July 25, 2002
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
School District Superintendents
FROM:
Secretary Jim Horne
SUBJECT:
Regional Forums for Development of
Inter-local Agreements
On May 31, 2002, Governor Bush signed Senate Bill1906. One of the hallmarks of that
legislation is the requirement for an inter-local agreement between school boards and
local governments. Governor Bush supported this legislation after having witnessed
many instances of growth outpacing the ability of school boards to provide adequate
classroom space. This bill was passed with broad public and legislative support. As
part of a comprehensive strategy to further the ability of Floridians to provide quality
education for their children, this legislation seeks to strengthen existing law relating to
coordinated land use and school planning. Changes have been made to both Sections
163.31777 and 235.193, Florida Statutes, requiring school boards and local governments
to enter into an inter-local agreement to define the specific ways in which both entities
will coordinate their plans.
The agreement must be submitted to the Department of Education (DOE) and
Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for review beginning in March 2003 and
completing in December 2004. The schedule was published July 19, 2002, in the Florida
Administrative Weekly and on the DCA web site at
www.dca.state.fl.us
.
A series of regional forums will be held throughout the state as part of an outreach
effort to inform all local governments and school boards of these new requirements.
The forums will highlight the issues the inter-local agreements must address and the
procedures to be followed for the review. The technical and funding assistance
available from DCA and DOE will also be covered. Finally, there will be facilitated
breakout sessions by district to allow local governments and the school board to initiate
a dialogue regarding how they wish to organize to achieve the inter-local agreement.
School District Superintendents
July 25, 2002
Page 2
The forum for your region is being hosted by your respective Regional Planning Council. You will soon
receive notification from the Council regarding the date, time, and location of the meeting. I want to strongly
encourage the school board’s full participation in the forum. For this initiative to succeed, there must be
sincere engagement by all parties.
If you have any questions, please call Jerry Martin at 850-488-6741or Suncom 278-6741with DOE, or Mike
McDaniel at 850-922-1806 or Suncom 292-1806 with DCA.
JH:jmh