CRC - 2017                                                  P 25
       
       
        
       By Commissioner Plymale
       
       plymales-00030B-17                                      201725__
    1                        A proposal to create                       
    2         Section 8 of Article IX of the State Constitution to
    3         establish a governance structure for the State College
    4         System.
    5          
    6  Be It Proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission of
    7  Florida:
    8  
    9         Section 8 of Article IX of the State Constitution is
   10  created to read:
   11                             ARTICLE IX                            
   12                              EDUCATION                            
   13         SECTION 8. State College System.—
   14         (a) PURPOSES. In order to achieve excellence and to provide
   15  open access to undergraduate education to the students of this
   16  state; to originate the 2+2 pathway to a baccalaureate degree;
   17  to ensure superior commitment to teaching and learning; and to
   18  respond quickly and efficiently to meet the demand of
   19  communities by aligning certificate and degree programs with
   20  local and regional workforce needs, the people hereby establish
   21  a system of governance for the state college system of Florida.
   22         (b) STATE COLLEGE SYSTEM. There shall be a single college
   23  system comprised of all public community and state colleges. A
   24  board of trustees shall administer each individually governed
   25  public college and the board of directors of the college system
   26  shall oversee, coordinate, and provide statewide leadership for
   27  the state college system.
   28         (c) LOCAL BOARDS OF TRUSTEES. Each local constituent
   29  college shall be administered by a local board of trustees, as
   30  prescribed by law, dedicated to the purposes of the state
   31  college system. A member of a board of trustees must be a
   32  resident of the service delivery area of the college. The board
   33  of directors shall determine the powers and duties of the boards
   34  of trustees as prescribed by law. Each citizen member shall be
   35  appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate.
   36         (d) STATEWIDE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The board of directors
   37  shall be a body corporate consisting of seventeen members. The
   38  board shall operate, regulate, control, and be fully responsible
   39  for the management of the whole college system. These
   40  responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to, affirming
   41  the distinctive mission of each constituent college, ensuring
   42  the well-planned coordination and operation of the system,
   43  reinforcing articulation and pathways with public schools and
   44  the state university system, and avoiding unneccessary
   45  duplication of facilities or programs while assuring open and
   46  geographic access. The board’s management shall be subject to
   47  the powers of the legislature to appropriate for the expenditure
   48  of funds, and the board shall account for such expenditures as
   49  provided by law. The governor shall appoint to the board sixteen
   50  citizens dedicated to the purposes of the state college system,
   51  including a state college faculty member and a student of the
   52  state college system. The appointed members shall be confirmed
   53  by the senate and serve staggered terms of five years, except
   54  the faculty member shall serve a two-year term and a student
   55  member shall serve a one-year term, as provided by law. The
   56  commissioner of education shall also be a member of the board.