Panhandle Area Educational Consortium
2007 Legislative Platform
The Mission of the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium (PAEC), one of Florida's three regional educational service organizations (F.S. 1001.451), is to enable member and participating school districts to achieve their goals by:
Providing leadership and support services
Maximizing the use of resources
Linking schools, and
Facilitating communications across the consortium
Situated in Florida's Northwest, these 14 school districts joined together to provide joint programs and services to their small districts that would not be readily available or are cost prohibitive due to their size (S.B.E. 6A-1.099). Given the goals of highest student achievement and best financial practices, the 2007 PAEC Legislative Platform was adopted by the PAEC Board of Directors and focuses on issues of mutual need. These issues are:
Small and Rural County Teacher Shortage -- Recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers to small and rural school districts is of critical concern and may be addressed by the establishment of two programs:
Scholarship/Loan Forgiveness Program -- Establish a program that provides at least $5,000 per year to qualified undergraduate students who agree to teach in school districts of less than 24,000 students (Sparsity threshold). The scholarship/loan would be awarded for up to four years and would not be limited by income of the recipient or by other scholarships received. Each year of the scholarship/loan would be forgiven for each year taught.
Critical Area Salary Incentive -- Recognize that teachers in small/rural districts of up to 24,000 students are a critical shortage area. Consider a salary incentive for teachers who teach in these school districts. Require local comprehensive plans to provide affordable housing to instructional personnel in small and rural districts.
Regional Consortium Service Organizations -- School districts with 20,000 or fewer unweighted full-time equivalent students, developmental research (laboratory) schools established pursuant to F.S. 1002.32 and the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind may enter into cooperative agreements to form a regional consortium service organization which provides specific services not readily available or are cost prohibitive to districts because of their size. Continuation of the incentive grants to eligible consortia is requested.
Distance Learning Teacher Training -- The FloridaLearns Academy developed by PAEC provides content and strategies for educators to implement best instructional strategies in a user friendly, easily accessible format. The Florida Education Channel (FEC) and coordinated Web-based instruction managed by the consortium's electronic Professional Development Connections (ePDC) comprise the system. PAEC requests continued legislative funding for this state-of-the-art professional development delivery system to increase student achievement throughout Florida.
School Safety -- The PAEC Risk Management Program recognizes the importance a safe school environment plays in the education process. A safe school community sets the tone for ensuring highest academic achievement. PAEC has a 25-year history of providing total risk management services for school district staff from bus drivers and lunchroom workers to district administrative staff. With the increase in bullying and school violence, a concerted effort is needed to prepare school staff to recognize and act on possible threats to students and/or school personnel. PAEC requests funding for a Resource Center to develop and disseminate training and materials using state-of-the-art technology to enable school personnel to increase school safety in Florida. PAEC requests funding to develop and disseminate training programs for use across the state to reverse this trend and bolster student confidence in safety within an environment conducive to teaching and learning.
Science Center -- With students being assessed in science on FCAT and the need to assist students with preparation for work, it is imperative teachers of science be provided the opportunity to expand their knowledge of and experiences in the use of science in careers. PAEC is poised to develop training activities and materials science educators need in order to provide meaningful, relevant and targeted instruction. Research has shown that linkages and partnerships forged for the purpose of providing career exploration to support the development of academic skills is a proven model. PAEC will provide a framework for establishing these partnerships to ensure an optimal return on science instruction. PAEC requests funding to establish the FloridaLearns Academy’s Center for the Application of Science Education.
The Panhandle Area Educational Consortium (PAEC) Board of Directors endorses the 2007 Legislative Platform of the Florida Association of School Superintendents (FADSS) and adopts its priorities as an integral part of the 2007 PAEC Legislative Platform.
As a member organization, the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium (PAEC) endorses the 2007 Legislative Platform of the Small School District Council Consortium (SSDCC).
The Panhandle Area Educational Consortium is Florida's oldest regional educational
service organization (F.S. 1001.451) and has as its mission to help school districts attain highest student achievement, student by student. By Florida statute, PAEC is owned and governed by its member school districts: Calhoun, FSU Schools, Inc., Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, Wakulla,
Walton and Washington, with Washington County serving as the consortium district of record. Please visit the PAEC website at www.paec.org to learn more.
