Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB3110 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: Villarreal H.B. No. 3110
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to a kindergarten-plus pilot project for certain children.
7	7	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	8	Article I. Definitions.
9	9	(1) The "commissioner" means the Texas Education
10	10	Commissioner.
11	11	(2) The "agency" means the Texas Education Agency.
12	12	(3) "Economically disadvantaged" means:
13	13	(A) Students from a family with an annual income
14	14	at or below the official poverty line; or,
15	15	(B) Students eligible for Temporary Assistance
16	16	for Needy Families or other public assistance; or,
17	17	(C) Students who received a Pell Grant or
18	18	comparable state program of need-based financial assistance; or,
19	19	(D) Students eligible for programs assisted
20	20	under Title II of the Job Training Partnership Act; or,
21	21	(E) Students eligible for Benefits under the Food
22	22	Stamp Act of 1977.
23	23	Article II. Kindergarten-Plus Program Pilot Project.
24	24	Subchapter E, Chapter 29, Education Code, is amended by adding
25	25	Section 29.162 to read as follows:
26	26	SECTION 1. Duties of the Commissioner of Education.
27	27	(a) The commissioner shall:
28	28	(1) Establish a three-year study that extends
29	29	approved full-day kindergarten programs by 40 instructional days
30	30	for certain students in eligible school districts;
31	31	(2) Award grants to eligible school districts
32	32	from funds appropriated for the purpose;
33	33	(3) Adopt rules necessary to administer this
34	34	section, including campus application requirements, procedures for
35	35	evaluating applications for grants;
36	36	(4) Provide standards and a curriculum for the
37	37	Kindergarten-Plus program;
38	38	(5) Establish district reporting and evaluation
39	39	requirements.
40	40	SECTION II. Eligible Districts.
41	41	(a) This act applies to districts which reported to
42	42	the agency more than 50,000 students enrolled in 2007-2008, and,
43	43	(b) Who reported more than 80 percent of the student
44	44	population as economically disadvantaged or eligible for free or
45	45	reduced lunch in 2007-2009.
46	46	(c) A district may use funds received under this
47	47	subsection only for the purpose of the district's Kindergarten-Plus
48	48	program.
49	49	(d) A school district Kindergarten-Plus program must,
50	50	at a minimum, consist of:
51	51	(1) twenty additional instruction days for an
52	52	eligible child during the summer before the child will begin
53	53	kindergarten; and,
54	54	(2) twenty additional instruction days for an
55	55	eligible child during the summer after the child completes
56	56	kindergarten.
57	57	(3) a curriculum based on improving numeracy,
58	58	literacy and social skills in students.
59	59	(e) A school district receiving funds under this
60	60	section shall:
61	61	(1) Demonstrate that its Kindergarten-Plus
62	62	program will meet all state standards and employ only qualified
63	63	teachers and other staff.
64	64	(2) Compensate teachers at the same rate and
65	65	under the same terms for Kindergarten-Plus as teachers are paid for
66	66	regular full-day kindergarten programs.
67	67	(3) A teacher who teaches a Kindergarten-Plus
68	68	program is entitled to two additional professional development days
69	69	each school year.
70	70	(4) Employ a sufficient number of teachers as
71	71	provided by Section 25.112 of this section.
72	72	(5) Notify the population in the district whose
73	73	children are eligible for enrollment in Kindergarten-Plus of the
74	74	availability of the class. The system must include public notices
75	75	issued in English and Spanish.
76	76	SECTION III. Student eligibility.
77	77	(a) A child is eligible to participate in a school
78	78	district's Kindergarten-Plus program if the:
79	79	(1) Child's parent or guardian has applied for
80	80	the child to participate in the kindergarten-plus program in the
81	81	time and manner required by the district and the district has
82	82	accepted the child's application;
83	83	(2) Child qualified for a pre-kindergarten
84	84	program under Section 29.153 of this section prior to reaching
85	85	school eligibility under Section 25.001 of this section; or,
86	86	(3) Child is entitled to attend school in the
87	87	district under Section 25.001 of the Education Code; and the child
88	88	is:
89	89	(A) Unable to speak and comprehend the
90	90	English language; or,
91	91	(B) Educationally disadvantaged as
92	92	established under 42 U.S.C.S. Section 1751 et seq.; or,
93	93	(C) Homeless, as defined by 42 U.S.C
94	94	Section 11302 regardless of the residence of the child, of either
95	95	parent of the child, or of the child's guardian or other person
96	96	having lawful control of the child.
97	97	(b) A child enrolled in Kindergarten-Plus remains
98	98	eligible for the duration of the program, regardless of financial
99	99	status.
100	100	SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date
101	101	of this Act, the commissioner shall adopt rules relating to the
102	102	kindergarten-plus program provided for by Section 29.1511,
103	103	Education Code, as added by this Act.
104	104	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
105	105	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
106	106	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
107	107	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
108	108	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.