81R7513 CAS-D
By: Guillen H.B. No. 1423
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to granting charters to public junior colleges for
open-enrollment charter schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. The heading to Subchapter E, Chapter 12,
Education Code, is amended to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER E. COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY OR JUNIOR COLLEGE
CHARTER SCHOOL
SECTION 2. Sections 12.151, 12.152, 12.154, and 12.155,
Education Code, are amended to read as follows:
Sec. 12.151. DEFINITIONS [DEFINITION]. In this
subchapter, "public junior college" and "public senior college or
university" have [has] the meanings [meaning] assigned by Section
61.003.
Sec. 12.152. AUTHORIZATION. (a) In accordance with this
subchapter and Subchapter D, the State Board of Education may grant
a charter on the application of:
(1) a public senior college or university for an
open-enrollment charter school to operate on the campus of the
public senior college or university or in the same county in which
the campus of the public senior college or university is located; or
(2) a public junior college for an open-enrollment
charter school to operate on the campus of the public junior college
or in the same county in which the campus of the public junior
college is located.
Sec. 12.154. CONTENT. (a) Notwithstanding Section
12.110(d), the State Board of Education may grant a charter under
this subchapter to a public senior college or university only if the
following criteria are satisfied in the public senior college's or
university's application, as determined by the State Board of
Education:
(1) the college or university charter school's
educational program must include innovative teaching methods;
(2) the college or university charter school's
educational program must be implemented under the direct
supervision of a member of the teaching or research faculty of the
public senior college or university;
(3) the faculty member supervising the college or
university charter school's educational program must have
substantial experience and expertise in education research,
teacher education, classroom instruction, or educational
administration;
(4) the college or university charter school's
educational program must be designed to meet specific goals
described in the charter, including improving student performance,
and each aspect of the program must be directed toward the
attainment of the goals;
(5) the attainment of the college or university
charter school's educational program goals must be measured using
specific, objective standards set forth in the charter, including
assessment methods and a time frame; and
(6) the financial operations of the college or
university charter school must be supervised by the business office
of the public senior college or university.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 12.110(d), the State Board of
Education may grant a charter under this subchapter to a public
junior college only if the following criteria are satisfied in the
public junior college's application, as determined by the State
Board of Education:
(1) the junior college charter school's educational
program must be implemented under the direct supervision of a
member of the faculty of the public junior college;
(2) the faculty member supervising the junior college
charter school's educational program must have substantial
experience and expertise in teacher education, classroom
instruction, or educational administration;
(3) the junior college charter school's educational
program must be designed to meet specific goals described in the
charter, such as dropout recovery, and each aspect of the program
must be directed toward the attainment of the goals;
(4) the attainment of the junior college charter
school's educational program goals must be measured using specific,
objective standards set forth in the charter, including assessment
methods and a time frame; and
(5) the financial operations of the junior college
charter school must be supervised by the business office of the
junior college.
Sec. 12.155. SCHOOL NAME. The name of a college or
university charter school or junior college charter school must
include the name of the public senior college or university or
public junior college, as applicable, operating the school.
SECTION 3. Section 12.156(a), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) Except as otherwise provided by this subchapter,
Subchapter D applies to a college or university charter school or
junior college charter school as though the college or university
charter school or junior college charter school, as applicable,
were granted a charter under that subchapter.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2009.