CRC - 2017                                                P 6003
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Style and Drafting
       
       350-00433-17                                          20176003__
    1  
    2                             REVISION 3                            
    3  
    4         A proposal to amend Section 4 of Article IX and create
    5         a new section in Article XII of the State Constitution
    6         to establish a limitation on the period for which a
    7         person may be elected as a member of a district school
    8         board; to specify which schools are operated,
    9         controlled, and supervised by a school board; and to
   10         create a new section in Article IX of the State
   11         Constitution to require the Legislature to provide for
   12         the promotion of civic literacy in public education.
   13          
   14  Be It Proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission of
   15  Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 4 of Article IX of the State Constitution is
   18  amended, and a new section is added to that article, to read:
   19                             ARTICLE IX                            
   20                              EDUCATION                            
   21         SECTION 4. School districts; school boards.—
   22         (a) Each county shall constitute a school district;
   23  provided, two or more contiguous counties, upon vote of the
   24  electors of each county pursuant to law, may be combined into
   25  one school district. In each school district there shall be a
   26  school board composed of five or more members chosen by vote of
   27  the electors in a nonpartisan election for appropriately
   28  staggered terms of four years, as provided by law.
   29         (b) A person may not appear on the ballot for re-election
   30  to the office of school board if, by the end of the current term
   31  of office, the person would have served, or but for resignation
   32  would have served, in that office for eight consecutive years.
   33         (c)(b) The school board shall operate, control, and
   34  supervise all free public schools established by the district
   35  school board within the school district and determine the rate
   36  of school district taxes within the limits prescribed herein.
   37  Two or more school districts may operate and finance joint
   38  educational programs.
   39         Civic literacy.—As education is essential to the
   40  preservation of the rights and liberties of the people, the
   41  legislature shall provide by law for the promotion of civic
   42  literacy in order to ensure that students enrolled in public
   43  education understand and are prepared to exercise their rights
   44  and responsibilities as citizens of a constitutional republic.
   45  
   46         A new section is added to Article XII of the State
   47  Constitution to read:
   48                             ARTICLE XII                           
   49                              SCHEDULE                             
   50         Limitation on terms of office for members of a district
   51  school board.-This section and the amendment to Section 4 of
   52  Article IX imposing term limits for the terms of office for
   53  members of a district school board shall take effect on the date
   54  it is approved by the electorate, but no service in a term of
   55  office which commenced prior to November 6, 2018, will be
   56  counted against the limitation imposed by this amendment.
   57  
   58  BE IT FURTHER PROPOSED that the following statement be placed on
   59  the ballot:
   60  
   61                      CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT                     
   62                 ARTICLE IX, SECTION 4, NEW SECTION                
   63                      ARTICLE XII, NEW SECTION                     
   64         SCHOOL BOARD TERM LIMITS AND DUTIES; PUBLIC SCHOOLS.—
   65  Creates a term limit of eight consecutive years for school board
   66  members and requires the legislature to provide for the
   67  promotion of civic literacy in public schools. Currently,
   68  district school boards have a constitutional duty to operate,
   69  control, and supervise all public schools. The amendment
   70  maintains a school board’s duties to public schools it
   71  establishes, but permits the state to operate, control, and
   72  supervise public schools not established by the school board.