| 1 | 1 | | 89R5105 RAL-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: West, Miles S.B. No. 2561 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the establishment of the student success initiative |
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| 10 | 10 | | program by the Texas Education Agency and the award of grants under |
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| 11 | 11 | | that program. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 29, Education Code, is |
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| 14 | 14 | | amended by adding Section 29.935 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 29.935. STUDENT SUCCESS INITIATIVE PROGRAM; GRANTS. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (a) The agency, in collaboration with qualified experts in the |
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| 17 | 17 | | areas of child and youth mental health and education, shall develop |
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| 18 | 18 | | a student success initiative program based on evidence-based best |
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| 19 | 19 | | practices to: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) support youth well-being and educational |
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| 21 | 21 | | outcomes; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) increase the number of students performing at |
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| 23 | 23 | | grade level by providing academic, community, and governmental |
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| 24 | 24 | | supports. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) From money appropriated or otherwise available for the |
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| 26 | 26 | | purpose, the commissioner shall provide technical assistance and |
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| 27 | 27 | | award grants to school districts and open-enrollment charter |
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| 28 | 28 | | schools that implement the program developed under Subsection (a). |
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| 29 | 29 | | (c) In awarding grants under Subsection (b), the |
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| 30 | 30 | | commissioner shall: |
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| 31 | 31 | | (1) award 75 percent of the amount available during |
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| 32 | 32 | | each school year to school districts that serve a population of |
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| 33 | 33 | | 100,000 students or more; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) prioritize school districts and open-enrollment |
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| 35 | 35 | | charter schools with high percentages of students who: |
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| 36 | 36 | | (A) do not perform satisfactorily on assessment |
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| 37 | 37 | | instruments administered under Section 39.023; or |
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| 38 | 38 | | (B) are educationally disadvantaged. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (d) The commissioner may use not more than 10 percent of the |
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| 40 | 40 | | money appropriated for purposes of this section to cover the cost of |
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| 41 | 41 | | administering this section. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (e) The agency shall annually submit to the legislature a |
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| 43 | 43 | | report on the impact of the student success initiative program and |
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| 44 | 44 | | best practices learned from the program. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (f) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to |
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| 46 | 46 | | implement this section, including rules establishing: |
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| 47 | 47 | | (1) application criteria for receipt of a grant under |
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| 48 | 48 | | this section; and |
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| 49 | 49 | | (2) allowable uses of grant money by a school district |
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| 50 | 50 | | or open-enrollment charter school under this section, which must |
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| 51 | 51 | | include supports for students such as tutoring, mentoring, and |
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| 52 | 52 | | other educational opportunities outside of the district or school. |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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