By: Perry S.B. No. 1527
(In the Senate - Filed March 11, 2021; March 24, 2021, read
first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 23, 2021,
reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 10, Nays 0;
April 23, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to measures to assist small and rural school districts in
implementing a collegiate model and expanding broadband access,
including the establishment of the Rural Schools and Communities
Technical Assistance Center and a grant program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 30, Education Code, is amended by adding
Subchapter F to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER F. RURAL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
CENTER
Sec. 30.401. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "center"
means the Rural Schools and Communities Technical Assistance
Center.
Sec. 30.402. ESTABLISHMENT; PURPOSE. The Rural Schools and
Communities Technical Assistance Center is established to assist
small and rural school districts with the implementation and
expansion of the Collegiate Edu-Nation P-20 System Model for 21st
Century School Transformation in cooperation with the agency and to
further ensure better economic and life opportunities by
facilitating the expansion of broadband development in rural
communities.
Sec. 30.403. DUTIES OF CENTER. (a) The center shall
facilitate the tri-agency alignment for rural students by
collaborating with the agency, the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board, and the Texas Workforce Commission.
(b) The center shall assist participating school districts
in implementing the Collegiate Edu-Nation P-20 System Model for
21st Century School Transformation to:
(1) combat generational poverty by fostering high
aspirations and expectations among students, families, and
communities for college and career success, with an emphasis on
workforce shortage areas;
(2) support attainment of the state's master plan for
higher education developed under Section 61.051; and
(3) support implementation of the Pathways in
Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) programs in
participating school districts under Subchapter N, Chapter 29.
Sec. 30.404. SELECTION OF CENTER. The commissioner shall
select a nonprofit organization to serve as the center and support
school districts awarded a planning or implementation grant under
this subchapter. The selected nonprofit organization must have:
(1) an individual on staff who has previously
implemented a collegiate model in a rural school district; and
(2) a demonstrated history of:
(A) successfully managing rural schools; and
(B) supporting multiple rural school districts
in implementing a collegiate model.
Sec. 30.405. PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS. (a) The
commissioner shall annually award planning grants to rural or small
school districts, as determined by commissioner rule, to plan for
the implementation of a collegiate model.
(b) The agency shall evaluate each district that receives a
planning grant under Subsection (a). If the agency determines that
the district successfully completed planning activities, the
commissioner shall award the district a one-year grant to implement
a collegiate model.
(c) The agency shall evaluate each district that receives an
implementation grant under Subsection (b). If the agency
determines that the district successfully completed implementation
activities in the first year of implementation, the commissioner
shall award the district an additional one-year implementation
grant.
Sec. 30.406. EXPECTED OUTCOMES. (a) By the conclusion of
the second year of implementation of a collegiate model using a
grant awarded under Section 30.405(c), the school district must:
(1) have implemented:
(A) a dual credit program or a joint high school
and college credit program;
(B) a Pathways in Technology Early College High
School (P-TECH) program under Subchapter N, Chapter 29;
(C) a research-based college readiness program
for grades 7 through 12;
(D) student college and career coaching;
(E) a common instructional framework and monthly
instructional review and improvement cycles;
(F) project-based learning experiences in a
majority of courses offered by the district;
(G) career and technical education programs;
(H) work-based learning opportunities, including
paid student apprenticeships in science, technology, engineering,
or mathematics workforce shortage areas;
(I) formal industry partnerships specific to
local workforce needs as identified by regional offices of the
Texas Workforce Commission;
(J) research-based, nationally norm-referenced
formative assessments; or
(K) access to a personal laptop or other
electronic device for each student; and
(2) demonstrate progress toward the goal of 90 percent
of graduating students concurrently earning a high school diploma,
associate degree, or industry-recognized certification by ensuring
that at least 30 percent of high school students enrolled in the
district are enrolled in college courses.
(b) If a school district that received a grant under Section
30.405(c) does not achieve the expected outcomes under Subsection
(a), the center shall work with the district to develop and
implement an intervention plan to support the district in achieving
those outcomes.
Sec. 30.407. SUPPORT OF RURAL BROADBAND INITIATIVES. Each
school district that receives a grant under Section 30.405 shall
work closely with relevant state agencies to assist in expanding
access, adoption, and use of broadband in rural areas to benefit
educational opportunities and economic development.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
* * * * *