Districts purchase services from Beacon in the form of contract hours. Hours purchased through a Beacon contract are flexible hours and may be used for any course or program provided by Beacon.
Each time a district registers a participant for a course, it is a use of contract hours. If a participant is withdrawn, the hours are returned to the district for future use. Participants may be withdrawn through the last day of the course except for those who have submitted a Course Log exercise. Districts are officially charged for hours based upon participants registered on the last day of a course.
Beacon handles all facilitation of course content. Beacon also provides participants access to content and toll-free technical support.
Beacon trains local facilitators hired by the contracting district to facilitate courses. Beacon provides facilitators access to gradebooks and facilitator resources. Beacon also provides participants access to content and toll-free technical support.
For pricing information, contact Beacon at 800-311-6437.
For Districts contracting with Beacon, the State Board of Education bid process may be waived.
State Board of Education Rule 6A1.012 (7) states:
The requirement of requested bids from three (3) or more sources is hereby waived as authorized by Section 237.02, Florida Statues, for the purchase of professional or educational services, educational tests, text books, printed instructional materials,
computer software, films, filmstrips, videotapes, disc or tape recordings, or similar audio-visual materials, and for library and reference books, and printed library cards where such materials are purchased directly from the producer or publisher, the
owner of the copyright, and exclusive agent within the state, a government agency or a recognized education institution.
Beacon Educator is a program of Bay District Schools. Auditor General Representatives who audit Beacon have agreed that State Board of Education Rule 6A1.012 (7) includes buying educational services from another school district.