Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB623 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R7483 MK-D
2	2	By: Hancock S.B. No. 623
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to state funding for certain children to attend certain
8	8	private prekindergarten programs.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Sections 29.1532(a) and (b), Education Code, are
11	11	amended to read as follows:
12	12	(a) A school district's prekindergarten program:
13	13	(1) shall be designed to develop skills necessary for
14	14	success in the regular public school curriculum, including
15	15	language, mathematics, and social skills; and
16	16	(2) must comply with the standards for certification
17	17	of effectiveness of the school readiness certification system
18	18	adopted under Section 29.161.
19	19	(b) If a school district contracts with a private entity for
20	20	the operation of the district's prekindergarten program, the
21	21	program must at a minimum comply with:
22	22	(1) the applicable child-care licensing standards
23	23	adopted by the Department of Family and Protective [and Regulatory]
24	24	Services under Section 42.042, Human Resources Code; and
25	25	(2) the standards for certification of effectiveness
26	26	of the school readiness certification system adopted under Section
27	27	29.161.
28	28	SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
29	29	amended by adding Section 29.1535 to read as follows:
30	30	Sec. 29.1535. STATE FUNDING FOR ELIGIBLE CHILDREN TO ATTEND
31	31	QUALIFIED PRIVATE PREKINDERGARTEN. (a) In accordance with this
32	32	section and rules adopted under this section, a school district
33	33	required or authorized under Section 29.153(a-1) to offer
34	34	prekindergarten classes shall pay the costs of a child eligible
35	35	under Section 29.153(b) for enrollment in a district
36	36	prekindergarten program to attend a prekindergarten program
37	37	provided by a private entity with which the district has not
38	38	contracted to operate the district's prekindergarten program.
39	39	(b) The amount of money for an eligible child that a school
40	40	district shall pay under this section is:
41	41	(1) an amount equal to the average total funding
42	42	amount for each prekindergarten student in the district during the
43	43	preceding school year for maintenance and operations, including
44	44	state and local funding; or
45	45	(2) if the district did not operate a prekindergarten
46	46	program during the preceding school year, the statewide average
47	47	amount of funding to which a district would be entitled under the
48	48	Foundation School Program for an additional student in average
49	49	daily attendance on a half-day basis.
50	50	(c) An eligible child who attends a private prekindergarten
51	51	program under this section:
52	52	(1) is included in determining the average daily
53	53	attendance under Section 42.005 of the school district in which the
54	54	student would otherwise attend school; and
55	55	(2) is considered to be enrolled in a prekindergarten
56	56	class under Section 29.153 for purposes of Section 42.003(b).
57	57	(d) A private entity may not charge an eligible child
58	58	attending a prekindergarten program under this section tuition or
59	59	required fees in addition to the amount paid by a school district
60	60	under Subsection (b).
61	61	(e) The commissioner by rule shall establish:
62	62	(1) standards with which the prekindergarten program
63	63	of a private entity must comply for the entity to be eligible to
64	64	receive payment under this section;
65	65	(2) a method for the application for and the delivery
66	66	of that payment; and
67	67	(3) the manner in which the parent of an eligible child
68	68	must apply for funding to permit the child to attend the
69	69	prekindergarten program.
70	70	(f) The standards established under Subsection (e)(1) must:
71	71	(1) provide a fair process for admission to the
72	72	prekindergarten program provided by the private entity that:
73	73	(A) may give preference to siblings of an
74	74	enrolled student or children residing in the same household as an
75	75	enrolled student;
76	76	(B) requires that the program not refuse to
77	77	enroll a child on the basis of the child's race, national origin,
78	78	ethnic background, religion, or disability; and
79	79	(C) establishes a policy to fill positions in
80	80	case a program has more applicants under this section than
81	81	available positions; and
82	82	(2) require that the program comply with:
83	83	(A) the standards for certification of
84	84	effectiveness of the school readiness certification system adopted
85	85	under Section 29.161; and
86	86	(B) any additional standards the commissioner
87	87	determines appropriate.
88	88	(g) The agency shall contract with the State Center for
89	89	Early Childhood Development for the center to provide technical
90	90	assistance to a private entity to assist the entity as necessary in
91	91	meeting the standards required by Subsection (f)(2). The center
92	92	shall charge the private entity an amount equal to the actual costs
93	93	of delivering the technical assistance.
94	94	(h) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
95	95	administer this section.
96	96	SECTION 3. (a) The changes in law made by this Act to
97	97	Section 29.1532, Education Code, apply to prekindergarten programs
98	98	offered beginning with the 2016-2017 school year.
99	99	(b) The commissioner of education shall adopt rules to
100	100	implement the provision of prekindergarten programs by private
101	101	entities as provided by Section 29.1535, Education Code, as added
102	102	by this Act, beginning with the 2016-2017 school year.
103	103	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
104	104	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
105	105	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
106	106	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
107	107	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.