CRC - 2017 P 89 By Commissioner Washington washingtn-00093A-17 201789__ 1 A proposal to amend 2 Section 1 of Article IX of the State Constitution to 3 specify the purpose and intent of the state’s public 4 education system. 5 6 Be It Proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission of 7 Florida: 8 9 Section 1 of Article IX of the State Constitution is 10 amended to read: 11 ARTICLE IX 12 EDUCATION 13 SECTION 1. Public education.— 14 (a) The purpose of the public education system of Florida 15 is to develop the intellect of the state’s citizens, to 16 contribute to the economy, to create an effective workforce, and 17 to prepare students for a job. The education of children is a 18 fundamental value of the people of the State of Florida. It is, 19 therefore, a paramount duty of the state to make adequate 20 provision for the education of all children residing within its 21 borders. Adequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform, 22 efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public 23 schools that allows students to obtain a high quality education 24 and for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of 25 institutions of higher learning and other public education 26 programs that the needs of the people may require. To assure 27 that children attending public schools obtain a high quality 28 education, the legislature shall make adequate provision to 29 ensure that, by the beginning of the 2010 school year, there are 30 a sufficient number of classrooms so that: 31 (1) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each 32 teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for 33 prekindergarten through grade 3 does not exceed 18 students; 34 (2) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each 35 teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for grades 4 36 through 8 does not exceed 22 students; and 37 (3) The maximum number of students who are assigned to each 38 teacher who is teaching in public school classrooms for grades 9 39 through 12 does not exceed 25 students. 40 41 The class size requirements of this subsection do not apply to 42 extracurricular classes. Payment of the costs associated with 43 reducing class size to meet these requirements is the 44 responsibility of the state and not of local schools districts. 45 Beginning with the 2003-2004 fiscal year, the legislature shall 46 provide sufficient funds to reduce the average number of 47 students in each classroom by at least two students per year 48 until the maximum number of students per classroom does not 49 exceed the requirements of this subsection. 50 (b) Every four-year old child in Florida shall be provided 51 by the State a high quality pre-kindergarten learning 52 opportunity in the form of an early childhood development and 53 education program which shall be voluntary, high quality, free, 54 and delivered according to professionally accepted standards. An 55 early childhood development and education program means an 56 organized program designed to address and enhance each child’s 57 ability to make age appropriate progress in an appropriate range 58 of settings in the development of language and cognitive 59 capabilities and emotional, social, regulatory and moral 60 capacities through education in basic skills and such other 61 skills as the Legislature may determine to be appropriate. 62 (c) The early childhood education and development programs 63 provided by reason of subsectionsubparagraph(b) shall be 64 implemented no later than the beginning of the 2005 school year 65 through funds generated in addition to those used for existing 66 education, health, and development programs. Existing education, 67 health, and development programs are those funded by the State 68 as of January 1, 2002 that provided for child or adult 69 education, health care, or development. 70 (d) In order to build Florida’s talent pipeline for the 71 careers of today and tomorrow and align the state’s education, 72 workforce, and economic development efforts, it is the intent of 73 the people to provide high quality and affordable postsecondary 74 education opportunities.