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FORT MYERS - A southwest Florida lawmaker plans to sponsor a petition drive to eliminate the constitutional amendment mandating smaller class sizes.
State Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, said he will back a statewide drive to undo the amendment in the November 2004 election. He said he also plans to file legislation to require smaller class sizes.
About 700,000 signatures must be collected around the state to garner nearly 490,000 valid signatures. Signatures must be validated by early August 2004 to get the issue on the November ballot.
Saunders said the petition drive likely will cost about $1-million, so he will seek financial backing.
"I won't be sitting in the parking lots gathering names, but I am going to appeal to groups and organizations to help," he said.
Last year, voters approved the amendment that caps the number of students in each public school classroom to 18 children in pre-kindergarten through third grade, 22 in fourth grade through eighth grade and 25 in the high school grades. The limits do not have to be in place until 2010.