actual service in meetings of committees called by the Commissioner of Education. Payment of such travel expenses shall be made by the Treasurer from the appropriation for the administration of the instructional materials program, on warrants to be drawn by the Comptroller upon requisition approved by the commissioner.

(d)  Any member of a committee may be removed by the Commissioner of Education for cause.

(3)  It is the intent of the Legislature that all other references in the law to the state instructional materials committee apply to each committee created by this section.

(4)  For purposes of state adoption, "instructional materials" means items having intellectual content that by design serve as a major tool for assisting in the instruction of a subject or course. These items may be available in bound, unbound, kit, or package form and may consist of hardbacked or softbacked textbooks, consumables, learning laboratories, manipulatives, electronic media, and computer courseware or software. The term does not include electronic or computer hardware even if such hardware is bundled with software or other electronic media.

History.--s. 707, ch. 19355, 1939; CGL 1940 Supp. 892(219); s. 1, ch. 28210, 1953; s. 7, ch. 59-282; ss. 1, 3, ch. 61-322; s. 19, ch. 63-400; ss. 15, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 1, ch. 69-300; s. 1, ch. 74-337; s. 4, ch. 78-323; ss. 2, 4, 5, ch. 81-56; ss. 1, 4, ch. 82-46; s. 2, ch. 83-265; s. 6, ch. 84-94; s. 66, ch. 84-336; ss. 3, 15, 16, ch. 91-182; s. 5, ch. 91-429; s. 4, ch. 92-100; s. 1287, ch. 95-147; s. 39, ch. 97-190; s. 2, ch. 97-285; s. 2, ch. 2000-291.