1. Leon County Schools 2011 Legislative Session Summary Report District Advisory Council May 12 th 2011

2. Brief Summary of 2011 Legislative Session Education Reform – teacher merit pay, virtual schools, charter schools, and student assessment changes Pension Reform – changes to Florida Retirement System (FRS) Budget – education budget, specific to Leon County Policy & Related Bills

3. Education Reform SB 736 Evaluations for teachers and administrators: – DOE to develop a growth model for districts to use for FCAT and other statewide assessments that measures the teachers and administrators – Provides that 50 percent of an evaluation is based on student performance over a 3-year period, with the remainder of the evaluation based on instructional practice or leadership, as applicable; Employment: – Eliminates professional service contracts for instructional personnel newly-hired, beginning July 1, 2011; – Revises the criteria for renewal of contracts by tying renewal to the performance evaluation; – Provides that professional service contracts are not automatically renewed; – Clarifies that just cause under a professional service contract includes unsatisfactory performance on the individuals evaluation

4. Teacher compensation for performance: – Requires school districts to establish a new performance salary schedule by July 1, 2014, that provides annual salary increases based upon the performance evaluation – Allows current teachers and school administrators to remain on the current salary schedule with an option to move to the new performance salary schedule; – Requires current instructional personnel who want to move to the new performance salary schedule or who move from one district to another to relinquish their professional service contract in exchange for an annual contract; – Beginning with instructional personnel hired on or after July 1, 2011, prohibits a district school board from using advanced degrees to set the salary schedule unless the advanced degree is held in the individuals area of certification; – Provides for earning additional salary supplements for differentiated pay based on assignment to a high priority location, certification and teaching in critical teacher shortage areas, or assignment of additional academic responsibilities; Education Reform SB 736

5. Pension Reform Effective July 1, 2011, requires 3% employee contribution for all FRS members. DROP participants are not required to pay employee contributions. For employees initially enrolled on or after July 1, 2011, the definition of "average final compensation" means the average of the 8 highest fiscal years of compensation for creditable service prior to retirement, for purposes of calculation of retirement benefits. For employees initially enrolled prior to July 1, 2011, the definition of average final compensation continues to be the average of the 5 highest fiscal years of compensation. For employees initially enrolled in the pension plan on or after July 1, 2011, such members will vest in 100% of employer contributions upon completion of 8 years of creditable service. For existing employees, vesting will remain at 6 years of creditable service. Maintains DROP; however, employees entering DROP on or after July 1, 2011 will earn interest at a reduced accrual rate of 1.3%. For employees currently in DROP or entering before July 1, 2011, the interest rate remains 6.5%.

6. Pension Reform For employees, initially enrolled on or after July 1, 2011, increases the normal retirement age and years of service requirements, as follows: – For Special Risk Class: Increases the age from 55 to 60 years of age; and increases the years of creditable service from 25 to 30. – For all other classes: Increases the age from 62 to 65 years of age; and increases the years of creditable service from 30 to 33 years. Eliminates the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for service earned on or after July 1, 2011. Subject to the availability of funding and the Legislature enacting sufficient employer contributions specifically for the purpose of funding the reinstatement of the COLA, the new COLA formula will expire effective June 30, 2016, and the current 3% cost-of-living adjustment will be reinstated. To implement the bill for the 2011-12 fiscal year, funds the Division of Retirement with four positions and $207,070 in recurring funds and 31,184 in non-recurring funds.

7. Budget 2010-2011 Education Funding Total FEFP funds allocated: $18.2 Billion Average per student funding: $6,897.59/student Leon County K-12 Total Funds: $222,366,355 2011-2012 Education Funding Total FEFP funds allocated: $16.638 Billion Average per student funding: $6,267.97/student Leon County K-12 Total Funds: $206,709,534

8. Other policy/bills passed this session Class size amendment changes – Reduces # of classes from 849 to 304 Dress code (aka pant sagging bill): – District responsible for creating, adopting, and implementing dress code policy School Nutrition Program – School food and nutrition programs are transferred from the DOE to the Department of Agriculture Changes to Sexting legislation – First offense non- criminal

9. Other policy/bills passed this session School Choice Bill – Expands/changes definition of failing school – Expands parents authority to choose higher performing public schools Drivers Education Courses – Makes changes to include content regarding the associated risk of using hand-held communication devices Education Law Repeals – Algebra 1 assessment exam

10. Other policy/bills passed this session Digital and Virtual Learning Authorizing virtual charter schools to provide full-time online instruction to eligible kindergarten through grade 12 students in the district in which the student resides; Authorizing students to take an online course offered by a school district other than their district of residence, provided that the total FTE reported by both school districts does not exceed one; Requiring high school students entering grade 9 in the 2011-2012 school year to complete at least one online course within the 24 credit requirement for high school graduation; Digital and Virtual Learning Authorizing charter schools to offer blended learning courses to full- time students of the charter school. The online instruction must be provided from the physical location of the charter school; Authorizing Florida Virtual School (FLVS) to provide full-time instruction to students in kindergarten through grade 12, and part-time instruction to students in grades 4-5; part-time courses for 4th and 5th grade students are limited to public school students taking grade 6-8 courses for acceleration purposes;

11. Other policy/bills passed this session Digital and Virtual Learning Expanding the options available for school district virtual instruction programs, by: – Requiring school districts to provide opportunities and provider options for virtual instruction; – Authorizing full-time K-12, part-time 9-12 and full- or part-time instruction for dropout prevention, academic intervention, and Department of Juvenile Justice courses; – Authorizing school districts to operate/create their own virtual instruction programs; – Modifying eligibility criteria for participation in virtual instruction programs to allow kindergarten and 1st grade eligibility without prior year public school enrollment; Digital and Virtual Learning Revising the requirements for issuance of adjunct teaching certificates by school districts to encourage the use of experienced individuals to provide online instruction in Florida; Requiring the Department of Education to issue a report identifying and explaining the best methods and strategies for increasing student access to digital learning.

12. Other policy/bills passed this session Digital and Virtual Learning The bill increases accountability by requiring: – Charter school governing boards to appoint a representative to resolve disputes and conduct two public meetings in the district at which the principal or director and representative must be present; – Public school students receiving full-time and part- time instruction from the FLVS to take statewide assessments and FLVS to receive a school grade for students receiving full-time instruction; Digital and Virtual Learning – The department to develop an evaluation method for providers of part-time virtual programs; – All statewide end-of-course assessments to be administered online by the 2014-2015 school year. The bill clarifies that funding for all virtual instruction options (FLVS, district operated virtual instruction programs and virtual charter schools) must be through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) as provided in the General Appropriations Act, but cannot include funding for class size requirements.