The Florida Senate

242.331  Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind; board of trustees.--

(1)  There is hereby created a Board of Trustees for the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind which shall consist of seven members. Of these seven members, one appointee shall be a blind person, and one appointee shall be a deaf person. Each member shall have been a resident of the state for a period of at least 10 years. Their terms of office shall be 4 years. The appointment of the trustees shall be by the Governor with the confirmation of the Senate. The Governor may remove any member for cause and shall fill all vacancies which occur.

(2)  The board of trustees shall elect a chair annually. The trustees shall be reimbursed for travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061, the accounts of which shall be paid by the Treasurer upon itemized vouchers duly approved by the chair.

(3)  The board of trustees has authority to adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement provisions of law relating to operation of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. Such rules shall be submitted to the State Board of Education for approval or disapproval. If any rule is not disapproved by the State Board of Education within 60 days of its receipt by the State Board of Education, the rule shall be filed immediately with the Department of State. The board of trustees shall act at all times in conjunction with the rules of the State Board of Education.

(4)  The Board of Trustees for the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is a body corporate and shall have a corporate seal. Title to any gift, donation, or bequest received by the board of trustees pursuant to subsection (5) shall vest in the board of trustees. Title to all other property and other assets of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind shall vest in the State Board of Education, but the board of trustees shall have complete jurisdiction over the management of the school and is invested with full power and authority to appoint a president, faculty, teachers, and other employees and remove the same as in its judgment may be best and fix their compensation; to procure professional services, such as medical, mental health, architectural, engineering, and legal services; to determine eligibility of students and procedure for admission; to provide for the students of the school necessary bedding, clothing, food, and medical attendance and such other things as may be proper for the health and comfort of the students without cost to their parents or guardians, except that the board may set tuition and other fees for nonresidents; to provide for the proper keeping of accounts and records and for budgeting of funds; to enter into contracts; to sue and be sued; to secure public liability insurance; and to do and perform every other matter or thing requisite to the proper management, maintenance, support, and control of the school at the highest efficiency economically possible, the board of trustees taking into consideration the purposes of the establishment.

(5)(a)  The Board of Trustees for the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is authorized to receive gifts, donations, and bequests of money or property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, from any person, firm, corporation, or other legal entity. However, the board of trustees may not obligate the state to any expenditure or policy that is not specifically authorized by law.

(b)  If the bill of sale, will, trust indenture, deed, or other legal conveyance specifies terms and conditions concerning the use of such money or property, the board of trustees shall observe such terms and conditions.

(c)  The board of trustees may deposit outside the State Treasury such moneys as are received as gifts, donations, or bequests and may disburse and expend such moneys, upon its own warrant, for the use and benefit of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind and its students, as the board of trustees deems to be in the best interest of the school and its students. Such money or property shall not constitute or be considered a part of any legislative appropriation, and such money shall not be used to compensate any person for engaging in lobbying activities before the House of Representatives or Senate or any committee thereof.

(d)  The board of trustees may sell or convey by bill of sale, deed, or other legal instrument any property, real or personal, received as a gift, donation, or bequest, upon such terms and conditions as the board of trustees deems to be in the best interest of the school and its students.

(e)  The board of trustees may invest such moneys in securities enumerated under s. 215.47, and in The Common Fund, an Investment Management Fund exclusively for nonprofit educational institutions.

(6)  The board of trustees shall:

(a)  Prepare and submit legislative budget requests, including fixed capital outlay requests, in accordance with chapter 216 and s. 235.41.

(b)  Administer and maintain personnel programs for all employees of the board of trustees and the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind who shall be state employees, including the personnel classification and pay plan established in accordance with ss. 110.205(2)(d) and 216.251(2)(a)2. for academic and academic administrative personnel, the provisions of chapter 110, and the provisions of law that grant authority to the Department of Management Services over such programs for state employees.

(c)  Adopt a master plan which specifies the mission and objectives of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. The plan shall include, but not be limited to, procedures for systematically measuring the school's progress toward meeting its objectives, analyzing changes in the student population, and modifying school programs and services to respond to such changes. The plan shall be for a period of 5 years and shall be reviewed for needed modifications every 2 years. The board of trustees shall submit the initial plan and subsequent modifications to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate.

(d)  Seek the advice of the Bureau of Education for Exceptional Students within the Division of Public Schools and Community Education of the Department of Education.

(7)  The Board of Trustees for the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, located in St. Johns County, shall designate a portion of the school as "The Verle Allyn Pope Complex for the Deaf," in tribute to the late Senator Verle Allyn Pope.

History.--ss. 1, 2, 3, 4, ch. 63-231; s. 19, ch. 63-400; s. 1, ch. 67-49; ss. 15, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 1, ch. 74-86; s. 1, ch. 74-159; s. 1, ch. 81-32; s. 119, ch. 83-217; s. 1, ch. 83-351; s. 113, ch. 84-336; s. 1, ch. 86-299; s. 2, ch. 88-366; s. 19, ch. 94-232; s. 834, ch. 95-148; s. 32, ch. 97-307; s. 38, ch. 98-200.