Bureau of Re-Entry Programs and Education
Education Services

The Education Services Section of the Bureau of Re-Entry Programs and Education is responsible for oversight and support of the department’s Academic Education, Special Education, Vocational Education, General Library and Law Library programs. Education Services also coordinates Teacher Certification activities for the department’s correctional educators.

Education Services Staff

• Central Office – Total of 23 positions in July 2012:
  • 1 Bureau Chief
  • 14 program administrators & consultants
  • 4 regional Correctional Program Consultants
  • 1 Speech and Hearing Therapist
  • 3 paraprofessional and clerical staff
• Institutions – Total of 399 authorized, OPS and contract positions in July 2012:
  • 25 Education Supervisors
  • 18 Placement & Transition Specialists
  • 121 Academic Teachers
  • 85 Vocational Teachers
  • 44 Special Education Teachers
  • 2 Government Operations Consultant Is (Youthful Offender Transition)
  • 2 Grant Specialist IIs (Youthful Offender Transition)
  • 36 Teacher Aides
  • 66 Library Technical Assistants
• 83 correctional education positions are federal grant funded.
• All education administrators and instructors have the appropriate DOE or DC certifications.

NOTE: these position counts include education positions funded in other departmental budget categories, and OPS and contract positions.

Education Services Budget

Basic Education Skills.  Fiscal Year 2012-13:

Appropriation Categories	FTE	General Revenue	Federal Grants Trust Fund	Total
Salaries and Benefits	300	$12,938,449	$2,444,648	$15,383,097
Other Personnel Services		$493,477	$516,172	$1,009,649
Expenses		$1,972,021	$1,933,823	$3,905,844
Operating Capital Outlay		$0	$472,386	$472,386
Special Categories. Contracted Services		$164,226	$1,402,052	$1,566,278
Special Categories. Risk Management Insurance		$96,709	$0	$96,709
Special Categories. Lease or Lease Purchase of Equipment		$20,888	$0	$20,888
Special Categories. Transfer to Department of Management Services		$14,268	$1,196	$15,464
Total	300	$15,700,038	$6,770,277	$22,470,315
Note:  Position count of 348 FTEs does not include OPS and contract positions.  Also, some authorized education positions are funded in other departmental budget entities.

Academic and Special Education

These are programs in which certified academic teachers provide mathematics, reading, language, workforce readiness instruction to inmates with low academic skills. Students’ academic levels are assessed on a regular basis and inmates are afforded the opportunity to secure general educational development (GED) diplomas.   2,930 inmates earned GEDs in Fiscal Year 2010-11 through participation in academic education.  Academic and special education programs are operating at 69 correctional facilities and include some or all of the following:

• Exceptional Student Education:  the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires the department to provide a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment to exceptional students. Exceptional students are students under twenty-two (22) years of age who have a previous special education history, have yet to obtain a high school diploma, continue to need special education and related services to benefit from participation in an educational assignment, consent to receive special education services, and have a current transition plan/individualized education plan.  Exceptional student education services are provided in education programs at 18 correctional facilities.
  
• Close Management Education:  Certified academic teachers provide close management inmates both cell-front and correspondence-study instruction in mathematics, reading, language, and workforce readiness skills at 5 correctional facilities.
• Inmate Teaching Assistant Education (ITA):  Academic education services are provided at 41 correctional facilities by utilizing trained Inmate Teaching Assistants (ITAs) working under the direction and supervision of a certified academic teacher.
• Local Education Agency (LEA)-Operated Education Programs:  Federal grant-funded adult education programs provided by county school districts or community colleges are operating at 3 correctional facilities.
• Volunteer Literacy Programs:  Volunteer Literacy Programs utilize citizen volunteers and/or inmate teaching assistants, who have received tutoring training to assist inmates in improving their educational abilities. Programs are supervised by correctional staff and are operational as an after-hours activity and regular program assignments. Volunteer Literacy Programs are in operation in nearly all major institutions, annexes and work camps.
• Mandatory Literacy: Chapter 944.801 (3)(i), Florida Statutes, requires inmates who have 2 years or more remaining to serve on their sentence at time of reception and who have Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE) total battery scores below grade level 6.0 to attend not fewer than 150 hours of sequential instruction in a correctional adult basic education program. These inmates are enrolled in the adult education program but tracked separately until they complete a minimum of 150 hours of instruction. Upon completion of 150 hours of instruction or the achievement of a total battery score of grade level 6.0 on the TABE, whichever comes first, the inmates can elect to remain enrolled in the adult education program or exit it.
• Ready To Work:  a Florida Department of Education sponsored employee credentialing program that tests – and scores – job skills. It gives jobseekers a competitive edge – a Credential that proves to employers that they have the right skills for the job.
• Federally Funded Academic Programs and Services: During Fiscal Year 2010-2011 the Department of Corrections received $5,156,727 in federal grant funds to provide academic and exceptional education services to inmates and training to correctional educators. The department receives $1,000,000 in Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (ABE) grant funds, $2,134,816in No Child Left Behild Act, Subchapter I, Part D, Subpart 1 (Title I) grant funds, $1,988,631 in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grant funds, and $33,280 in No Child Left Behild Act, Subchapter II (Title II) grant funds.
  • The ABE grant provides funding for 22 academic teachers and teacher aides working in ABE/GED programs.
  • The Title I grant funds 38 academic teachers, teacher aides, and transition personnel working in ABE/GED programs providing academic and transition services to neglected, delinquent or at-risk students 21 years or younger who do not have high school diplomas.
  • The IDEA grant provides funding for 4 program consultants/monitors working in the central office and 18 Teacher Aides working in institutional education programs, ancillary services, educational equipment, instructional materials, and teaching supplies.
  • The Title II grant provides professional development opportunities for correctional educators to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act. Training targets effective instructional strategies, disabled students needs, classroom management, assessment guidelines and technology integration.

