| 1 | 1 | | By: Creighton S.B. No. 2928 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | relating to the scheduling of the first day of school for students |
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| 9 | 9 | | by school districts. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 12A.003(b), Education Code, is amended |
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| 12 | 12 | | to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (b) A local innovation plan must: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) provide for a comprehensive educational program |
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| 15 | 15 | | for the district, which [program] may include: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (A) innovative curriculum, instructional |
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| 17 | 17 | | methods, and provisions regarding community participation, campus |
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| 18 | 18 | | governance, and parental involvement; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (B) [modifications to the school day or year; |
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| 20 | 20 | | [(C)] provisions regarding the district budget |
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| 21 | 21 | | and sustainable program funding; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (C) [(D)] accountability and assessment measures |
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| 23 | 23 | | that exceed the requirements of state and federal law; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (D) [(E)] any other innovations prescribed by |
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| 25 | 25 | | the board of trustees; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) identify requirements imposed by this code that |
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| 27 | 27 | | inhibit the goals of the plan and from which the district should be |
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| 28 | 28 | | exempted on adoption of the plan, subject to Section 12A.004. |
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| 29 | 29 | | SECTION 2. Section 12A.004(a), Education Code, is amended |
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| 30 | 30 | | to read as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | (a) A local innovation plan may not provide for the |
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| 32 | 32 | | exemption of a district designated as a district of innovation from |
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| 33 | 33 | | the following provisions of this title: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) a state or federal requirement applicable to an |
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| 35 | 35 | | open-enrollment charter school operating under Subchapter D, |
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| 36 | 36 | | Chapter 12; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) Subchapters A, C, D, and E, Chapter 11, except that |
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| 38 | 38 | | a district may be exempt from Sections 11.1511(b)(5) and (14) and |
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| 39 | 39 | | Section 11.162; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (3) state curriculum and graduation requirements |
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| 41 | 41 | | adopted under Chapter 28; [and] |
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| 42 | 42 | | (4) academic and financial accountability and |
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| 43 | 43 | | sanctions under Chapters 39 and 39A; and |
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| 44 | 44 | | (5) the first day of instruction requirements under |
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| 45 | 45 | | Section 25.0811(a)(3). |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 3. Section 25.0811(a), Education Code, is amended |
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| 47 | 47 | | to read as follows: |
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| 48 | 48 | | (a) Except as provided by this section, a school district |
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| 49 | 49 | | may not begin instruction for students for a school year before the |
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| 50 | 50 | | fourth Monday in August. A school district may: |
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| 51 | 51 | | (1) begin instruction for students for a school year |
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| 52 | 52 | | before the fourth Monday in August if the district operates a |
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| 53 | 53 | | year-round system under Section 25.084; [or] |
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| 54 | 54 | | (2) begin instruction for students for a school year |
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| 55 | 55 | | on or after the first Monday in August at a campus or at not more |
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| 56 | 56 | | than 20 percent of the campuses in the district if: |
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| 57 | 57 | | (A) the district has a student enrollment of |
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| 58 | 58 | | 190,000 or more; |
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| 59 | 59 | | (B) the district at the beginning of the school |
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| 60 | 60 | | year provides, financed with local funds, days of instruction for |
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| 61 | 61 | | students at the campus or at each of the multiple campuses, in |
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| 62 | 62 | | addition to the minimum instructional time [number of days of |
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| 63 | 63 | | instruction] required under Section 25.081; |
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| 64 | 64 | | (C) the campus or each of the multiple campuses |
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| 65 | 65 | | is [are] undergoing comprehensive reform, as determined by the |
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| 66 | 66 | | board of trustees of the district; and |
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| 67 | 67 | | (D) a majority of the students at the campus or at |
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| 68 | 68 | | each of the multiple campuses are educationally disadvantaged; or |
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| 69 | 69 | | (3) begin instruction for students for a school year |
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| 70 | 70 | | on or after the third Wednesday in August if the district is |
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| 71 | 71 | | designated as a district of innovation under Chapter 12A. |
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| 72 | 72 | | SECTION 4. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of |
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| 73 | 73 | | this section, this Act applies beginning with the 2026-2027 school |
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| 74 | 74 | | year. |
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| 75 | 75 | | (b) Sections 12A.003 and 12A.004, Education Code, as |
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| 76 | 76 | | amended by this Act, apply only to a local innovation plan adopted |
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| 77 | 77 | | or renewed on or after the effective date of this Act. A local |
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| 78 | 78 | | innovation plan adopted or renewed before the effective date of |
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| 79 | 79 | | this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the plan was |
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| 80 | 80 | | adopted or renewed, and the former law is continued in effect for |
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| 81 | 81 | | that purpose. |
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| 82 | 82 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 83 | 83 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 84 | 84 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 85 | 85 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 86 | 86 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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