The following provisions are established for the approval of
charter school governing board training submitted to the Florida Department of
Education for approval pursuant to Section
1002.33, F.S.
(1) General training requirements.
(a) Beginning with the effective date of this
rule, every member of the governing body of a charter school operating in
Florida shall participate in governance training. The charter school governance
training must meet the requirements of this rule and be approved by the
Department. Governing boards composed entirely of "school officers", as defined
by Section 1012.01, F.S., may meet the
requirements of this rule by complying with the procedures set forth in
subsection (6) of this rule.
(b)
Each governing board member must complete a minimum of four (4) hours of
instruction focusing on government in the sunshine, conflicts of interest,
ethics, and financial responsibility as specified in Section
1002.33 (9)(j)5., F.S. After the
initial four (4) hour training, each member is required, within the subsequent
three (3) years and for each three (3) year period thereafter, to complete a
two (2) hour refresher training on the four (4) topics above in order to retain
his or her position on the charter school board. Any member who fails to obtain
the two (2) hour refresher training within any three (3) year period must take
the four (4) hours of instruction again in order to remain eligible as a
charter school board member.
(c)
New members joining a charter school board must complete the four (4) hour
training within 90 days of their appointment to the board.
(d) Instruction beyond the hours specified in
paragraphs (1)(b) and (c) of this rule, may be included in the training plan to
address additional topics generally recognized and supported by research or
practitioners as important for effective governing board operation.
(e) Each charter school is responsible for
contracting with or providing a trainer who delivers governance training
consistent with a governance training plan that has been approved by the
Department.
(2)
Governance training plans.
(a) For the purpose
of this rule, a training plan is a written instructional document describing
the instructional design for charter school governing board training which
includes measurable performance objectives, instructional content, delivery
strategies, learning activities, and assessment for training to fulfill the
statutory requirements for charter school governing board instruction focusing
on government in the sunshine, conflicts of interest, ethics, and financial
responsibility as specified in Section 1002.33(9)(j)5., F.S. The training plan
may include, but need not be limited to, traditional instructional settings,
individualized learning modules, and online education.
(b) A governance training plan submitted for
review and approval by the Department shall address each of the following
components:
1. Description of the content to
be delivered that fulfills all topics identified in Section 1002.33(9)(j)5.,
F.S., and is consistent with the hours of instruction specified in paragraphs
(1)(b) and/or (1)(c) of this rule;
2. Additional topics to be addressed during
the training;
3. Measurable
learning objectives that specify the performance required;
4. Description of instructional strategies,
activities and presentation materials;
5. Methods to be used to measure the stated
learning objectives, overall training performance, and provider
effectiveness;
6. Length of time
required for training;
7.
References used in developing the training;
8. Certification that the training has been
developed and is owned by the provider or that the provider is licensed to use
the training for purposes pursuant to Section 1002.33, F.S.; and,
9. Qualifications and experience of all
persons who will be actively involved in providing
training.
(3)
Submission and review of training plans.
(a)
Potential training providers shall complete Form IEPC-9, Charter School
Governance Training, Training Plan Approval Application, for submitting a
charter school governance training plan for review and approval. Form IEPC-9 is
hereby incorporated by reference to become effective with the effective date of
this rule. Copies of the form may be obtained electronically on the
Department's website at
http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org
or from the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice, Department of
Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400.
(b) After completing and signing the form, a
training provider seeking approval must submit an electronic copy of the form
as a PDF file to the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice as
described on the form. The Department will conduct two review periods each
year, with deadlines for submitting applications on or before February 1 for a
review period of February 1-April 2 and on or before July 1, for a review
period of July 1 - August 30. This requires that all applications and
supporting documentation must be received by the Department on or before these
dates.
(c) The Commissioner of
Education or designee shall appoint a review team to review charter school
governance training plans. The review team shall be composed of individuals
with knowledge in education, finance, governance and law. A training plan
submitted for approval to the Department will be reviewed within sixty (60)
days of the deadlines listed in paragraph (3)(b) of this rule to determine
compliance with the components identified in paragraph (2)(b) of this
rule.
(d) The review team's
findings will be consolidated and provided as recommendations to the
Commissioner or designee. Using the recommendations of the review team, the
Commissioner or designee shall determine if the provider has met the criteria
for approval or denial. Within ten (10) working days following the
Commissioner's or designee's determination, the Department shall send a written
notification to the proposed provider regarding the outcome of the training
plan review.
(e) The names of
training providers whose training plans have been approved to meet requirements
of Section
1002.33(9)(k),
F.S., will be posted on the Department's website at
http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org.
(f) A notice of denial shall be sent to
proposed training providers who submitted plans that do not comply with the
components identified in paragraph (2)(b) of this rule. The notice of denial
will identify specific areas of program weakness that must be corrected prior
to reconsideration for approval. The provider may correct the application and
resubmit on the next available submission deadline outlined in paragraph (3)(b)
of this rule.
(4) Length
of approval and renewal of training plans.
(a)
Each approval or extension shall be granted for a period of time determined by
the Department of Education, but shall not exceed two (2) years from the date
of approval.
(b) No earlier than
six (6) months prior to the expiration of approval, a training provider may
submit a request for renewal of an approved training plan by completing and
submitting Form IEPC-10, Charter School Governance Training, Application to
Renew an Approved Training Plan. Form IEPC-10 is hereby incorporated by
reference effective November 2023 (
http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-16023)
and will be available electronically on the Department's website at
http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org
or may be obtained from the Office of Independent Education and Parental
Choice, Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida
32399-0400.
(c) A request for
training plan renewal submitted for approval to the Department will be reviewed
within sixty (60) days of receipt to determine continued compliance with the
components identified in paragraphs (1)(b) and (2)(b) of this rule. Within ten
(10) working days following the Commissioner's or designee's determination, the
provider will be notified in writing of the Department's decision to renew the
plan or not to renew. If a training plan is not renewed, a provider may submit
a new training plan to the Department as described in paragraphs (3)(a) and (b)
of this rule.
(5) Report
of governing board training.
(a) Each training
provider offering an approved training program in accordance with this rule
shall submit a report of each governing board's training to the Department and
a copy of the report to the charter school director within thirty (30) days of
the training. The charter school director is responsible for providing a copy
of the report to the school's sponsor within ten (10) days of receiving the
report from the trainer.
(b) The
report shall be submitted using the IEPC-11 form. Form IEPC-11 is hereby
incorporated by reference to become effective with the effective date of this
rule. Copies of the form may be obtained electronically on the Department's
website. The report shall be submitted electronically to the Office of
Independent Education and Parental Choice, Department of Education, 325 West
Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400.
(c) Each training provider offering an
approved charter school governance training program shall provide a certificate
of participation to every governing board member who completes the training and
achieves the training objectives as stated in the training
plan.
(6) A charter
school governing board composed entirely of "school officers" as defined in
Section
1012.01, F.S., may comply with
the requirements of this rule by providing documentation that they have
received charter school governance training consistent with this rule.
Documentation of charter school governance training shall be submitted to the
Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice, Department of Education,
325 West Gaines Street, Suite 522, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400, and must
include:
(a) Date and location of charter
school governance training received.
(b) Name, contact information,
qualifications, and experience of all persons actively involved in providing
charter school governance training.