Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB870 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R4342 PAM-F
2	2	By: Bohac H.B. No. 870
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the study of public education performance.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 2, Education Code, is amended
10	10	by adding Chapter 9 to read as follows:
11	11	CHAPTER 9. CENTER FOR EDUCATION PERFORMANCE AND LEARNING
12	12	Sec. 9.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
13	13	(1) "Board" means the Center for Education Performance
14	14	and Learning Board.
15	15	(2) "Center" means the Center for Education
16	16	Performance and Learning.
17	17	Sec. 9.002. CENTER FOR EDUCATION PERFORMANCE AND LEARNING.
18	18	(a) The Center for Education Performance and Learning is created
19	19	as an independent policy center.
20	20	(b) The center shall represent business, finance, public
21	21	policy, education, and other interests considered appropriate by
22	22	the center.
23	23	(c) In performing the duties provided by this chapter, the
24	24	center shall:
25	25	(1) work directly with:
26	26	(A) the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker
27	27	of the house of representatives, and members of the legislature;
28	28	and
29	29	(B) members of the State Board of Education; and
30	30	(2) work with the agency and other state agencies,
31	31	regional education service centers, school districts, and
32	32	open-enrollment charter schools.
33	33	Sec. 9.003. CENTER DUTIES. (a) The center shall promote
34	34	the use of successful methods to increase performance at the school
35	35	district and campus levels.
36	36	(b) The center shall evaluate and rank the performance of
37	37	each school district, campus, and open-enrollment charter school
38	38	and provide a progress report and recommendations each year to:
39	39	(1) the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the
40	40	house of representatives, Legislative Budget Board, commissioner,
41	41	and State Board of Education; and
42	42	(2) districts, campuses, and open-enrollment charter
43	43	schools.
44	44	(c) The center may assist the legislature with policy
45	45	studies related to the center's duties. The center may participate
46	46	in collaborative studies with a foundation or organization inside
47	47	or outside this state related to the center's duties.
48	48	(d) The center shall seek information, data, and best
49	49	practices from state, regional, and national sources to use in
50	50	performing the center's duties provided by this chapter.
51	51	(e) The center may contract with independent experts,
52	52	academic scholars, and other appropriate professionals in
53	53	performing the center's duties provided by this chapter.
54	54	Sec. 9.004. CENTER LOCATION. The center shall be located at
55	55	an institution of higher education or a private or independent
56	56	institution of higher education, as those terms are defined under
57	57	Section 61.003, selected as provided by Section 9.006(b).
58	58	Sec. 9.005. BOARD. (a) The Center for Education
59	59	Performance and Learning Board is created as the primary
60	60	policy-making body of the center.
61	61	(b) The board is composed of seven members. Members of the
62	62	board shall be appointed as follows:
63	63	(1) one member appointed by the governor;
64	64	(2) one additional member appointed by the governor
65	65	from a list of nominees submitted by the speaker of the house of
66	66	representatives;
67	67	(3) one member appointed by the lieutenant governor;
68	68	(4) one member appointed by the commissioner;
69	69	(5) one member appointed by the chair of the Texas
70	70	Higher Education Coordinating Board;
71	71	(6) one member appointed by the chair of the State
72	72	Board of Education; and
73	73	(7) one member appointed by the chair of the Texas
74	74	Workforce Commission.
75	75	(c) In making an appointment under Subsection (b)(2), the
76	76	governor may reject one or more nominees on a list submitted by the
77	77	speaker of the house of representatives and request a new list of
78	78	different nominees.
79	79	(d) The board members appointed under this section must
80	80	include individuals in the private sector who have an interest in
81	81	improving performance in public education and significant
82	82	experience in organizational management, finance, or business. A
83	83	board member may not:
84	84	(1) be a member of the board of trustees or an employee
85	85	of a school district or a member of the governing body or an
86	86	employee of or a charter holder of a charter for an open-enrollment
87	87	charter school; or
88	88	(2) have a financial relationship with a vendor or
89	89	contractor who provides goods or services to any part of the public
90	90	education system of this state.
91	91	(e) Board members serve two-year terms.
92	92	(f) Board members shall annually elect one member as the
93	93	presiding officer.
94	94	(g) A board member may not receive a salary for services as a
95	95	board member but shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in
96	96	attending board meetings.
97	97	Sec. 9.006. BOARD DUTIES. (a) The board shall study the
98	98	elements of an effective and efficient system of public free
99	99	schools and make recommendations to:
100	100	(1) improve the performance of the public education
101	101	system to meet the demands of the current century;
102	102	(2) improve the state's ability to compete
103	103	educationally and economically with other states and countries; and
104	104	(3) provide the public, including persons involved in
105	105	policymaking, with information on public education performance.
106	106	(b) The board shall select the location for the center
107	107	through a request for proposal process. The institution of higher
108	108	education or private or independent institution of higher
109	109	education, as those terms are defined under Section 61.003,
110	110	selected shall serve a term of four years or until its successor is
111	111	selected. For the initial center location contract and not later
112	112	than the 60th day before the date each current center location
113	113	contract expires, the board shall issue a notice stating the time
114	114	and place in which proposals will be received for selecting a
115	115	location for the center. The notice must include a uniform
116	116	proposal blank in the form prescribed by the board. The board may
117	117	add to the uniform proposal blank other terms that do not unfairly
118	118	restrict competition of institutions of higher education. The
119	119	board shall state the selection criteria in the request for
120	120	proposals and shall select the proposal that offers the best value
121	121	to the center based on the evaluation and ranking of each submitted
122	122	proposal in relation to the stated selection criteria.
123	123	(c) The board shall provide a report of the board's study
124	124	and recommendations under Subsection (a) to:
125	125	(1) the Legislative Budget Board at least once each
126	126	year; and
127	127	(2) the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the
128	128	house of representatives, legislature, commissioner, and State
129	129	Board of Education before the convening of each regular legislative
130	130	session.
131	131	Sec. 9.007. SUPPORT FOR PERFORMANCE OF DUTIES. (a) State
132	132	agencies, including the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
133	133	and the Texas Workforce Commission, and regional education service
134	134	centers, school districts, and open-enrollment charter schools
135	135	shall fully cooperate with and assist the center at the board's
136	136	request.
137	137	(b) Data and information necessary to perform the center's
138	138	duties under this chapter shall be provided at the board's request
139	139	in a timely manner and at minimal cost. The board and center shall
140	140	require confidentiality and other security measures for student
141	141	data and information consistent with the Family Educational Rights
142	142	and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g).
143	143	Sec. 9.008. FUNDING. The center may be funded by donations,
144	144	grants, and legislative appropriations.
145	145	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
146	146	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
147	147	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
148	148	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
149	149	Act takes effect September 1, 2017.