Texas 2013 - 83rd Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1142 Compare Versions

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1	1	83R24098 PAM-D
2	2	By: Duncan, et al. S.B. No. 1142
3	3	(J. Davis of Harris, Deshotel, Huberty, Farney,
4	4	Murphy)
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to an adult high school diploma and industry certification
10	10	charter school pilot program for adults 19 to 50 years of age.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subchapter H, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
13	13	amended by adding Section 29.259 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 29.259. ADULT HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND INDUSTRY
15	15	CERTIFICATION CHARTER SCHOOL PILOT PROGRAM. (a) In this section,
16	16	"adult education" means services and instruction provided below the
17	17	college level for adults by a nonprofit entity described by
18	18	Subsection (e).
19	19	(b) The commissioner shall establish an adult high school
20	20	diploma and industry certification charter school pilot program as
21	21	provided by this section as a strategy for meeting industry needs
22	22	for a sufficiently trained workforce within the state.
23	23	(c) The agency shall adopt and administer a standardized
24	24	secondary exit-level assessment instrument appropriate for
25	25	assessing adult education program participants who successfully
26	26	complete high school curriculum requirements under a program
27	27	provided under this section. The commissioner shall determine the
28	28	level of performance considered to be satisfactory on the secondary
29	29	exit-level assessment instrument for receipt of a high school
30	30	diploma by an adult education program participant in a program
31	31	provided under this section.
32	32	(d) Notwithstanding any other law and in addition to the
33	33	number of charters allowed under Subchapter D, Chapter 12, a
34	34	charter under the pilot program may, on the basis of an application
35	35	submitted, be granted to a single nonprofit entity described by
36	36	Subsection (e) to provide an adult education program for not more
37	37	than 150 individuals described by Subsection (g) to successfully
38	38	complete:
39	39	(1) a high school program that can lead to a diploma;
40	40	and
41	41	(2) career and technology education courses that can
42	42	lead to industry certification.
43	43	(e) A nonprofit entity may be granted a charter under this
44	44	section only if the entity:
45	45	(1) has a successful history of providing education
46	46	services, including industry certifications and job placement
47	47	services, to adults 18 years of age and older whose educational and
48	48	training opportunities have been limited by educational
49	49	disadvantages, disabilities, homelessness, criminal history, or
50	50	similar circumstances; and
51	51	(2) agrees to commit at least $1 million to the adult
52	52	education program offered.
53	53	(f) A nonprofit entity granted a charter under this section
54	54	may partner with a public junior college to provide career and
55	55	technology courses that lead to industry certification.
56	56	(g) A person who is at least 19 years of age and not more
57	57	than 50 years of age is eligible to enroll in the adult education
58	58	program under this section if the person has not earned a high
59	59	school equivalency certificate and:
60	60	(1) has failed to complete the curriculum requirements
61	61	for high school graduation; or
62	62	(2) has failed to perform satisfactorily on an
63	63	assessment instrument required for high school graduation.
64	64	(h) The nonprofit entity must include in its charter
65	65	application the information required by Subsection (i).
66	66	(i) A charter granted under this section must:
67	67	(1) include a description of the adult education
68	68	program to be offered under this section; and
69	69	(2) establish specific, objective standards for
70	70	receiving a high school diploma, including satisfactory
71	71	performance on the standardized secondary exit-level assessment
72	72	instrument described by Subsection (c).
73	73	(j) Funding for an adult education program under this
74	74	section is provided based on the following:
75	75	(1) for participants who are 26 years of age and older,
76	76	an amount per participant from available general revenue funds
77	77	appropriated for the pilot program equal to the statewide average
78	78	amount of state funding per student in weighted average daily
79	79	attendance that would be allocated under the Foundation School
80	80	Program to an open-enrollment charter school under Section 12.106
81	81	were the student under 26 years of age; and
82	82	(2) for participants who are at least 19 years of age
83	83	and under 26 years of age, an amount per participant through the
84	84	Foundation School Program equal to the amount of state funding per
85	85	student in weighted average daily attendance that would be
86	86	allocated under the Foundation School Program for the student's
87	87	attendance at an open-enrollment charter school in accordance with
88	88	Section 12.106.
89	89	(k) Sections 12.107 and 12.128 apply as though funds under
90	90	this section were funds under Subchapter D, Chapter 12.
91	91	(l) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year,
92	92	beginning December 1, 2016, the agency shall prepare and deliver to
93	93	the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of
94	94	representatives, and presiding officer of each standing
95	95	legislative committee with primary jurisdiction over public
96	96	education or economic development a report that:
97	97	(1) evaluates any adult education program operated
98	98	under a charter granted under this section; and
99	99	(2) makes recommendations regarding the abolition,
100	100	continuation, or expansion of the pilot program.
101	101	(m) The commissioner shall adopt rules necessary to
102	102	administer the pilot program under this section. In adopting
103	103	rules, the commissioner may modify charter school requirements only
104	104	to the extent necessary for the administration of a charter school
105	105	under this section that provides for adult education.
106	106	SECTION 2. Section 42.003(a), Education Code, is amended to
107	107	read as follows:
108	108	(a) A student is entitled to the benefits of the Foundation
109	109	School Program if, on September 1 of the school year, the student:
110	110	(1) is 5 years of age or older and under 21 years of age
111	111	and has not graduated from high school, or is at least 21 years of
112	112	age and under 26 years of age and has been admitted by a school
113	113	district to complete the requirements for a high school diploma; or
114	114	(2) is at least 19 years of age and under 26 years of
115	115	age and is enrolled in an adult high school diploma and industry
116	116	certification charter school pilot program under Section 29.259.
117	117	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.