Bill Text: GA SB161 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Engrossed

Georgia Senate Bill 161 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Education; partnerships with postsecondary institutions to establish college and career academies as charter schools; provide funding

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 4-1)

Status: (Passed) 2011-05-11 - Effective Date [SB161 Detail]

Download: Georgia-2011-SB161-Engrossed.html

11 LC 33 4111S (SCS)

Senate Bill 161

By: Senators Butterworth of the 50th, Grant of the 25th, McKoon of the 29th, Hill of the 4th and Sims of the 12th

AS PASSED SENATE

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT

To amend Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to technical and adult education, so as to provide for college and career academies; to provide for legislative intent; to provide for definitions; to establish an Office of College and Career Transitions; to provide for partnerships with postsecondary institutions to establish college and career academies as charter schools; to provide for funding; to provide for certification; to provide for data collection; to provide for eligibility criteria, requirements, and procedures; to provide for annual reporting; to provide for advisement; to amend Part 16 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the "Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia's Economy Act," so as to revise definitions; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

SECTION 1.

Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to technical and adult education, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:

"20-4-37.

(a)(1) It is the intent of the General Assembly to:

(A) Increase high school graduation rates, potential job opportunities, and educational opportunities that will prepare students for success in college and the workplace;

(B) Establish intergovernmental cooperation between postsecondary institutions and local boards of education and collaboration with business, industry, and community stakeholders to aid relevant education programs and in the development and support of new and existing college and career academies in Georgia;

(D) Establish and manage support grant opportunities and awards for new and existing college and career academies;

(E) Establish a process that allows for college and career academy certification; and

(F) Collect and analyze data to evaluate the effectiveness of dual credit and dual enrollment programs, secondary and postsecondary partnerships, and college and career academics.

(2) The General Assembly finds that to accomplish these goals, an office should be established to coordinate the efforts of the various education agencies.

(b) As used in this Code section, the term:

(1) 'Board' means the State Board of Technical and Adult Education.

(2) 'Certification' means a formal process established by the Office of College and Career Transitions, and approved by the board, in which college and career academies successfully demonstrate appropriate levels of student achievement, community sustainability, workforce development, and school level governance.

(3) 'Charter petitioner' means a local board of education, group of local boards of education, private individual, private organization, state or local public entity, or any group of these, that submits a petition for a charter in cooperation with one or more postsecondary institutions which have petitioned to establish a college and career academy as a charter school pursuant to Article 31 or Article 31A of Chapter 2 of this title.

(4) 'Charter school' shall have the same meaning as in paragraph (3) of Code Section 20-2-2062 and as in paragraph (2) of Code Section 20-2-2081.

(5) 'College and career academy' means a specialized charter school established by a partnership which demonstrates a collaboration between business, industry, and community stakeholders to advance workforce development between one or more local boards of education, a private individual, a private organization, or a state or local public entity in cooperation with one or more postsecondary institutions and approved by the State Board of Education in accordance with Article 31 of Chapter 2 of this title or the Georgia Charter Schools Commission in accordance with Article 31A of Chapter 2 of this title.

(6) 'Office' means the Office of College and Career Transitions established pursuant to subsection (c) of this Code section.

(7) 'Postsecondary institution' means a local technical college, community college, university, or other postsecondary institution operating under the authority of the Technical College System of Georgia or the University System of Georgia or other not for profit postsecondary institution accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

(8) 'Start-up costs' means initial operating or capital costs, including, but not limited to, costs of improving real property.

(9) 'Supplemental funding' means funding for purposes other than start-up costs which are related to the establishment and operation of college and career academies.

(c) The Office of College and Career Transitions shall be established within the Technical College System of Georgia to coordinate the efforts by the State Board of Education, the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and other not for profit postsecondary institutions accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in the professional development, curriculum support, and development and establishment of college and career academies.

(d) Supplementary to and without limitation of other authority, the board shall be authorized to allocate funds, including state funds, federal funds, proceeds of general obligation debt, or any other available funds, for a particular purpose for college and career academies for start-up costs or for other purposes related to the establishment and operation of such academies by a grant consideration process.

(e) A charter petitioner for a college and career academy that has submitted for approval or that has drafted for submission for approval a charter petition for a college and career academy shall be authorized to submit to the board an application for start-up funds for a college and career academy. The board shall approve applications for start-up funds for college and career academies that meet the criteria and requirements established pursuant to subsections (i) and (j) of this Code section. As part of such application process, the office shall consider charter applications for college and career academies in cooperation with the Office of Charter School Compliance and make recommendations to the State Board of Education for the approval, denial, and renewal of college and career academy charter petitions and specify the reasons for such recommendations. The State Board of Education should consider such a recommendation from the office prior to approving or denying a charter petition for a college and career academy. Funds shall not be released to an approved applicant unless the charter petition is approved by the State Board of Education pursuant to Article 31 of Chapter 2 of this title or the Georgia Charter Schools Commission in accordance with Article 31A of Chapter 2 of this title.

