Professional Certificate Renewals

Renewal Requirements

Six semester hours of college credit, or its equivalent, must be earned during each renewal period in order to renew your certificate.

College Credit Equivalency:

• Sixty (60) inservice points in an approved Florida master inservice program are equivalent to three (3) semester hours of college credit.
• A passing numerical score on the Florida subject area test specific to the coverage to be renewed is equivalent to three (3) semester hours of college credit for renewal purposes.
• A valid certificate issued by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards will renew the Florida certificate only in the subject(s) shown on the national certificate.
• Teaching a college level course at an acceptable institution may be accepted the same as credit earned for that course.

Fingerprints Requirement

Florida Statute 1012.32(3) requires that employees be subject to a level 2 criminal background check every five years.  Individuals hired after July 1, 2004, have been digitally fingerprinted and their prints were retained so that refingerprinting is not necessary. 
 
The district and the CFEA worked together to make this process as simple as possible so that your inconvenience would be kept to a minimum.  To that end, please note that Article XXII., Section B.6., Fingerprinting, of the collective bargaining agreement, states that teachers hired after July 1, 2004, will be digitally fingerprinted as they apply for recertification.  In accordance with the collective bargaining agreement, the district will pick up the costs associated with the fingerprinting and background check.

Steps to Complete for Renewal

1. Download and complete the Renewal Application.
   
   
2. Call Lydia Rutter in Human Resources, 255-0808, ext. 3026, to make an appointment for fingerprinting.  The office is open from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 
   
   
3. Take your completed renewal application with a $56 personal check made payable to Charlotte County Public Schools to Lydia Rutter – once the fingerprints have been completed, your application will be stamped and forwarded to Peggy Stoever for processing.

Late Application Fee

A late fee of $30 is required if the application is submitted for renewal of your Professional Certificate after it has expired. To utilize the late fee option, all requirements for renewal of the certificate must have been completed prior to expiration of the certificate except for submitting the application and fee. The $30 late fee is in addition to your $56 fee for a total of $86.

IMPORTANT - DO NOT SEND THIS APPLICATION DIRECTLY TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.