The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Fiscal Policy
BILL: CS/SB 7000
INTRODUCER: Fiscal Policy Committee; Education Pre-K -12 Committee; and Senator Calatayud
SUBJECT: Deregulation of Public Schools/Instructional, Administrative, and Support Personnel
DATE: December 13, 2023 REVISED:
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
Palazesi/Sabitsch/
Bouck ED Submitted as Comm. Bill/Fav
Jahnke
1. Palazesi/Sabitsch/
Yeatman FP Fav/CS
Jahnke
Please see Section IX. for Additional Information:
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE - Substantial Changes
I. Summary:
CS/SB 7000 builds on the deregulation of public schools provisions in House Bill 1 (Ch. 2023-
16, Laws of Fla.) and provides to school districts additional authority related to teacher
certification and training, instructor contracts and salary schedules, personnel evaluations, and
collective bargaining. Specifically, the bill:
 Modifies school personnel initial and continuing requirements by:
o Establishing a 10-year renewable professional certificate for applicants rated highly
effective in 4 years of the 5-year validity period of their professional certificate.
o Providing an option for a reduction in the renewal requirements for applicants rated
highly effective on their initial 5-year professional certificate.
o Authorizing school districts or consortiums to issue temporary certificates.
o Providing an additional method for a teacher on a temporary certificate to demonstrate
mastery of general knowledge.
o Expanding eligibility requirements for the teacher apprenticeship program.
o Specifying that a teacher certified in exceptional student education is considered in-field
if he or she is teaching exceptional students in a self-contained classroom.
o Allowing the Florida Institute for Charter School Innovation to develop a professional
learning system.
o Providing teachers with a valid professional certificate who taught at a private school and
returned to the school district can extend the expiration date of their professional
certificate, up to a maximum of 3 years.
BILL: CS/SB 7000 Page 2
o Allowing prekindergarten instructors 60 days after hire to complete the required
emergency literacy courses.
o Providing authority to the district school boards to adopt requirements for school bus
drivers and bus attendants.
 Modifies how school districts may recruit, hire, manage, pay, and evaluate teachers by:
o Removing restrictions related to comparable educator salary adjustments.
o Creating a three-year-maximum instructional multiyear contract that may be awarded if
certain criteria are met.
o Requiring the State Board of Education to develop and publish strategies relating to
critical teacher shortage areas.
o Providing greater authority to district school boards in determining personnel evaluations,
but requires that at least half of the evaluation must be based upon student performance.
o Providing flexibility in the assignment of inexperienced teachers at schools in need of
interventions and support.
o Prohibiting the use of value-added model as the sole determinant for any incentive pay
for instructional personnel or school administrators.
o Providing that specified policies for which collective bargaining may not preclude or
limit school district activities.
The bill takes effect on July 1, 2024.
II. Present Situation:
The present situation for the relevant portions of the bill is discussed under the Effect of
Proposed Changes of this bill analysis.
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
Educator Certification
Present Situation
Educational personnel in public schools must possess appropriate skills in reading, writing, and
mathematics; adequate pedagogical knowledge; and relevant subject matter competence to
demonstrate an acceptable level of professional performance.1 For a person to serve as an
educator in a traditional public school, charter school, virtual school, or other publicly operated
school, the person must hold a certificate issued by the Department of Education (DOE).2
The State Board of Education (SBE or state board) designates the certification subject areas,
establishes competencies, and adopts rules by which educator certificates are issued by the DOE
to qualified applicants.3
1
Section 1012.54, F.S.
2
Sections 1012.55(1) and 1002.33(12)(f), F.S.
3
Section 1012.55(1) (a), F.S.
BILL: CS/SB 7000 Page 3
General Eligibility
To seek educator certification, a person must attest to uphold the principles of the United States
and meet other general eligibility requirements, which include receipt of a bachelor’s or higher
degree from an approved postsecondary institution and minimum age, background screening,
moral character, and competence requirements.4
Professional Educator Certificate
A professional teaching certificate is valid for five school fiscal years and is renewable. A
professional certificate is awarded to an applicant who meets the basic eligibility requirements
for certification and demonstrates mastery of:5
 General knowledge.