(f) The board shall be authorized to disburse supplemental funding to existing or new college and career academies which demonstrate a need for such funding.

(g)(1) The office shall establish a certification process, in collaboration with the Department of Education, for approval by the board. The office shall be authorized to certify college and career academies. The State Board of Education shall accept certification by the office as one component of determining compliance with charter requirements. The State Board of Education may request supplemental information from charter petitioners.

(2) Any certification process established pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection must require that the applicant demonstrates how the proposed college and career academy will increase student achievement, provide for dual credit and dual enrollment opportunities, increase work based learning opportunities, and address workforce development needs; articulates how the collaboration between business, industry, and community stakeholders will advance workforce development; demonstrates local governance and autonomy; and shows other benefits that meet the needs of the students and community.

(3) Certification by the office shall constitute a positive recommendation to the State Board of Education for renewal of a charter pursuant to Code Section 20-2-2064.1.

(h) The office shall be responsible for collecting and analyzing appropriate data from and about college and career academies on matters consisting of but not limited to college and career academy effectiveness. Collecting and reporting of data shall be in coordination with the Office of Charter School Compliance.

(i) The board shall establish eligibility criteria, requirements, and procedures for the disbursement of funding to college and career academies pursuant to this Code section. Such criteria, requirements, and procedures shall consider the strength of the proposed cooperative arrangements between the local board of education, the group of local boards of education, a private individual, a private organization, or a state or local public entity and one or more postsecondary institutions and must include active support from and a partnership with local business and community leaders for the college and career academy. The board may establish a matching requirement for recipients of funds under this Code section.

(j) A college and career academy receiving funds pursuant to this Code section shall submit an annual report to the board regarding the performance of such academy and the expenditure of funds received pursuant to this Code section. The report shall include, but not be limited to, academic data, financial statements, an evaluation of the progress relative to relationships between and among the business, industry, and community stakeholders, and any other information requested by the board to demonstrate the yearly progress or effectiveness of the college and career academy.

(k) Representatives from business, industry, civic, and governmental agencies and educational organizations which are designated by the commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia shall advise the board on matters pertaining to both the certification and governance of college and career academies."

SECTION 2.

Part 16 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the "Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia's Economy Act," is amended in Code Section 20-2-326, relating to definitions, by revising paragraphs (2) and (9) as follows:

"(2) 'Career College and career academy' means a specialized charter school established by a partnership which demonstrates a collaboration between business, industry, and community stakeholders to advance workforce development between one or more local boards of education, a private individual, a private organization, or a state or local public entity in cooperation with one or more postsecondary institutions and a technical school or college and approved by the State Board of Education in accordance with Article 31 of this chapter or the Georgia Charter Schools Commission in accordance with Article 31A of this chapter. This term also includes a small learning community where a student receives academic instruction at his or her assigned high school combined with work based learning opportunities at an industry center or technical school or college."

"(9) 'Small learning community' means an autonomous or semiautonomous small learning environment within a large high school which is made up of a subset of students and teachers for a two, three, or four-year period. The goal of a small learning community is to achieve greater personalization of learning with each community led by a principal or instructional leader. A small learning community blends academic studies around a broad career or academic theme where teachers have common planning time to connect teacher assignments and assessments to college and career readiness standards. Students voluntarily apply for enrollment in a small learning community but must be accepted, and such enrollment must be approved by the student's parent or guardian. A small learning community also includes a college and career academy organized around a specific career theme which integrates academic and career instruction, provides work-based learning opportunities, and prepares students for postsecondary education and employment, with support through partnerships with local employers, community organizations, and postsecondary institutions."

SECTION 3.

Said part is further amended in Code Section 20-2-328 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to a competitive grant program, by revising paragraph (3) of subsection (c) as follows:

"(3) Developing small learning communities or college and career academies with a rigorous academic foundation and emphasis in broad career fields of study;"

SECTION 4.

Said part is further amended in Code Section 20-2-329 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to requirements for high schools that receive a reform grant, by revising paragraph (1) as follows:

"(1) Provide focused programs of study which are designed to provide a well-rounded education for students by fostering artistic creativity, critical thinking, and self-discipline through the teaching of academic content, knowledge, and skills that students will use in the workplace, further education, and life. The focused programs of study, whether provided at a choice technical high school, a college and career academy, a traditional high school, or on site at a technical school or college or a public college or university, shall be aligned with graduation requirements established by the State Board of Education and curriculum requirements established pursuant to Part 2 of this article, including, at a minimum, four years of mathematics, Algebra I and higher, and four years of English, with an emphasis on developing reading and writing skills to meet college and career readiness standards;"

SECTION 5.

This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval.

SECTION 6.

All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.