Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1752 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: West S.B. No. 1752
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to prekindergarten programs in public schools.
7	7	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	8	SECTION 1. Amend Subsection 29.153(c), Education Code, to
9	9	read as follows:
10	10	(c) A prekindergarten class under this section shall be
11	11	operated on a half-day basis or on a full-day basis as provided by
12	12	section 29.1541. A district is not required to provide
13	13	transportation for a prekindergarten class, but transportation, if
14	14	provided, is included for funding purposes as part of the regular
15	15	transportation system.
16	16	SECTION 2. Amend Section 29.1532, Education Code, as
17	17	follows:
18	18	Sec 29.1532. PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS. (a) A
19	19	school district's prekindergarten program shall be designed to
20	20	develop skills necessary for success in the regular public school
21	21	curriculum, including language, mathematics, and social skills.
22	22	(b) The commissioner shall develop appropriate early
23	23	childhood learning standards for all half-day and full-day
24	24	prekindergarten programs. Districts and charter schools must
25	25	select curricula that align with the commissioner's standards.
26	26	(b-1) Until the commissioner develops early childhood
27	27	learning standards, pre-kindergarten programs shall use existing
28	28	guidelines adopted by the commissioner for purposes of
29	29	instructional materials. This subsection expires September 1,
30	30	2016.
31	31	(c)[(b)] If a school district contracts with a private
32	32	entity for the operation of the district's prekindergarten program,
33	33	the program must at a minimum comply with the applicable child-care
34	34	licensing standards adopted by the Department of Protective and
35	35	Regulatory Services under Section 42.042, Human Resources Code.
36	36	(d)[(c)] Each teacher or aide assigned to a prekindergarten
37	37	class shall complete 30 hours of early childhood-specific education
38	38	every five years.
39	39	(e) A school district that offers prekindergarten classes
40	40	shall include the following information in the district's Public
41	41	Education Information Management System (PEIMS) report:
42	42	(1) demographic information, as determined by the
43	43	commissioner, on students enrolled in district prekindergarten
44	44	classes, including the number of students who are eligible for
45	45	classes under Section 29.153;
46	46	(2) the numbers of half-day and full-day
47	47	prekindergarten classes offered by the district; [and]
48	48	(3) the number of students enrolled in each half-day
49	49	and full-day prekindergarten class offered by the district;
50	50	(4) the number of teachers and aides assigned to each
51	51	half-day and full-day prekindergarten class;
52	52	(5) the number of hours per week and hours per year for
53	53	each half-day and full-day program offered by the district; and
54	54	(6) [(3)] the sources of funding for the
55	55	prekindergarten classes.
56	56	(f) The commissioner may make rules to implement this
57	57	section.
58	58	SECTION 3. Add new Section 29.1541, Education Code, to read
59	59	as follows:
60	60	Section 29.1541 Full-day Prekindergarten Programs (a) A
61	61	school district or charter school may receive funding for a
62	62	full-day prekindergarten program for four year old students
63	63	eligible under Section 29.153 as provided by this section.
64	64	(b) A teacher at a prekindergarten program funded as a
65	65	full-day program under this section must meet the requirements
66	66	developed by the State Board for Educator Certification under
67	67	Section 21.1530.
68	68	(c) A full-day prekindergarten program funded under this
69	69	section must maintain a ratio of no more than ten students to a
70	70	teacher or aide and must assign at least one teacher to each
71	71	classroom.
72	72	(d) A district or charter operating a full-day
73	73	prekindergarten program funded under this section must implement a
74	74	local system approved by the commissioner to monitor the progress
75	75	of prekindergarten students through the school year and evaluate
76	76	program effectiveness. The commissioner shall provide multiple
77	77	options to comply with this subsection.
78	78	(e) A district or charter operating a full-day
79	79	prekindergarten program funded under this section must adopt an
80	80	instrument approved by the commissioner to evaluate the readiness
81	81	of all students entering kindergarten and report information
82	82	required by the commissioner through the Public Education
83	83	Information Management System.
84	84	(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a
85	85	district or charter to operate a full-day prekindergarten program,
86	86	or to require compliance with this section in programs funded on a
87	87	half-time basis or full-time programs for ineligible students
88	88	funded with tuition under section 29.1531.
