Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1830 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R4607 RDR-D
2	2	By: Shaheen H.B. No. 1830
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5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to tenure and employment status at public institutions of
10	10	higher education in this state.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 21.801(d), Education Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	(d) The public institution of higher education shall:
15	15	(1) reward faculty instructing in the teacher
16	16	residency program;
17	17	(2) identify faculty who can prepare teachers to
18	18	impact student achievement in high-need schools;
19	19	(3) provide institutional support of faculty who work
20	20	with the teacher residency program by providing time to teach the
21	21	courses [and valuing the faculty's contributions with rewards in
22	22	the university tenure process]; and
23	23	(4) develop and implement a program that acknowledges
24	24	and elevates the significance and professional nature of teaching
25	25	at the primary and secondary levels.
26	26	SECTION 2. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
27	27	amended by adding Section 51.9415 to read as follows:
28	28	Sec. 51.9415. TENURE AND FACULTY EMPLOYMENT STATUS. (a) In
29	29	this section, "institution of higher education" has the meaning
30	30	assigned by Section 61.003.
31	31	(b) An institution of higher education may not grant an
32	32	employee of the institution tenure or any type of permanent
33	33	employment status.
34	34	(c) Subsection (b) does not apply to a faculty member or
35	35	other employee of the institution of higher education who is
36	36	employed by or under contract for employment with the institution
37	37	on September 1, 2025, and who was awarded tenure or any type of
38	38	permanent employment status by the institution before September 1,
39	39	2025, provided that the person remains continuously employed or
40	40	continuously under a contract of employment beginning September 1,
41	41	2025.
42	42	(d) This section does not prohibit the board of regents of
43	43	an institution of higher education from establishing an alternate
44	44	system of tiered employment status for faculty members provided
45	45	that the system clearly defines each position and requires each
46	46	faculty member to undergo an annual performance evaluation.
47	47	SECTION 3. Section 51.942(c-1), Education Code, is amended
48	48	to read as follows:
49	49	(c-1) Each governing board of an institution of higher
50	50	education shall adopt policies and procedures regarding
51	51	tenure. The policies and procedures must:
52	52	(1) [address the granting of tenure;
53	53	[(2)] allow for the dismissal of a tenured faculty
54	54	member at any time after providing the faculty member with
55	55	appropriate due process, on a determination that:
56	56	(A) the faculty member has:
57	57	(i) exhibited professional incompetence;
58	58	(ii) continually or repeatedly failed to
59	59	perform duties or meet professional responsibilities of the faculty
60	60	member's position;
61	61	(iii) failed to successfully complete any
62	62	post-tenure review professional development program;
63	63	(iv) engaged in conduct involving moral
64	64	turpitude that adversely affects the institution or the faculty
65	65	member's performance of duties or meeting of responsibilities;
66	66	(v) violated laws or university system or
67	67	institution policies substantially related to the performance of
68	68	the faculty member's duties;
69	69	(vi) been convicted of a crime affecting
70	70	the fitness of the faculty member to engage in teaching, research,
71	71	service, outreach, or administration;
72	72	(vii) engaged in unprofessional conduct
73	73	that adversely affects the institution or the faculty member's
74	74	performance of duties or meeting of responsibilities; or
75	75	(viii) falsified the faculty member's
76	76	academic credentials;
77	77	(B) there is actual financial exigency or the
78	78	phasing out of the institution's programs requiring elimination of
79	79	the faculty member's position; or
80	80	(C) there is other good cause as defined in the
81	81	institution's policies; and
82	82	(2) [(3)] provide for a periodic performance
83	83	evaluation process for all tenured faculty at the institution.
84	84	SECTION 4. Section 51.943(c), Education Code, is amended to
85	85	read as follows:
86	86	(c) For the purposes of this section, an institution of
87	87	higher education is not required to provide an annual contract to
88	88	tenured [tenure or tenure-track] faculty, but must provide tenured
89	89	[tenure and tenure-track] faculty with [any] written notification
90	90	[required in the institution's tenure policy] of any [a] change in a
91	91	term of employment according to the policies of the institution,
92	92	but no later than the 30th day prior to the change.
93	93	SECTION 5. Section 51.948(b), Education Code, is amended to
94	94	read as follows:
95	95	(b) A contract entered into by a governing board under this
96	96	section may not:
97	97	(1) provide for employment for more than three years;
98	98	(2) allow for severance or other payments on the
99	99	termination of the contract to exceed an amount equal to the
100	100	discounted net present cash value of the contract on termination at
101	101	a market interest rate agreed upon in the contract; or
102	102	(3) allow for development leave that is inconsistent
103	103	with Section 51.105[; or
104	104	[(4) award tenure in any way that varies from the
105	105	institution's general policy on the award of tenure].
106	106	SECTION 6. Section 51.9745(a), Education Code, is amended
107	107	to read as follows:
108	108	(a) Each general academic teaching institution, as defined
109	109	by Section 61.003, shall make available to the public on the
110	110	institution's Internet website the following information for the
111	111	institution:
112	112	(1) the student/faculty ratio;
113	113	(2) the percentage of all full-time equivalent faculty
114	114	members with teaching responsibility who are tenured [or tenure
115	115	track];
116	116	(3) the percentage of semester credit hours taken by
117	117	students classified as freshmen or sophomores that are taught by
118	118	tenured [and tenure track] faculty members;
119	119	(4) the number of faculty members in each of the
120	120	following faculty ranks, including a breakdown for each rank
121	121	showing the numbers of faculty members by race, ethnicity, and
122	122	gender:
123	123	(A) professor;
124	124	(B) associate professor;
125	125	(C) assistant professor;
126	126	(D) instructor;
127	127	(E) nontenured [or nontenure track]; and
128	128	(F) teaching assistant;
129	129	(5) average faculty salaries by rank;
130	130	(6) the amount of money appropriated by the
131	131	legislature per full-time equivalent faculty member and full-time
132	132	equivalent student;
133	133	(7) the total revenue the institution spent per
134	134	full-time equivalent faculty member and full-time equivalent
135	135	student;
136	136	(8) the amount of federal and private research
137	137	expenditures per tenured [or tenure track] full-time equivalent
138	138	faculty member;
139	139	(9) the number and percentage of faculty members
140	140	holding extramural research grants;
141	141	(10) the number and names of awards to faculty members
142	142	from nationally recognized entities, including those identified by
143	143	The Center for Measuring University Performance; and
144	144	(11) the number of endowed professorships or chairs.
145	145	SECTION 7. Section 51A.053(c), Education Code, is amended
146	146	to read as follows:
147	147	(c) Except as otherwise provided by the coordinating board
148	148	under Subsection (a), the resume must include the following
149	149	information relating to the most recent state fiscal year for which
150	150	the information is available:
151	151	(1) under the heading "ENROLLMENT":
152	152	(A) the total number of students enrolled in the
153	153	institution during the fall semester that ended in the fiscal year
154	154	covered by the resume;
155	155	(B) the percentage of undergraduate students
156	156	enrolled in the institution for the first time during the fall
157	157	semester that ended in the fiscal year covered by the resume who are
158	158	transfer students; and
159	159	(C) a clearly identifiable link to the
160	160	information described by Paragraph (A) disaggregated by student
161	161	ethnicity;
162	162	(2) under the heading "DEGREES AWARDED":
163	163	(A) the number of bachelor's degrees, number of
164	164	master's degrees, number of doctoral degrees, and number of
165	165	professional degrees awarded by the institution; and
166	166	(B) a clearly identifiable link to the
167	167	information described by Paragraph (A) disaggregated by student
168	168	ethnicity;
169	169	(3) under the heading "COSTS":
170	170	(A) the average annual total academic costs for a
171	171	resident undergraduate student enrolled in 30 semester credit hours
172	172	at the institution;
173	173	(B) clearly identifiable links to information
174	174	regarding:
175	175	(i) the rate or rates of tuition per
176	176	semester credit hour charged by the institution; and
177	177	(ii) any mandatory fees, as defined by the
178	178	coordinating board, imposed by the institution;
179	179	(C) the average cost of on-campus room and board
180	180	per student; and
181	181	(D) the average cost to a resident undergraduate
182	182	student enrolled in 30 semester credit hours for total academic
183	183	costs and on-campus room and board, excluding the cost of books,
184	184	supplies, transportation, or other expenses;
185	185	(4) under the heading "FINANCIAL AID":
186	186	(A) the percentage of undergraduate students
187	187	enrolled in the institution who receive need-based grants or
188	188	scholarships;
189	189	(B) the percentage of undergraduate students
190	190	enrolled in the institution who receive need-based grants,
191	191	scholarships, loans, or work-study funds;
192	192	(C) the percentage of undergraduate students
193	193	enrolled in the institution who receive student loans;
194	194	(D) the average amount of an undergraduate
195	195	student's need-based grant and scholarship package;
196	196	(E) the average amount of an undergraduate
197	197	student's need-based grant, scholarship, loan, and work-study
198	198	package; and
199	199	(F) the average amount of an undergraduate
200	200	student's student loans;
201	201	(5) under the heading "ADMISSIONS":
202	202	(A) the middle 50 percent test score range of
203	203	first-time undergraduate students at the institution whose
204	204	Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores were in the 25th to 75th
205	205	percentile of students' scores at that institution;
206	206	(B) the middle 50 percent test score range of
207	207	first-time undergraduate students at the institution whose
208	208	American College Test (ACT) scores were in the 25th to 75th
209	209	percentile of students' scores at that institution; and
210	210	(C) the percentage of the students who applied
211	211	for first-time undergraduate admission to the institution who were
212	212	offered admission to the institution;
213	213	(6) under the heading "INSTRUCTION":
214	214	(A) the student/faculty ratio at the
215	215	institution;
216	216	(B) the percentage of organized undergraduate
217	217	classes offered by the institution in which fewer than 20 students
218	218	are enrolled;
219	219	(C) the percentage of organized undergraduate
220	220	classes offered by the institution in which more than 50 students
221	221	are enrolled; and
222	222	(D) the percentage of teaching faculty members of
223	223	the institution who are tenured [or tenure-track];
224	224	(7) under the heading "BACCALAUREATE SUCCESS":
225	225	(A) four-year, five-year, and six-year
226	226	graduation rates for full-time bachelor's degree-seeking students
227	227	at the institution, and links to that information disaggregated by
228	228	student ethnicity;
229	229	(B) the average number of fall and spring
230	230	semesters of enrollment attempted by a student to obtain a
231	231	bachelor's degree; and
232	232	(C) the retention rate of first-time, full-time,
233	233	degree-seeking entering undergraduate students enrolled in the
234	234	institution after one academic year and after two academic years;
235	235	(8) under the heading "FIRST-TIME LICENSURE OR
236	236	CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION PASS RATES," the first-time licensure or
237	237	certification examination pass rates in the fields of education,
238	238	law, pharmacy, nursing, and engineering of students enrolled in the
239	239	institution or who have graduated from the institution; and
240	240	(9) under the heading "FUNDING":
241	241	(A) the total amount of money appropriated by the
242	242	legislature to the institution, including money appropriated for
243	243	faculty and staff health coverage and retirement benefits, for that
244	244	state fiscal year and the corresponding percentage of the
245	245	institution's operating budget for that state fiscal year that the
246	246	total amount of money appropriated by the legislature represents;
247	247	(B) the total amount of federal funds from all
248	248	federal sources, including grants and research funds, received by
249	249	the institution in that state fiscal year and the corresponding
250	250	percentage of the institution's operating budget for that state
251	251	fiscal year that the total amount of federal funds represents;
252	252	(C) the total academic costs charged to students
253	253	by the institution in that state fiscal year and the corresponding
254	254	percentage of the institution's operating budget for that state
255	255	fiscal year that the total academic costs represent; and
256	256	(D) the total amount of money from any source
257	257	available to the institution in that state fiscal year.
258	258	SECTION 8. Section 61.057, Education Code, is amended to
259	259	read as follows:
260	260	Sec. 61.057. PROMOTION OF TEACHING EXCELLENCE. To achieve
261	261	excellence in the teaching of students at institutions and agencies
262	262	of higher education, the board shall:
263	263	(1) develop and recommend:
264	264	(A) minimum faculty compensation plans, basic
265	265	increment programs, and incentive salary increases;
266	266	(B) minimum standards for faculty appointment,
267	267	advancement, promotion, and retirement;
268	268	(C) general policies for faculty teaching loads,
269	269	and division of faculty time between teaching, research,
270	270	administrative duties, and special assignments;
271	271	(D) faculty improvement programs, including a
272	272	plan for sabbatical leaves, appropriate for the junior and senior
273	273	colleges and universities, respectively; and
274	274	(E) minimum standards for academic freedom[,]
275	275	and academic responsibility[, and tenure];
276	276	(2) pursue vigorously and continuously a goal of
277	277	having all college and university academic classes taught by
278	278	persons holding the minimum of an earned master's degree or its
279	279	equivalent in academic training, creative work, or professional
280	280	accomplishment;
281	281	(3) explore, promote, and coordinate the use of
282	282	educational television among institutions of higher education and
283	283	encourage participation by public and private schools and private
284	284	institutions of higher education in educational television;
285	285	(4) conduct, and encourage the institutions of higher
286	286	education to conduct, research into new methods, materials, and
287	287	techniques for improving the quality of instruction and for the
288	288	maximum utilization of all available teaching techniques, devices,
289	289	and resources, including but not limited to large classes, team
290	290	teaching, programmed instruction, interlibrary exchanges, joint
291	291	libraries, specially-designed facilities, visual aids, and other
292	292	innovations that offer promise for superior teaching or for meeting
293	293	the need for new faculty members to teach anticipated larger
294	294	numbers of students; and
295	295	(5) assume initiative and leadership in providing
296	296	through the institutions of higher education in the state those
297	297	programs and offerings which will achieve the objectives set forth
298	298	in Section 61.002 of this code.
299	299	SECTION 9. Section 61.0902(b), Education Code, is amended
300	300	to read as follows:
301	301	(b) Not later than the next November 1 following the
302	302	completion of an academic year, each general academic teaching
303	303	institution shall provide to the board one or more reports
304	304	containing data related to:
305	305	(1) the qualifications of the entering freshman class
306	306	for the academic year covered by the report, including:
307	307	(A) the average Texas Academic Skills Program
308	308	Test scores of the class;
309	309	(B) the average scores of the class on each
310	310	generally recognized test or assessment used in college and
311	311	university undergraduate admissions, including the Scholastic
312	312	Assessment Test and the American College Test;
313	313	(C) the range of scores of the class from the 25th
314	314	to the 75th percentile on each generally recognized test or
315	315	assessment used in college and university undergraduate
316	316	admissions, including the Scholastic Assessment Test and the
317	317	American College Test;
318	318	(D) the overall grade point average of the class
319	319	for the academic year covered by the report;
320	320	(E) the number of students in the class who
321	321	graduated in the top 10 percent of the student's high school
322	322	graduating class; and
323	323	(F) enrollment percentages by ethnicity; and
324	324	(2) student performance and institution efficiency,
325	325	including:
326	326	(A) the retention rate of full-time students
327	327	after the completion of one academic year at the institution;
328	328	(B) the percentage of full-time degree-seeking
329	329	undergraduate students who earn a baccalaureate degree before the
330	330	sixth anniversary of the date of the student's first enrollment at
331	331	the institution;
332	332	(C) the percentage of lower-division semester
333	333	credit hours taught by tenured [or tenure-track] faculty;
334	334	(D) the percentage of undergraduate classes with
335	335	fewer than 20 students;
336	336	(E) the percentage of undergraduate classes with
337	337	more than 50 students;
338	338	(F) the student-to-faculty ratio for
339	339	undergraduate students;
340	340	(G) the percentage of students receiving
341	341	financial aid;
342	342	(H) the average cost of tuition and fees for an
343	343	undergraduate student enrolled for 12 semester credit hours;
344	344	(I) the average cost of on-campus room and board
345	345	for an academic year, excluding summer sessions;
346	346	(J) the number of disciplines in which master's
347	347	degrees are offered;
348	348	(K) the number of disciplines in which doctoral
349	349	degrees are offered;
350	350	(L) a description of any departments, schools, or
351	351	certificate or degree programs of the institution that have a
352	352	statewide or national reputation for excellence; and
353	353	(M) statistics regarding job placement rates for
354	354	students awarded certificates or degrees by the institution.
355	355	SECTION 10. Section 141.001(3), Education Code, is amended
356	356	to read as follows:
357	357	(3) "Faculty member" means a person who is tenured [or
358	358	is in a tenure track position] and [is] employed by a public senior
359	359	college or university.
360	360	SECTION 11. Section 142.001(5), Education Code, is amended
361	361	to read as follows:
362	362	(5) "Faculty member" means a person who is tenured by
363	363	an eligible institution [or is in a tenure track position] or who is
364	364	a research professional employed by an eligible institution.
365	365	SECTION 12. Sections 51.942(b) and (f), Education Code, are
366	366	repealed.
367	367	SECTION 13. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.