 Subject area knowledge.
 Professional preparation and education competence.
Acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of general knowledge include:6
 Achievement of passing scores on the general knowledge examination;
 Documentation of a valid professional standard teaching certificate issued by another state;
 Documentation of a valid certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards or a national educator credentialing board approved by the SBE;
 Documentation of two semesters of successful, full-time or part-time teaching in a Florida
College System institution, state university, or private college or university that meets certain
criteria;
 Achievement of passing scores on national or international examinations with comparable
verbal, writing, quantitative reasoning, and rigor as the general knowledge exam, including
but not limited to Graduate Record Examination; or
 Documentation of receipt of a master’s or higher degree from an accredited postsecondary
educational institution that the DOE has identified as having a quality program resulting in a
baccalaureate degree or higher.
A school district that employs an individual who does not achieve passing scores on any subtest
of the general knowledge examination must provide information regarding the availability of
state-level and district-level supports and instruction to assist him or her in achieving a passing
score. The requirement of mastery of general knowledge must be waived for an individual who
has been provided 3 years of supports and instruction and who has been rated effective or highly
effective for each of the last 3 years.7
The acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of subject area knowledge include passing a
subject area or other alternative examination as approved by the SBE, having a valid teaching
certificate from another state, having a valid certificate from the NBPTS, or a passing score or
program completion of a specified defense language proficiency test or program.8
4
Section 1012.56(2), F.S., and Rule 6A-4.003, F.A.C.
5
Section 1012.56(2)(g)-(i), F.S.
6
Section 1012.56(3), F.S.
7
Section 1012.56(3), F.S. (flush left)
8
Section 1012.56(5), F.S., and Rule 6A-4.002(4), F.A.C.
BILL: CS/SB 7000 Page 4
A candidate for a professional certificate may demonstrate professional preparation and
education competence through the completion of a teacher preparation program and a passing
score on the corresponding professional education competency exam required by the SBE.9
Other means include a valid certification from another state, postsecondary teaching experience,
or completion of a professional learning certification program.10
For the renewal of a professional certificate, applicants must earn a minimum of 6 college credits
or 120 inservice points or a combination thereof, which must include at least 1 college credit or
20 inservice points in teaching students with disabilities. All renewal credits must be earned
during the validity period and prior to the expiration date of the current professional certificate.11
In lieu of college credit or inservice points, applicants may renew a subject area specialization by
passing a state board approved Florida-developed subject area examination.12
Applicants who hold a professional certificate in any area of certification identified by SBE rule
that includes reading instruction or intervention for any students in kindergarten through grade 6,
with a beginning validity date of July 1, 2020, or thereafter, must earn a minimum of 2 college
credits or 40 inservice points in evidence-based instruction and interventions grounded in the
science of reading.13
Temporary Educator Certificate
A temporary teaching certificate is valid for five school fiscal years and is nonrenewable.14 The
DOE is required to issue a temporary certificate to a qualifying applicant within 14 calendar days
after receipt of a request from an employer and is required to electronically notify the applicant’s
employer that the temporary certificate has been issued and provide the applicant an official
statement of status of eligibility at the time the certificate is issued.15
The DOE must issue a temporary certificate to any applicant who:16
 Completes applicable subject area content requirements or demonstrates mastery of subject
area knowledge by, for example, successful completion of an approved exam; and
 Holds an accredited degree or a degree approved by the DOE at the level required for the
subject area specialization in SBE rule.
9
Florida Department of Education, Competencies and Skills Required for Teacher Certification in Florida, incorporated by
reference in rule 6A-4.0021, F.A.C.
10
Section 1012.56(6), F.S.
11
Section 1012.585(3), F.S. and Florida Department of Education, Florida Educator Certification Renewal Requirements,
https://www.fldoe.org/teaching/certification/renewal-requirements/ (last visited Nov. 6, 2023).
12
Section 1012.585(3)(b), F.S.
13
Section 1012.585(3)(f), F.S. The evidence-based instruction and interventions grounded in the science of reading must be
specifically designed for students with characteristics of dyslexia, including the use of explicit, systematic, and sequential
approaches to reading instruction, developing phonological and phonemic awareness, decoding, and implementing
multisensory intervention strategies.
