HB 1017 2022
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hb1017-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to K -12 educational support employees; 2
creating s. 1012.411, F.S.; requiring district school 3
superintendents to identify critical employment 4
shortages of educational support employees within the 5
school district; defining the term "critical 6
employment shortage"; requiring school districts to 7
fund specified incentives, subject to legislative 8
appropriation; requiring district school 9
superintendents to annually provide a report to the 10
Legislature by a specified date; providing 11
requirements for the report; amending s. 1012.38, 12
F.S.; requiring, rather than authorizing, school 13
districts to adopt and implement specified programs 14
for the career developme nt of education 15
paraprofessionals by a specified date, subject to 16
legislative appropriation; providing an effective 17
date. 18
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WHEREAS, the state has a vested interest in addressing the 20
critical employment shortage of educational support employees, 21
including education paraprofessionals, in the state, and 22
WHEREAS, educational support employees are valued and vital 23
members of the education workforce whose work ensures student 24
success from prekindergarten through grade 12, and 25
HB 1017 2022
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hb1017-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
WHEREAS, educational support employees engage students, 26
keeping them connected to the larger school community and 27
emotionally and physically healthy and safe, and 28
WHEREAS, because educational support employees are vital to 29
the success of Florida's students, it is in the state's best 30
interests to provide funding to ensure that the state's public 31
schools maintain adequate staffing levels for educational 32
support employees, NOW, THEREFORE, 33
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 35
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Section 1. Section 1012.411, Flori da Statutes, is created 37
to read: 38
1012.411 Critical employment shortages of educational 39
support employees.— 40
(1) By April 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, each 41
district school superintendent must compile a list of critical 42
employment shortages of educat ional support employees as defined 43
in s. 1012.40(1), including education paraprofessionals as 44
defined in s. 1012.01(2)(e), aggregated by position, within the 45
school district. For purposes of this section, the term 46
"critical employment shortage" means that at least 20 percent of 47
a specified position is vacant and unfilled within the school 48
district. 49
(2) Subject to legislative appropriation, each school 50
HB 1017 2022
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hb1017-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
district must fund incentives to help recruit and retain 51
educational support employees for positions with a critical 52
employment shortage. 53
(3) By December 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, each 54
district school superintendent shall provide a report to the 55
President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 56
Representatives that includes a list of positions with a 57
critical employment shortage and how the school district used 58
the funding under subsection (2) to implement the required 59
incentives. 60
Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 61
1012.38, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 62
1012.38 Education paraprofessional career development. — 63
(1)(a) By July 1, 2023, and subject to legislative 64
appropriation, each school district shall may adopt and 65
implement a program for the career development of education 66
paraprofessionals. The purpose of the program is to provide to 67
education paraprofessionals a system of career development which 68
is based upon education and training advancement, and to furnish 69
economic incentives to encourage excellence among education 70
paraprofessionals. 71
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022. 72