09-15-09 Item 161
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RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF
THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA, URGING THE
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO MAINTAIN
CURRENT TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR READING
TEACHERS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS;
PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, Section 1003.56 (1), Florida Statutes, entitles "English language
instruction for limited English proficient students, requires instruction" designed to
develop the student's mastery of the four language skills, including listening, speaking,
reading, and writing, as rapidly as possible; and,
WHEREAS, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida,
Miami Division, Case No. 90 -1913, issued a Consent Decree in LULAC v. Florida Board
of Education, in 1990 calling for equal access to all education programs for English
Language Learner (ELL) students, including a mandate for English as a second language
(ESOL) endorsement for all teachers of the English language to ELL students; and,
WHEREAS, a 2003 court approved Modification to the LULAC v. Florida Board
of Education Consent Decree (Case No. 90 -1913) requires teachers who earn ESOL
Certification coverage solely by passing the teacher examination to additionally have to
earn 120 points of in- service credit in ESOL; and,
WHEREAS, proposed State Board of Education rule 6A- 6.0907 (4) would waive
the requisite ESOL in- service training requirements for Reading endorsed or certified
teachers who seek to earn ESOL certification coverage solely through examination; and,
WHEREAS, in 2007 Governor Crist vetoed SB 2512, a bill to weaken the
training requirements for reading teachers of ELL students and the bill, re- introduced in
the next session as SB 286, died in 2008; and,
WHEREAS, in 2009, CS /SB 1680 was introduced during the final weeks of the
legislative session as the third failed attempt to bring about a reduction in ESOL training
requirements for reading teachers; and,
WHEREAS, this Board wants all children to read English, wants teachers
prepared to teach them to read, and wants monitoring to ensure compliance with the
requirements stated in the Consent Decree referenced above; and,
WHEREAS, it makes little sense to withdraw support from children who are
already struggling; and,
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WHEREAS; at a time when we must strive to be as competitive as possible in a
quickly changing global economy, we cannot afford to lower the bar of expectations and
training for our highly qualified teachers; and,
WHEREAS, it is the view of this Board that maintaining the existing
training requirements for reading teachers of ELL students is in the best interests
of the citizens and residents of the City of South Miami.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA, THAT:
Section 1. The Mayor and City Commission urge the Florida Department of
Education to maintain current training requirements for reading teachers of English
Language Learners.
Section 2. The Mayor and City Commission urge the members of the Miami -
Dade County State Legislative Delegation to vote against bills that reduce training
requirements for teachers of ESOL students and requests that the governor veto any such
bill should they be approved by the legislature.
Section 3. The Mayor and City Commission urge Governor Crist to request that
the State Board of Education rescind its approval of proposed rule 6A- 6.0907 (4) and
honor the spirit and language of his veto letter on SB 2512 in all future actions.
Section 4. The Mayor and City Commission direct the City Clerk to transmit an
electronic copy of this resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, the
Chair and Members of the Miami -Dade County State Legislative Delegation and the
Commissioner of the Florida Department of Education.
Section 5. The Mayor and City Commission direct the Miami -Dade County State
Lobbyists to advocate for the issues identified in sections 1, 2, and 3, above, and direct
the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2009 through 2012
state legislative packages.
Section 6. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon approval.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this day of
ATTEST:
CITY CLERK
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APPROVED:
uf� -Wel 7
, 2009.
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READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM:
CITY ATTORNEY
WAMy Documents\resolutions \Resolution LULAC.feliu.doc
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COMMISSION VOTE:
Mayor Feliu:
Vice Mayor Beasley:
Commissioner Palmer:
Commissioner Newman
Commissioner Sellars: