FLORIDA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION, INC

203 South Monroe Street ~ Tallahassee, FL32301

Phone: 850/414-2578 ~ Fax: 850/414-2585

PRESIDENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

JEANNE DOZIER DR. WAYNE BLANTON

FORT MYERS TALLAHASSEE

2008 LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM

PRIORITIES FOR THE 2008 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

The Florida School Boards Association believes that the state has a

clear constitutional obligation to provide a “uniform, efficient, safe,

secure, and high quality system of free public schools that allows

students to obtain a high quality education” and endorses the report ofthe bi-partisan Constitutional Accountability Commission calling for thestate to fulfill this paramount duty. In pursuit of this objective, the

Florida School Boards Association urges the Legislature to:

Support property tax reform initiatives that safeguard local controland flexibility, that improve fairness and equity among all classesof taxpayers, and that specifically hold school districts harmlessfrom operating and capital revenue losses;

Support a constitutional amendment to revise class sizerequirements to provide that compliance is based on the averageclass size at each school for each of the grade groupings and thatthe number of students in any individual classroom may notexceed the constitutional limit for any grade grouping by morethan five students;

Correct conflicts and inconsistencies in statutes relating to schoolconcurrency, including clarification to ensure that school districtsare exempt from providing off-site infrastructure, and restore andincrease earmarked funding to accomplish school concurrency;

Repeal all provisions relating to the Florida Schools of ExcellenceCommission.

FSBA POSITIONS ON ISSUES OF CONTINUING CONCERN

FUNDING

FSBA believes that a strong and consistent financial investment in education is critical to thesuccess of public schools. Such an investment must be stable, equitable, and sufficient to meetthe needs of all students. At a minimum, education appropriations must fully fund enrollment andinflation costs and must not shift funding responsibilities to local school districts. All mandatesmust be fully funded.

The Florida Education Finance Program should be amended to restore ample program costfactors for students in grades 6-8 who are enrolled in career education programs. SufficientSafeSchool funding must be provided to meet the demand of increased costs and new securityresponsibilities. In addition, full categorical funding must be provided for transportation andinstructional materials.

Full funding must be provided for the operational and capital costs of Class Size Reduction (CSR)and sanctions that redirect CSR operating funds to capital purposes must be eliminated. Inassessing yearly progress toward compliance with class size reduction requirements, the third andfourth FTE counts should be used, average class counts should be rounded to the nearest wholenumber, and charter school class size compliance should not adversely impact the school districtcompliance.

In order to address unmet operating and capital needs, the Legislature should establish newrevenue sources such as a mortgage transfer fee, the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, andelimination of most sales tax exemptions. In addition, school boards should be authorized toextend the operating millage levy from four to ten years. The Corporate Income Tax Creditprogram should be extended to allow tax credit for donations to education foundations.

FACILITIES

FSBA believes that ample, equitable, and stable funding must be available to provide a sufficientnumber of well constructed and well equipped school facilities that offer environments thatincorporate new technology, encourage and enhance teaching and learning, and allow for teacherto student ratios that are in keeping with class size reduction initiatives.

Student capacity formulas must be amended to accurately reflect the number of available studentstations in a manner that is consistent with legislative policies regarding class size reduction, theuse of portable classrooms, pre-kindergarten programs, and other instructional program needs.

Statutorily established costs per student station must also be modified to better reflect the addedcosts inherent to the construction price index, inflation, technology, regional cost considerations,and other related factors.

Revenue generated from the local 2 mill levy should be available for use by school districts forany legitimate capital purpose and for property and casualty insurance.

Adequate funding must be provided for hardening of facilities that serve as emergency shelters,for all replacement and repairs due to storm damage, and for all operational costs associated withthe operation of school emergency shelters before, during, and after storms.

ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Work must continue on both the federal and state level to improve alignment of accountability systems and compliance plans so that they are consistent, accommodate individual student needs, and accurately reflect student achievement and progress.

The statewide administration of the FCAT must be scheduled as late as possible in the school year. Test scores, content, and scoring methodology should be annually reviewed by an independent review team. In addition, students who attend any school that receives state funding for education, including students who receive vouchers, should be measured by the state accountability system. Further, the state assessment system should be revised to reflect a true learning gains model that utilizes the FCAT and a variety of national, state, or district validated alternative assessment instruments. In determining school grades, scores of students new to the state should be excluded until both performance scores and learning gain scores are available for these students. In addition, all charter schools should receive a school grade, regardless of student enrollment.

Any effort to revise the Sunshine State Standards must provide sufficient time, resources, and professional development to ensure a smooth transition for students.

Florida’s system for determining graduation rates and drop-out rates must be revised to more accurately reflect the impacts of Florida’s high mobility rate and other factors. In addition, high school graduation requirements should be revised so that one credit in Practical Arts, or one credit in Fine Arts, or one half credit in each will satisfy graduation requirements.

FSBA supports a constitutional amendment to establish the office of the Commissioner of Education as a Cabinet level position that is subject to statewide election.

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS

FSBA believes that Florida’s citizens, economy, and general welfare are best served through the provision of the highest quality public educational programs that cater to the general and individual needs of all students – pre-kindergarten through adult.

Enhancements to the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK) are needed to ensure alignment with the recommendations of the 2003 Universal Pre-Kindergarten Education Advisory Council. Sufficient and flexible funding must be provided to ensure that all eligible students, particularly low income and special needs children, are able to participate and are appropriately served. In particular, governance of VPK should be transferred to the Department of Education, full certification should be required for all teachers, full funding should be provided for the appropriate transportation for VPK students, and the summer VPK program should be revised to ensure that the length of the school day and teacher to student contact hours are better aligned with the school year program.

School districts must maintain local control and flexibility in providing of a variety of public school choice options. Local school boards must bear no responsibility for any charter school that is not sponsored by the district school board and the result of an appeal of a charter school application to the State Board of Education must not binding on the school district.

PERSONNEL

FSBA recognizes that excellence in student achievement depends upon having dedicatededucators who are highly skilled, effective, thoroughly trained, and fairly compensated. In orderto attract and retain topnotch instructional and administrative personnel, each school district musthave the control and flexible use of adequate funds for locally bargained competitive salaries,professional development, and programs to support and mentor personnel. Creative incentives,such as loan repayment, access to affordable workforce housing, and reimbursement forrelocation costs, should be authorized and funded.

LOCAL CONTROL AND GOVERNANCE

The constitutional authority of elected school boards to “supervise, operate and control” publicschools must be honored through support for local control and flexibility. Legislativeencroachment on the constitutional authority of school boards must be avoided, particularly withrespect to determining school calendars, establishing the powers and duties of the school boardofficers, or the sub-division or reapportionment of school districts. In addition, the distribution ofschool impact fees and 2 mill revenue must remain at the discretion of the school board.

The Legislature should support state funding for the training of school board members. Suchtraining should include legal mandates, best practices, open government, and other areas ofexpertise to assist elected school board members to fully serve the needs of the students in theirdistricts.

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