14
Section 1012.56(7), F.S.
15
Section 1012.56(1)(b), F.S.
16
Section 1012.56(7)(b) and (d), F.S. As specified in law, alternative pathways for a temporary certificate are available for
military service members and participants in the Teacher Apprenticeship Program.
BILL: CS/SB 7000 Page 5
A person issued a temporary certificate must be assigned a teacher mentor for a minimum of two
school years after commencing employment. Each teacher mentor selected must:17
 Hold a valid professional certificate;
 Have earned at least 3 years of teaching experience in prekindergarten through grade 12; and
 Have earned an effective or highly effective rating on the prior year’s performance
evaluation.
A classroom teacher under a temporary certificate has the validity period of the certificate to
complete the remaining requirements of general knowledge and professional preparation and
education competence in preparation for application for a professional certificate.18
Effect of Proposed Changes
The bill modifies s. 1012.56, F.S., by authorizing school districts or a consortium of school
districts19 to issue a temporary certificate and requires the DOE to adopt reporting requirements
regarding the award of such certificates. Additionally, the bill provides an additional pathway for
teachers to demonstrate mastery of general knowledge. The bill specifies that a teacher who has
been rated effective or highly effective in each year of the temporary certification satisfies the
general knowledge requirement.
The bill modifies educator certification requirements in s. 1012.585, F.S., by:
 Establishing an additional professional certificate with a 10-year validity period. Applicants
for the 10-year professional certificate must have been awarded at least one 5-year
professional certificate and must have been rated highly effective in at least 4 years of the 5-
year validity period of his or her professional certificate. The bill specifies that applicants
rated effective or highly effective for the entirety of the 10-year validity period of his or her
professional certificate are eligible to renew the 10-year professional certificate, and must
earn a minimum of 9 college credits or 180 inservice points or a combination thereof to
renew the 10-year professional certificate. The applicant must earn a minimum of 6 college
credits or 90 inservice points or a combination thereof within the first 5 years of the 10-year
professional certificate. An applicant who does not meet the initial or renewal requirements
for a 10-year professional certificate may be awarded a 5-year professional certificate.
 Requiring the SBE to adopt rules that provides a process for a transition from a 5-year to a
10-year professional certificate, or for renewal of a 10-year professional certificate, if student
performance results are not available to complete a performance evaluation in time to apply
for or renew the 10-professional certificate. Additionally, the rules must authorize a school
district or department to provide an extension to the validity period of a professional
certificate or to convert a 5-year to a 10-year professional certification once an evaluation is
completed.
17
Section 1012.56(7), F.S.
18
Florida Department of Education, Upgrading from the Temporary to the Professional Certificate,
https://www.fldoe.org/teaching/certification/general-cert-requirements/moving-from-the-temporary-to-the-profe.stml (last
visited Nov. 6, 2023).
19
A consortium is a regional, non-profit, educational service agency established to provide cooperative services to small and
rural member districts. The consortiums in Florida are the North East Florida Educational Consortium, Heartland Educational
Consortium, and the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium.
BILL: CS/SB 7000 Page 6
 Authorizing district school boards to reduce the renewal requirements for applicants on their
initial 5-year professional certificate by 1 credit or 20 inservice hours if the applicant has
been rated highly effective in at least 3 years of the 5-year validity period of his or her initial
professional certificate.
 Authorizing teachers who taught at a private school during the 5-year validity period of his or
her professional certificate and are now teaching in a school district can extend the expiration
date of his or her professional certificate for a duration equivalent to the number of years
taught at a private school, up to a maximum of 3 years, subject to specified documentation of
employment and renewal requirements.
Teacher Apprenticeship Program
Present Situation
In 2023, the legislature created the Teacher Apprenticeship Program (TAP).20 The TAP was
created as an alternative pathway for an individual to enter the teaching profession. The DOE is
required administer the program in accordance with legislative intent regarding apprenticeship
training21 provided for in law.
To meet the minimum eligibility requirements to participate in the TAP, a candidate must have: 22
 Received an associate degree from an accredited postsecondary institution.
 Earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in that degree program.