| 1 | 1 | | 85R4597 KKA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Rodríguez S.B. No. 777 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the availability of school counselors at public middle, |
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| 8 | 8 | | junior high, and high school campuses. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 33.002, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (d) to read as |
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| 12 | 12 | | follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) From funds appropriated for the purpose or other funds |
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| 14 | 14 | | that may be used for the purpose, the commissioner shall distribute |
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| 15 | 15 | | funds for programs under this subchapter. In distributing those |
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| 16 | 16 | | funds, the commissioner shall give preference to a school district |
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| 17 | 17 | | that received funds under this subsection for the preceding school |
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| 18 | 18 | | year and then to the districts that have the highest concentration |
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| 19 | 19 | | of students at risk of dropping out of school, as described by |
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| 20 | 20 | | Section 29.081. To receive funds for the program, a school |
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| 21 | 21 | | district must apply to the commissioner. For each school year that |
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| 22 | 22 | | a school district receives funds under this subsection, the |
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| 23 | 23 | | district shall allocate an amount of local funds for school |
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| 24 | 24 | | guidance and counseling programs that is equal to or greater than |
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| 25 | 25 | | the amount of local funds that the school district allocated for |
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| 26 | 26 | | that purpose during the preceding school year. Subsections (b) and |
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| 27 | 27 | | (c) apply [This section applies] only to a school district that |
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| 28 | 28 | | receives funds as provided by this subsection. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (d) A school district shall ensure that a full-time school |
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| 30 | 30 | | counselor certified under the rules of the State Board for Educator |
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| 31 | 31 | | Certification is available at each middle, junior high, or high |
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| 32 | 32 | | school campus in the district with an enrollment of more than 350 |
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| 33 | 33 | | students. This subsection does not apply to a campus that serves |
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| 34 | 34 | | only students placed in a disciplinary alternative education |
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| 35 | 35 | | program, juvenile justice alternative education program, or other |
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| 36 | 36 | | alternative education program. If a campus serves a combination of |
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| 37 | 37 | | students placed in those programs and students enrolled in a |
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| 38 | 38 | | regular education program, only the number of students enrolled in |
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| 39 | 39 | | the regular education program is considered in determining whether |
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| 40 | 40 | | the campus is required to ensure the availability of a school |
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| 41 | 41 | | counselor in accordance with this subsection. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 42, Education Code, is |
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| 43 | 43 | | amended by adding Section 42.2519 to read as follows: |
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| 44 | 44 | | Sec. 42.2519. ADDITIONAL STATE AID FOR CERTIFIED SCHOOL |
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| 45 | 45 | | COUNSELORS. (a) For each school year, from funds that may be used |
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| 46 | 46 | | for the purpose, a school district is entitled to state aid in an |
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| 47 | 47 | | amount, as determined by the commissioner, sufficient to assist the |
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| 48 | 48 | | district in employing certified school counselors required by |
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| 49 | 49 | | Section 33.002(d). |
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| 50 | 50 | | (b) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to |
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| 51 | 51 | | administer this section. |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018 |
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| 53 | 53 | | school year. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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