Vocational Education

Training programs taught by certified vocational teachers that use curriculums approved by the Florida Department of Education or in accordance with industry standards that provide inmates with the essential knowledge, skills and abilities needed to secure employment in occupations identified by the US Department of Labor and/or the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation to be in-demand in the State of Florida.

Career and Technical Education Programs:  The Department provides 80 vocational education courses in 33 distinct vocational trades at 35 DC facilities. Total enrollment capacity is 1,584 students (1.6% of the total inmate population).  All Vocational Teachers are certified, and all programs utilize DOE approved curriculum frameworks.

In Fiscal Year 2011-12, inmates were awarded 2,217 vocational certificates. Vocational Teacher salaries are a general revenue expense; however, the Department receives $500,000 in Perkins grant funds annually to supplement GR funds in support of vocational training programs. These funds may only be used for purchasing supplies and equipment, grant administration and teacher in-service costs.

Career and Technical Education Programs as of April 2012
Facility / # of Programs	Career & Technical Education Programs
Apalachee CI - East (1)	(1) Cabinetmaking.
Avon Park CI (5)	(1) Automotive Service Technology, (2) Cabinetmaking, (3) PC Support Services, (4) Printing and Graphic Communications, (5) Turf Equipment Technology.
Baker CI (4)	(1) Cabinetmaking, (2) Electricity, (3) Masonry, Brick and Block, (4) Plumbing Technology.
Calhoun CI (1)	(1) Printing and Graphic Communications/WEB Design Services.
Columbia CI (1)	(1) PC Support Services.
Columbia Annex (1)	Masonry Brick and Block.
Cross City CI (3)	(1) Auto Collision Repair & Refinishing, (2) Cabinetmaking, (3) PC Support Services/Business Supervision/Computer Programming and Technology.
DeSoto Annex (3)	(1) Applied Welding Technology, (2) Carpentry, (3)Masonry, Brick and Block .
Florida State Prison - West	Printing & Graphic Arts
Franklin CI (1)	(1) Plumbing Technology.
Gulf CI (1)	AC, Refrigeration, & Heating Technology.
Hamilton CI (3)	(1) Cabinetmaking, (2) Electricity, (3) Masonry, Brick and Block.
Hamilton CI Annex (1)	(1) PC Support Services.
Hardee CI (1)	(1) Carpentry.
Hernando CI * (1)	(1) Digital Design.
Holmes CI (3)	(1) Applied Welding Technology, (2) Auto Collision Repair and Refinishing, (3) PC Support Services.
Homestead CI * (2)	(1) Automotive Technology Career Services, (2) PC Support Services.
Lake CI (2)	(1) Cabinetmaking, (2) Wastewater/Water Treatment Technologies.
Lancaster CI (6)	(1) Autotronics/Automotive Service Technology, (2) Carpentry, (3) Commercial Foods and Culinary Arts, (4) Environmental Services, (5) PC Support Services, (6) Printing and Graphic Communications.
Lawtey CI (1)	(1) Drafting Architectural.
Lowell CI and Work Camp* (6)	(1) Cosmetology, (2) Culinary Arts, (3) Drafting Architectural, (4) Equine Care Technology, (5) AC, Refrigeration, & Heating Technology, (6) PC Support Services.
Lowell CI Annex * (1)	(1) Fashion Design and Production.
Marion CI (4)	(1) Cabinetmaking, (2) AC, Refrigeration, & Heating Technology, (3) Electricity, (4) Water/Wastewater Treatment Technologies.
Polk CI (3) [1]	(1) Auto Service Technology, (2) Computer Systems Technology, (3) Plumbing Technology/Fire Sprinkler Systems Technology.
Sago Palm WC (1)	(1) PC Support Services.
Santa Rosa Annex	Commercial Class “B” Driving.
Sumter CI (5)	(1) Automotive Service Technology, (2) Consumer Electronics Technology, (3) Masonry, Brick and Block, (4) Masonry, Brick and Block (Youthful Offenders, (5) Drafting (Youthful Offenders).
Suwannee CI Annex (2)	(1) PC Support Services, (2) Plumbing Technology/Fire Sprinkler Systems Technology.
Taylor CI (1)	(1) Plumbing Technology.
Taylor CI Annex (3)	(1) Carpentry, (2) Masonry, Brick and Block, (3) PC Support Services.
Tomoka CI (2)	(1) Carpentry, (2) Masonry Brick and Block.
Wakulla CI (1)	(1) Environmental Services.
Walton CI (2)	(1) Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Heating Technology , (2) Carpentry.
(#) = DC-operated career and technical education programs
* = Female facility

