Page 9 - MDLC_Legislative Action2015_F

Establish a level playing feld for traditional public schools by extending the current statutory fexibility such as the exemption from State Education Required Facilities (SREF), categorical funding, accountability, class size reduction compliance and related penalties assessed on charter schools. Clarify that a charter school contract automatically terminates after a charter school has exhausted all of its administrative appeals after receiving two consecutive grades of F or upon voluntary closure. Allow school districts with charter school enrollment exceeding 15 percent to limit approvals of charter school applications through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to locate in areas of highest need or through the formulation of district/charter collaborations. Allow charter schools to weight low-income and educationally disadvantaged applicants in admissions lotteries as recommended by the U.S. Department of Education guidance to create more integrated schools. Improve safeguards of tax payer investments and transparency between traditional public schools and charter schools, including, but not limited to, implementing the following safeguards: • Require charter school applications and lotteries be monitored by the local school board, or an appropriate independent entity, to ensure a fair, equitable, and transparent process for all students; • Allow local school districts to negotiate an appropriate usage fee based on market comparables; • Require funding to follow the student when transferring between charter and traditional public schools during the school year; • Establish fnancial disclosure standards and requirements for charter school offcers and related parties involved in fnancial decision making, similar to traditional public school standards; • Require the state to create a pre-qualifcation process for charter school applicants; and • Require the same standards of governance, conduct and ethics for public offcials to apply to charter school governing board members, charter school corporate offcers and employees. TEACHER PREPARATION/COMPENSATION: Require teacher certifcation to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and align state standards to ensure that teachers are highly qualifed in content areas as well as in pedagogy. Educational program needs must include the ability for instructional staff to be qualifed in order to certify students in vocational areas for industry-certifed programs. Amend state statutes related to the Student Success Act to clarify that: • Only one annual evaluation is required for teachers; and • Provide for annual supplements in lieu of base salary increases for highly effective teachers only. Provide a three-year transition for student growth measures to become part of the teacher evaluation system as the Florida State Assessment (FSA) and local end-of-course exams are developed and implemented. Allow districts to use FSA Reading/Math and/or school-wide data for instructional staff with no assessment until such time as local valid and reliable assessments have been developed. SAFETY: Require that the Florida High School Athletic Association make literature available to parents on the importance of having a cardiovascular assessment such as an EKG performed on student athletes and pursue mandatory screening prior to participation in any organized sports. 9