| 1 | 1 | | By: Gallegos S.B. No. 208 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Filed November 16, 2010; January 31, 2011, |
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| 3 | 3 | | read first time and referred to Committee on Education; |
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| 4 | 4 | | April 11, 2011, reported adversely, with favorable Committee |
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| 5 | 5 | | Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; April 11, 2011, |
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| 6 | 6 | | sent to printer.) |
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| 7 | 7 | | COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 208 By: Gallegos |
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| 8 | 8 | | |
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| 9 | 9 | | |
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| 10 | 10 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 11 | 11 | | AN ACT |
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| 12 | 12 | | relating to public notice and forums concerning finalists for the |
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| 13 | 13 | | position of superintendent of a school district. |
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| 14 | 14 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 15 | 15 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 11, Education Code, is |
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| 16 | 16 | | amended by adding Section 11.1514 to read as follows: |
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| 17 | 17 | | Sec. 11.1514. SUPERINTENDENT: PUBLIC NOTICE OF FINALISTS |
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| 18 | 18 | | AND PUBLIC FORUM. (a) In accordance with Section 552.126, |
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| 19 | 19 | | Government Code, the board of trustees of a school district shall |
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| 20 | 20 | | give public notice of the name of each finalist the board is |
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| 21 | 21 | | considering for the position of superintendent of the district. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (b) A board of trustees considering superintendent |
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| 23 | 23 | | finalists may hold one or more limited public forums at which, |
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| 24 | 24 | | except as provided by Subsection (c), each finalist shall speak and |
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| 25 | 25 | | parents of district students, teachers, and other community members |
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| 26 | 26 | | may offer relevant information and opinions and ask relevant |
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| 27 | 27 | | questions of any of the finalists. The board may establish |
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| 28 | 28 | | procedures for the public forum, including establishment of a |
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| 29 | 29 | | reasonable maximum time limit for each speaker. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (c) A finalist is not required to speak at a public forum |
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| 31 | 31 | | under Subsection (b) if the finalist is absent from the forum |
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| 32 | 32 | | because of: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (1) a death in the finalist's family; or |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) the illness of the finalist or of an immediate |
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| 35 | 35 | | family member of the finalist. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (d) The board shall give public notice of the subject |
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| 37 | 37 | | matter, time, date, and place of a public forum not later than the |
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| 38 | 38 | | fifth business day before the date the public forum is to be held. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 2. Section 552.126, Government Code, is amended to |
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| 40 | 40 | | read as follows: |
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| 41 | 41 | | Sec. 552.126. EXCEPTION: NAME OF APPLICANT FOR |
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| 42 | 42 | | SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. The name of an applicant |
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| 43 | 43 | | for the position of superintendent of a public school district is |
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| 44 | 44 | | excepted from the requirements of Section 552.021, except that the |
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| 45 | 45 | | board of trustees must give public notice of the name or names of |
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| 46 | 46 | | the finalists being considered for the position at least 30 [21] |
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| 47 | 47 | | days before the date of the meeting at which a final action or vote |
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| 48 | 48 | | is to be taken on the employment of the person. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies with |
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| 50 | 50 | | respect to a meeting held after October 31, 2011, at which the board |
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| 51 | 51 | | of trustees of a school district is to take a final action or vote on |
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| 52 | 52 | | the employment of a finalist as superintendent. |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |
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| 54 | 54 | | * * * * * |
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