Specter Grant:  The Grants to States for Workplace and Community Transition Training for Incarcerated Individuals (Specter) is a Federal grant that provides postsecondary vocational training for incarcerated offenders 35 years of age or under, have GED or high school diploma, are within seven years of release from prison, must not be convicted of murder, or a crime involving a victim who is a minor, or sexual offense. Participants receive postsecondary vocational certificates upon successful completion of the training. This program assists inmates in the transition process by providing relevant job skills training necessary to obtain gainful employment upon release.   The Department will receive $1,743,224 in Specter grant funds in Fiscal Year 2010-11.

Re-entry Seminarsare offered to Specter participants to provide valuable information regarding employment opportunities, community resource providers, social services, housing, and other resources available within their respective communities to insure a smooth transition upon release. Federal, state and local entities are invited into the prisons to provide inmates with specific information relating to the services they offer.

Specter Grant funded Programs.  As of May 2012:

• Bradford-Union Area Career Technical Center
• Web Design
• Lawtey Correctional Institution
• Florida Atlantic University
• Construction Project Coordinator
• Martin Correctional Institution
• Polk Correctional Institution
• Florida Gateway College
• Landscape Irrigation
• Suwannee Correctional Institution
• Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
• Columbia Correctional Institution-Annex
• Lively Technical Center
• Culinary Arts
• Madison Correctional Institution
• Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
• Wakulla Correctional Institution
• Pasco-Hernando Community College
• Web Design
  • Hernando Correctional Institution

In Fiscal Year 2010-11, inmates were awarded 583 Specter certificates.

Library Services

• General Library Programs:  Provide access to library programs comparable to public libraries.  Programs and services include providing access to current print and non-print materials, reference services, reader’s guidance, self-betterment/educational/cultural programming, resources and services essential to support the activities of the institution’s other education and treatment programs, and resources to permit inmates to achieve functional literacy.  Programs are operating in 75 major institutions, annexes and work camps. In Fiscal Year 2009-2010 inmates used general library programs on 1,055,933 occasions.
• Law Library Programs:  Provide access to services required to permit inmates access to the courts.  Programs and services include:  a computerized law collection with state and federal materials, additional print materials, legal supplies, copying services, and research assistance from persons trained in the law and legal research.  There are approximately 350 inmate law clerks currently assigned to work in law libraries to provide assistance to their peers.  Library Services provides inmate law clerks with training on on post-conviction/post-sentence remedies, inmate grievance procedures, disciplinary procedures and prisoner’s rights. There are 76 law library programs. All major institutions, annexes and work camps housing more than 500 inmates operate law library programs. In Fiscal Year 2009-10 inmates used law library programs and services on 622,893 occasions.
• Admissible Reading:  The Florida Department of Corrections limits inmate access to publications that contain subject matter detrimental to the security, order or disciplinary or rehabilitative interests of any institution of the department. The Department’s policies on admissible reading material are established in Rule 33-501.401, Admissible Reading Material, F.A.C. The rejection criteria for admissible reading material are established in Section (3) of that rule.
• Wardens and assistant wardens have the authority to impound any publication that they believe is inadmissible per the rejection criteria. Wardens and assistant wardens impound publications by completing Form DC5-101, Notice of Rejection or Impoundment of Publications.) Impoundment is not the same as rejection. Impoundment authorizes all institutions to interdict publications until such time as the department’s Literature Review Committee reviews it and determines whether it is admissible (i.e., approved for issue) or inadmissible (i.e., rejected and not approved for issue).
• The Department’s Literature Review Committee reviews all impoundment decisions, and only the Committee can reject a publication. The Literature Review Committee is composed of representatives from the Office of Education and Initiatives, Inmate Grievance Appeals, and Security Operations. The representative from the Office of Education and Initiatives, usually an administrator in Library Services, serves as committee chair and schedules/coordinates committee activities. Rule requires the Literature Review Committee to schedule meetings within 30 days of receipt of institutional actions to impound publications and/or inmate grievance appeals that concern admissible reading material issues. However, the Literature Review Committee meets as often as weekly.
• Literature Review Committee decisions are disseminated to department staff via electronic mail and through use of an Outlook public folder on our agency’s wide area network. The name of the Outlook public folder is the ARM Bulletin Board.