Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB276 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Watson, et al. S.B. No. 276
2		-	(Parker)
	1	+	S.B. No. 276
3	2
4	3
5		-	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	4		AN ACT
7	5		relating to an adult high school diploma and industry certification
8	6		charter school pilot program.
9	7		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	8		SECTION 1. Section 29.259, Education Code, is amended by
11	9		amending Subsections (d) and (i) and adding Subsections (n), (o),
12	10		(p), (q), and (r) to read as follows:
13	11		(d) Notwithstanding any other law and in addition to the
14	12		number of charters allowed under Subchapter D, Chapter 12, the
15	13		commissioner [a charter under the pilot program] may, on the basis
16	14		of an application submitted, grant a charter under the pilot
17	15		program [be granted] to a single nonprofit entity described by
18	16		Subsection (e) to provide an adult education program for [not more
19	17		than 150] individuals described by Subsection (g) to successfully
20	18		complete:
21	19		(1) a high school program that can lead to a diploma;
22	20		and
23	21		(2) career and technology education courses that can
24	22		lead to industry certification.
25	23		(i) A charter granted under this section must:
26	24		(1) include a description of the adult education
27	25		program to be offered under this section; and
28	26		(2) establish specific, objective standards for
29	27		receiving a high school diploma, including:
30	28		(A) successful completion of:
31	29		(i) if applicable to the program
32	30		participant, the curriculum requirements under Section 28.025; or
33	31		(ii) the appropriate curriculum
34	32		requirements applicable to the program participant; and
35	33		(B) satisfactory performance on the standardized
36	34		secondary exit-level assessment instrument described by Subsection
37	35		(c).
38	36		(n) An adult education program operated under a charter
39	37		granted under this section is subject to:
40	38		(1) a provision of this title establishing a criminal
41	39		offense; and
42	40		(2) a prohibition, restriction, or requirement, as
43	41		applicable, imposed by this title or a rule adopted under this
44	42		title, relating to:
45	43		(A) the Public Education Information Management
46	44		System (PEIMS) to the extent necessary as determined by the
47	45		commissioner to monitor compliance with this section and, as
48	46		applicable, Subchapter D, Chapter 12;
49	47		(B) criminal history records under Subchapter C,
50	48		Chapter 22;
51	49		(C) high school graduation requirements under
52	50		Section 28.025, to the extent applicable to a program participant;
53	51		(D) special education programs under Subchapter
54	52		A, Chapter 29;
55	53		(E) bilingual education under Subchapter B,
56	54		Chapter 29;
57	55		(F) health and safety under Chapter 38;
58	56		(G) the requirement under Section 21.006 to
59	57		report an educator's misconduct; and
60	58		(H) the right of an employee to report a crime, as
61	59		provided by Section 37.148.
62	60		(o) The commissioner shall develop and adopt performance
63	61		frameworks that establish standards by which to measure the
64	62		performance of an adult high school program operated under a
65	63		charter granted under this section in a manner consistent with the
66	64		requirements provided for an open-enrollment charter school under
67	65		Sections 12.1181(a) and (b). The commissioner shall include in the
68	66		performance frameworks adopted under this subsection the following
69	67		performance indicators:
70	68		(1) the percentage of program participants who
71	69		performed satisfactorily on the standardized secondary exit-level
72	70		assessment instrument described by Subsection (c);
73	71		(2) the percentage of program participants who
74	72		successfully completed the high school program and earned a high
75	73		school diploma;
76	74		(3) the percentage of program participants who
77	75		successfully completed career and technology education courses and
78	76		obtained industry certification;
79	77		(4) the percentage of program participants who have
80	78		enrolled in an institution of higher education or private or
81	79		independent institution of higher education, as those terms are
82	80		defined under Section 61.003; and
83	81		(5) the percentage of program participants who earned
84	82		a wage, salary, or other income increase that was significant as
85	83		determined and reported by the Texas Workforce Commission.
86	84		(p) Each year, the commissioner shall evaluate the
87	85		performance of an adult high school program operated under a
88	86		charter granted under this section based on the applicable
89	87		performance frameworks adopted under Subsection (o).
90	88		(q) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
91	89		implement and administer the reporting requirements under
92	90		Subsection (n)(2)(A) and the evaluation provisions of Subsections
93	91		(o) and (p).
94	92		(r) The commissioner or an adult education program operated
95	93		under a charter granted under this section may accept gifts,
96	94		grants, or donations from any public or private source to be used
97	95		for purposes of this section.
98	96		SECTION 2. Section 29.259(l), Education Code, is repealed.
99	97		SECTION 3. Section 29.259(p), Education Code, as added by
100	98		this Act, applies beginning with the 2017-2018 school year.
101	99		SECTION 4. Section 29.259(d), Education Code, as amended by
102	100		this Act, takes effect only if a specific appropriation is provided
103	101		for additional funding for the increase in the number of program
104	102		participants above 150 in a general appropriations act of the 85th
105	103		Legislature.
106	104		SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
107	105		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
108	106		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
109	107		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
110	108		Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
	109	+	______________________________ ______________________________
	110	+	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
	111	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 276 passed the Senate on
	112	+	April 25, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
	113	+	______________________________
	114	+	Secretary of the Senate
	115	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 276 passed the House on
	116	+	May 11, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 0, one
	117	+	present not voting.
	118	+	______________________________
	119	+	Chief Clerk of the House
	120	+	Approved:
	121	+	______________________________
	122	+	Date
	123	+	______________________________
	124	+	Governor