89	89	(g) A school district or charter may contract with a private
90	90	entity to provide a program under this section. A contract for
91	91	services may include the district or charter providing facilities,
92	92	teachers and aides or other services to a private provider. A
93	93	contract for services must ensure that all requirements of this
94	94	section for a full-day prekindergarten program are met by the
95	95	district or charter or the contracting private provider.
96	96	(h) The commissioner may make rules to implement this
97	97	section.
98	98	(i) The commissioner shall evaluate the effectiveness of
99	99	programs operated under this section and report to the legislature
100	100	no later than December 1, 2018. This subsection expires January 1,
101	101	2019.
102	102	(j) A district or charter must apply to the commissioner for
103	103	permission to receive funding for a full-day program operated
104	104	during the 2016-2017 school year. The commissioner may not approve
105	105	applications in an amount that exceeds a total additional state
106	106	cost set by appropriation. The commissioner shall adopt
107	107	application deadlines and prioritize districts with the greatest
108	108	percentage of students who meet the eligibility criteria in section
109	109	29.153 if applications for funding exceed the amount set by
110	110	appropriation. A decision by the commissioner under this
111	111	subsection is final and may not be appealed. This subsection
112	112	expires September 1, 2017.
113	113	SECTION 4. Add new Section 21.1530, Education Code, to read
114	114	as follows:
115	115	Section 21.1530 Prekindergarten requirements. (a) The
116	116	board shall determine appropriate education and professional
117	117	development requirements for teachers and aides in full-day
118	118	prekindergarten programs under Section 29.1541.
119	119	(b) The board may fulfill the requirements of this section
120	120	for teachers by:
121	121	(1) developing an early childhood education
122	122	certificate applicable to prekindergarten and kindergarten, which
123	123	may also apply to grades one through three; or
124	124	(2) developing an endorsement for existing
125	125	certificates that is based on appropriate education requirements to
126	126	enable a teacher to succeed in early childhood education; or
127	127	(3) adopting appropriate education or training
128	128	requirements for early childhood teachers, which may include a
129	129	Child Development Associate Certificate.
130	130	(c) The board may fulfill the requirements of this section
131	131	for aides by adopting appropriate education or training
132	132	requirements for early childhood staff, which may include a Child
133	133	Development Associate Certificate.
134	134	(d) This section only applies to a teacher or aide providing
135	135	instruction to students in a full-day prekindergarten program that
136	136	receives funding under Section 29.1530.
137	137	SECTION 5. Amend Section 25.001(a), Education Code, to read
138	138	as follows:
139	139	Sec. 25.001. ADMISSION. (a) A person who, on the first day
140	140	of September of any school year, is at least five years of age and
141	141	under 21 years of age, or is at least 21 years of age and under 26
142	142	years of age and is admitted by a school district to complete the
143	143	requirements for a high school diploma is entitled to the benefits
144	144	of the available school fund for that year. Any other person
145	145	enrolled in a prekindergarten class under Section 29.153 or 29.1541
146	146	is entitled to the benefits of the available school fund.
147	147	SECTION 6. Amend Section 42.003(b), Education Code, to read
148	148	as follows:
149	149	Sec 42.003(b) A student to whom Subsection (a) does not
150	150	apply is entitled to the benefits of the Foundation School Program
151	151	if the student is enrolled in a prekindergarten class under Section
152	152	29.153 or 29.1541.
153	153	SECTION 7. Implementation. (a) Except as provided in this
154	154	section, this act takes effect September 1, 2015.
155	155	(b) The requirement that teachers and aids assigned to
156	156	prekindergarten programs complete 30 hours of early
157	157	childhood-specific professional education in Section 29.1532(d) as
158	158	added by this act applies:
159	159	(1) to programs funded under Section 29.0541 beginning
160	160	with the 2017-2018 school year; and
161	161	(2) to all other prekindergarten programs beginning
162	162	with the 2019-2020 school year.
163	163	(c) The State Board for Educator Certification shall adopt
164	164	standards under Section 21.1530 as soon as practicable. Standards
165	165	for prekindergarten staff under Section 21.1530 apply beginning
166	166	with the 2018-19 school year.
167	167	(d) Students enrolled in full-day pre-kindergarten programs
168	168	under Section 29.1541, Education Code, as added by this Act, shall
169	169	be included in funding for the Foundation School Program beginning
170	170	with the 2017-18 school year.
171	171	SECTION 8. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
172	172	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
173	173	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
174	174	Act does not receive the votes necessary for immediate effect, this
175	175	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.