CRC - 2017 P 83 By Commissioner Washington washingtn-00094-17 201783__ 1 A proposal to create 2 Section 8 of Article IX of the State Constitution to 3 specify the purposes of the State College System and 4 to provide for the governance structure of the system. 5 6 Be It Proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission of 7 Florida: 8 9 Section 8 of Article IX of the State Constitution is 10 created to read: 11 ARTICLE IX 12 EDUCATION 13 SECTION 8. State College System.— 14 (a) PURPOSES. Increasingly, education and training beyond 15 high school is necessary for individuals to meet Florida’s 16 workforce demands. In order to provide an affordable, primary 17 access point to undergraduate education to Floridians, and to 18 respond quickly and efficiently to meet the demand of employers 19 by aligning certificate and degree programs with regional 20 workforce needs, the people hereby establish the Florida College 21 System. The mission of the college system is to provide open 22 access to postsecondary education that will prepare students 23 either to transfer into the university system or the workforce 24 by obtaining a workforce-aligned credential. 25 (b) STATE COLLEGE SYSTEM. There shall be a single college 26 system comprised of all public community and state colleges. A 27 board of trustees shall administer each individually governed 28 public college and the state board of education shall oversee, 29 coordinate, and provide statewide leadership for the state 30 college system. 31 (c) LOCAL BOARDS OF TRUSTEES. Each local constituent 32 college shall be administered by a local board of trustees, as 33 prescribed by law, dedicated to the purposes of the state 34 college system. A member of a board of trustees must be a 35 resident of the service delivery area of the college. The powers 36 and duties of the boards of trustees shall be prescribed by 37 general law. Each citizen member shall be appointed by the 38 governor and confirmed by the senate. 39 (d) ROLE OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. The board shall 40 operate, regulate, control, and be fully responsible for the 41 management of the whole college system. These responsibilities 42 include, but are not limited to, affirming the distinctive 43 mission of each constituent college, ensuring the well-planned 44 coordination and operation of the system, reinforcing 45 articulation and pathways with public schools and the state 46 university system, and ensuring that academic programs align to 47 community workforce needs. The board’s management of the college 48 system shall be subject to the powers of the legislature to 49 appropriate for the expenditure of funds, and the board shall 50 account for such expenditures as provided by law.