HB 953 2023
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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 educational support employee and 2
paraprofessional teacher certification; creating the 3
Growing Teachers from Within Pilot Program within the 4
Department of Education, contingent upon legislative 5
appropriation; providing a purpose for the pilot 6
program; requiring school districts to apply to the 7
department by a specified date in order to participate 8
in the pilot program; requiring the Commissione r of 9
Education to select participating school districts 10
based on specified criteria to participate in the 11
pilot program; requiring the commissioner to 12
coordinate with certain state universities; specifying 13
eligibility requirements for participation by scho ol 14
employees in the pilot program; requiring that funding 15
for the pilot program be used in a specified manner; 16
requiring participating school districts to submit a 17
report to the commissioner on an annual basis; 18
authorizing the State Board of Education to a dopt 19
rules; providing for expiration; providing an 20
effective date. 21
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 23
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Section 1. Growing Teachers from Within Pilot Program. — 25
HB 953 2023
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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
(1) Contingent upon legislative appropriation, the Growing 26
Teachers from Within Pilot Program is created within the 27
Department of Education. The purpose of the pilot program is to 28
assist school district employees who work in a public school but 29
are not employed as instructional personnel by removing barriers 30
to their obtaining a teaching certificate in order to help 31
alleviate the growing teacher shortage throughout this state. 32
(2) In order to participate in the pilot program, school 33
districts must submit an application to the department by 34
October 1, 2023. The Comm issioner of Education shall select up 35
to three school districts for participation in the pilot 36
program. The commissioner shall select one school district of a 37
county with a population less than 100,000 as of the most recent 38
decennial census, one school dis trict of a county with a 39
population between 100,000 and 500,000 as of the most recent 40
decennial census, and one school district of a county with a 41
population exceeding 500,000 as of the most recent decennial 42
census. The commissioner shall coordinate with s tate 43
universities in proximity of the selected school districts to 44
assist in the department's administration of the pilot program. 45
(3) To be eligible to participate in the pilot program, an 46
employee of a participating school district must: 47
(a) Be employed as an educational support employee or as 48
an education paraprofessional and have received an associate 49
degree or successfully completed 60 semester credit hours at a 50
HB 953 2023
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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
postsecondary institution. 51
(b) Commit to teach in the school district for a minimum 52
of 2 years or a pro rata number of years after obtaining a 53
teaching certificate. 54
(4) Funds appropriated for the pilot program must be used 55
for all of the following: 56
(a) Establishing a customized coursework schedule to allow 57
for flexibility for participa ting school district employees to 58
complete credit hours toward earning a bachelor's degree while 59
maintaining employment with the school district and ultimately 60
attaining a teacher certification. 61
(b) Financial support for tuition, credentials, 62
technology, and instructional materials for participating school 63
district employees. 64
(5) Participating school districts shall submit a report 65
to the Commissioner of Education by June 1 of each year for the 66
duration of the pilot program which includes, but is not li mited 67
to, detailing findings regarding the pilot program's 68
implementation and whether it is meeting its intended goal of 69
serving as a recruitment tool and a strategy to retain school 70
district employees in order to alleviate the growing teacher 71
shortage in this state. 72
(6) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to 73
administer this section. 74
(7) This section expires June 30, 2026. 75
HB 953 2023
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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
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 76