Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1611 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	2015S0330-1 02/25/15
2	2	By: Huffines S.B. No. 1611
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of professional charter academies.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Chapter 12, Education Code, is amended by adding
10	10	Subchapter F to read as follows:
11	11	SUBCHAPTER F. PROFESSIONAL CHARTER ACADEMY PROGRAM
12	12	Sec. 12.201. PURPOSE. The purpose of this subchapter is to
13	13	give education professionals the opportunity to function
14	14	independently, with property rights similar to those afforded other
15	15	professionals and the rewards inherent in those rights.
16	16	Sec. 12.202. PROFESSIONAL CHARTER ACADEMY PROGRAM; RULES.
17	17	(a) The comptroller, in coordination with the commissioner, shall
18	18	establish a professional charter academy program under which
19	19	eligible education professionals are authorized to create a
20	20	professional charter academy in accordance with this subchapter.
21	21	(b) The comptroller, in coordination with the commissioner,
22	22	shall adopt rules to administer this subchapter. The rules must
23	23	include provisions relating to prevention of fraud in financial
24	24	transactions under the professional charter academy program.
25	25	Sec. 12.203. ELIGIBLE EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS. (a) To be
26	26	eligible to operate a professional charter academy under this
27	27	subchapter, an education professional must:
28	28	(1) have at least five years of classroom teaching
29	29	experience;
30	30	(2) have been rated as proficient or higher for at
31	31	least five years under the evaluation system used to evaluate the
32	32	professional; or
33	33	(3) have served as the principal of a school for at
34	34	least five years.
35	35	(b) A professional charter academy must be operated by at
36	36	least one eligible education professional.
37	37	Sec. 12.204. APPLICATION OF LAWS. A professional charter
38	38	academy is subject only to federal and state laws applicable to
39	39	private schools. A professional charter academy is not subject to
40	40	state law applicable to charter schools authorized by law other
41	41	than this subchapter.
42	42	Sec. 12.205. INITIAL FUNDING. An eligible education
43	43	professional under Section 12.203 is responsible for securing
44	44	initial capital from sources other than public funding for the
45	45	establishment of a professional charter academy.
46	46	Sec. 12.206. GRANTING OF CHARTER. The comptroller shall
47	47	grant a charter to operate a professional charter academy to an
48	48	eligible professional under Section 12.203 if the professional
49	49	provides to the comptroller:
50	50	(1) an educational business plan acceptable to the
51	51	comptroller;
52	52	(2) proof of financial ability to fund 12 months of the
53	53	academy's anticipated expenses, presented in the form of a bank
54	54	letter of credit or other acceptable financial guarantee; and
55	55	(3) demonstration of parental and community interest
56	56	in the establishment of a professional charter academy.
57	57	Sec. 12.207. PUBLIC FUNDING. (a) For each school year,
58	58	the comptroller shall provide to a student who will attend a
59	59	professional charter academy or the student's parent an amount
60	60	equal to the average state funding per student received by
61	61	open-enrollment charter schools during the preceding school year.
62	62	The student or the student's parent may assign the funding received
63	63	under this section to the professional charter academy the student
64	64	attends. The comptroller may adjust the amount provided in
65	65	accordance with the student's actual attendance.
66	66	(b) The comptroller shall provide funding to the student, to
67	67	the student's parent, or, if the funding has been assigned to the
68	68	professional charter academy, to the professional charter academy,
69	69	not later than the 90th day after the comptroller receives data
70	70	attendance reports from the professional charter academy at the end
71	71	of the school year.
72	72	(c) Federal funds and money from the available school fund
73	73	may not be used to make payments under this subchapter.
74	74	Sec. 12.208. REPORTS. (a) Not later than October 1 of each
75	75	year, the comptroller shall report to the commissioner and the
76	76	Legislative Budget Board the estimated number of students who are
77	77	likely to attend each professional charter academy authorized under
78	78	this subchapter. The report must indicate the school district a
79	79	student attending a professional charter academy is eligible to
80	80	attend.
81	81	(b) Not later than March 1 of each year, the comptroller
82	82	shall provide actual numbers of students who attend each
83	83	professional charter academy.
84	84	(c) The comptroller, the Legislative Budget Board, and the
85	85	agency shall modify estimates of funding under Section 42.253 using
86	86	the information reported under this section.
87	87	SECTION 2. As soon as possible but not later than the 45th
88	88	day after the effective date of this Act, the comptroller of public
89	89	accounts, in coordination with the commissioner of education, shall
90	90	establish the professional charter academy program as required
91	91	under Subchapter F, Chapter 12, Education Code, as added by this
92	92	Act.
93	93	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
94	94	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
95	95	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
96	96	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
97	97	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.