86R12269 GCB-D
By: Lucio S.B. No. 1708
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a pilot program to provide additional funding to a
school district to improve the performance of certain campuses
under the accountability system.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 39A, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 39A.907 to read as follows:
Sec. 39A.907. PILOT PROGRAM FOR ADDITIONAL STATE AID FOR
CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT. (a) The commissioner shall establish a campus
improvement pilot program in which a participating school district
with a campus that is assigned an overall performance rating of
needs improvement or unacceptable performance under Subchapter C,
Chapter 39, will receive additional state aid to implement a campus
improvement plan.
(b) The commissioner shall select not more than 12 school
districts in each state fiscal biennium to participate in the pilot
program. A district is eligible to apply to the commissioner to
participate in the program if:
(1) the district has a campus that is assigned an
overall performance rating under Subchapter C, Chapter 39, of needs
improvement or unacceptable performance;
(2) the district is located in a municipality or a
county with a high proportion of open-enrollment charter schools
relative to other municipalities or counties in this state, as
determined by the commissioner; and
(3) an open-enrollment charter school operating for
the first year is located in the boundaries of the district.
(c) A school district that meets the eligibility criteria
established under Subsection (b) and commissioner rules adopted
under this section may apply to the commissioner for selection to
participate in the pilot program. To be selected, the district must
submit a campus improvement plan as described by Section 11.253
that identifies performance goals to be implemented to improve the
performance of the campus.
(d) Subchapter B does not apply to the campus of the school
district selected for participation in the pilot program and a
campus intervention team may not be assigned under Section 39A.051
for the state fiscal biennium during which the district
participates in the program established under this section.
(e) A district participating in the pilot program is
entitled to additional state aid to implement the campus
improvement plan described by Subsection (c). For each student of
the campus in average daily attendance the district will receive
additional funding in an amount equal to what the campus would
receive under Section 12.106 if the campus was an open-enrollment
charter school. A school district may use additional state aid only
for the purpose of implementing the campus improvement plan.
(f) Not later than August 31 of the second school year of the
state fiscal biennium during which a school district participates
in the pilot program, the board of trustees of the district shall
issue a report to the commissioner regarding the implementation of
the campus improvement plan. The report must provide the most
recent performance rating of the campus and indicate whether the
campus improved under the plan. A school district's participation
in the program ends on August 31 of the second school year of the
state fiscal biennium.
(g) If the performance of a campus that is the subject of a
campus improvement plan described by Subsection (c) is assigned an
overall performance rating under Subchapter C, Chapter 39, for the
second school year of the state fiscal biennium during which the
school district participates in the pilot program that is two or
more performance ratings higher than the performance rating
assigned the campus for the school year preceding the district's
participation in the program, the district is entitled to the
additional state aid described by Subsection (e) for each school
year of the state fiscal biennium occurring after the district's
participation in the program ends under Subsection (f).
(h) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
implement this section.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2019.