| 1 | 1 | | 86R5938 GCB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Shaheen H.B. No. 1947 |
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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 state funding for the implementation of teacher |
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| 8 | 8 | | excellence initiative programs by school districts. |
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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. Subchapter H, Chapter 21, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 21.358 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 21.358. TEACHER EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE PROGRAM. (a) |
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| 13 | 13 | | In this section, "teacher excellence initiative program" means a |
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| 14 | 14 | | program implemented by a school district for: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) evaluating the effectiveness of classroom |
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| 16 | 16 | | teachers under a multi-measure system; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) encouraging highly effective classroom teachers |
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| 18 | 18 | | to remain at or seek transfer to campuses with poor overall or |
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| 19 | 19 | | domain performance ratings under Section 39.054; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) awarding merit salary increases to classroom |
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| 21 | 21 | | teachers based on the evaluation described by Subdivision (1) who |
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| 22 | 22 | | are assigned to campuses described by Subdivision (2). |
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| 23 | 23 | | (b) A school district may submit a request to the |
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| 24 | 24 | | commissioner for state funding under this section to assist the |
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| 25 | 25 | | district in providing the merit salary increases. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (c) From funds appropriated for that purpose, the |
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| 27 | 27 | | commissioner shall provide funding under this section in accordance |
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| 28 | 28 | | with rules adopted by the commissioner for that purpose. If funds |
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| 29 | 29 | | are not available to provide funding to each school district that |
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| 30 | 30 | | submits a request under Subsection (b), the commissioner shall give |
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| 31 | 31 | | priority to school districts with the highest proportion of |
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| 32 | 32 | | educationally disadvantaged students. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (d) Funding received under this section may only be used by |
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| 34 | 34 | | a school district to provide and sustain merit salary increases |
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| 35 | 35 | | provided to classroom teachers under a teacher excellence |
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| 36 | 36 | | initiative program. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (e) Rules adopted under Subsection (c) must require that a |
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| 38 | 38 | | school district demonstrate improved campus performance in order to |
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| 39 | 39 | | continue receiving merit salary increase funding for classroom |
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| 40 | 40 | | teachers assigned to that campus. |
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| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 2. As soon as practicable, the commissioner of |
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| 42 | 42 | | education shall adopt rules under Section 21.358, Education Code, |
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| 43 | 43 | | as added by this Act. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 45 | 45 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 46 | 46 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 47 | 47 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 48 | 48 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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