Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4469 Compare Versions

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Version 2 (New)

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1	1	88R13641 ANG-F
2	2	By: Talarico H.B. No. 4469
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to prekindergarten programs provided by public schools,
8	8	including through partnerships with certain community-based
9	9	child-care providers.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 29.1531(b), Education Code, is amended
12	12	to read as follows:
13	13	(b) A district that offers a prekindergarten program on a
14	14	tuition basis:
15	15	(1) may not adopt a tuition rate for the program that
16	16	is higher than necessary to cover the added costs of providing the
17	17	program, including any costs associated with collecting,
18	18	reporting, and analyzing data under Section 29.1532(c); [and]
19	19	(2) must submit the proposed tuition rate to the
20	20	commissioner for approval; and
21	21	(3) must demonstrate that the capacity of
22	22	prekindergarten classes provided by existing Head Start or other
23	23	community-based child-care programs located in the district is
24	24	insufficient to meet the needs of the district.
25	25	SECTION 2. Section 29.1532(c), Education Code, is amended
26	26	to read as follows:
27	27	(c) A school district that offers prekindergarten classes
28	28	shall include the following information in the district's Public
29	29	Education Information Management System (PEIMS) report:
30	30	(1) demographic information, as determined by the
31	31	commissioner, on students enrolled in district and campus
32	32	prekindergarten classes, including:
33	33	(A) the number of students who are eligible for
34	34	classes under Section 29.153;
35	35	(B) the number of students enrolled in classes
36	36	provided by Head Start or another community-based child-care
37	37	provider through a partnership with the district; and
38	38	(C) the number of students enrolled in
39	39	prekindergarten classes who are not eligible for prekindergarten
40	40	classes under Section 29.153;
41	41	(2) the numbers of half-day and full-day
42	42	prekindergarten classes offered by the district and campus;
43	43	(3) the number of half-day prekindergarten classes for
44	44	which the district has received an exemption from full-day
45	45	operation under Section 29.153(d);
46	46	(4) the sources of funding for the prekindergarten
47	47	classes;
48	48	(5) the class size and ratio of instructional staff to
49	49	students for each prekindergarten program class offered by the
50	50	district and campus;
51	51	(6) if the district elects to administer an assessment
52	52	instrument under Section 29.169 to students enrolled in district
53	53	and campus prekindergarten program classes, a description and the
54	54	results of each type of assessment instrument; and
55	55	(7) curricula used in the district's prekindergarten
56	56	program classes.
57	57	SECTION 3. Section 29.1533, Education Code, is amended to
58	58	read as follows:
59	59	Sec. 29.1533. ESTABLISHMENT AND EXPANSION OF [NEW]
60	60	PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM. Before establishing a new
61	61	prekindergarten program or expanding an existing prekindergarten
62	62	program, a school district shall solicit and consider proposals for
63	63	partnerships to provide [consider the possibility of sharing use
64	64	of an existing Head Start or other child-care program site as a]
65	65	prekindergarten classes with community-based child-care providers
66	66	who meet the requirements of Section 29.153(g) in a manner that
67	67	allows the child to enroll in both the school district and the
68	68	program provided by the community-based child-care provider
69	69	[site].
70	70	SECTION 4. Section 29.154, Education Code, is amended to
71	71	read as follows:
72	72	Sec. 29.154. EVALUATION OF PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS. The
73	73	commissioner of education, in consultation with the executive
74	74	commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission and the
75	75	commissioners of the Texas Workforce Commission [human services],
76	76	shall monitor and annually evaluate prekindergarten programs as to
77	77	their developmental appropriateness. The commissioners shall also
78	78	evaluate the potential for coordination on a statewide basis of
79	79	prekindergarten programs with community-based [government-funded]
80	80	early childhood care and education programs such as child care
81	81	administered under Chapter 44, Human Resources Code, and federal
82	82	Head Start programs. [That evaluation shall use recommendations
83	83	contained in the report to the 71st Legislature required by Chapter
84	84	717, Acts of the 70th Legislature, Regular Session, 1987.] For the
85	85	purpose of providing cost-effective care for children during the
86	86	full workday with developmentally appropriate curriculum, the
87	87	commissioners shall investigate the use of existing child-care
88	88	program sites as prekindergarten sites. Following the evaluation
89	89	required by this section, the commissioners, in cooperation with
90	90	school districts and other program administrators, shall integrate
91	91	programs, staff, and program sites for prekindergarten,
92	92	child-care, and federal Head Start programs to the greatest extent
93	93	possible.
94	94	SECTION 5. Section 29.168(b), Education Code, is amended to
95	95	read as follows:
96	96	(b) The agency shall collaborate with other state agencies,
97	97	including the Health and Human Services Commission, that provide
98	98	services for children from birth through five years of age to
99	99	establish prioritized family engagement strategies to be included
100	100	in a school district's family engagement plan. A parent-teacher
101	101	organization, community group, or faith-based institution may
102	102	submit to the agency recommendations regarding the establishment of
103	103	family engagement strategies, and the agency, in establishing the
104	104	family engagement strategies, shall consider any received
105	105	recommendations. The engagement strategies must:
106	106	(1) be based on empirical research;
107	107	(2) be proven to demonstrate significant positive
108	108	short-term and long-term outcomes for early childhood education;
109	109	[and]
110	110	(3) include programs and interventions that engage a
111	111	family in supporting a student's learning at home; and
112	112	(4) include strategies for collaborating with Head
113	113	Start and other community-based child-care programs.
114	114	SECTION 6. Section 29.169(a), Education Code, is amended to
115	115	read as follows:
116	116	(a) A school district shall:
117	117	(1) select and implement appropriate methods for
118	118	evaluating the district's program classes by measuring student
119	119	progress; [and]
120	120	(2) make data from the results of program evaluations
121	121	available to parents; and
122	122	(3) include in evaluating the district's program:
123	123	(A) an analysis of Head Start and other
124	124	community-based child-care programs in the community with which the
125	125	district could establish partnerships; and
126	126	(B) strategies identified for collaborating and
127	127	partnering with Head Start and other community-based child-care
128	128	programs to provide more options for early learning and improve
129	129	kindergarten readiness.
130	130	SECTION 7. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024
131	131	school year.
132	132	SECTION 8. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
133	133	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
134	134	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
135	135	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
136	136	Act takes effect September 1, 2023.