Bill Text: TX HB1553 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to permitting a school district that has failed to satisfy performance standards to partner with an institution of higher education to improve district performance.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-15 - Effective immediately [HB1553 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB1553-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Relating to permitting a school district that has failed to satisfy performance standards to partner with an institution of higher education to improve district performance.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-15 - Effective immediately [HB1553 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB1553-Introduced.html
85R8484 MK-D | ||
By: Lozano | H.B. No. 1553 |
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relating to permitting a school district that has failed to satisfy | ||
performance standards to partner with an institution of higher | ||
education to improve district performance. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 39.102(a), Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(a) If a school district does not satisfy the accreditation | ||
criteria under Section 39.052, the academic performance standards | ||
under Section 39.053 or 39.054, or any financial accountability | ||
standard as determined by commissioner rule, or if considered | ||
appropriate by the commissioner on the basis of a special | ||
accreditation investigation under Section 39.057, the commissioner | ||
shall take any of the following actions to the extent the | ||
commissioner determines necessary: | ||
(1) issue public notice of the deficiency to the board | ||
of trustees; | ||
(2) order a hearing conducted by the board of trustees | ||
of the district for the purpose of notifying the public of the | ||
insufficient performance, the improvements in performance expected | ||
by the agency, and the interventions and sanctions that may be | ||
imposed under this section if the performance does not improve; | ||
(3) order the preparation of a student achievement | ||
improvement plan that addresses each academic achievement | ||
indicator under Section 39.053(c) for which the district's | ||
performance is insufficient, the submission of the plan to the | ||
commissioner for approval, and implementation of the plan; | ||
(4) order a hearing to be held before the commissioner | ||
or the commissioner's designee at which the president of the board | ||
of trustees of the district and the superintendent shall appear and | ||
explain the district's low performance, lack of improvement, and | ||
plans for improvement; | ||
(5) arrange a monitoring review of the district; | ||
(6) appoint an agency monitor to participate in and | ||
report to the agency on the activities of the board of trustees or | ||
the superintendent; | ||
(7) appoint a conservator to oversee the operations of | ||
the district; | ||
(8) appoint a management team to direct the operations | ||
of the district in areas of insufficient performance or require the | ||
district to obtain certain services under a contract with another | ||
person; | ||
(9) authorize the district to enter into a memorandum | ||
of understanding with an institution of higher education that | ||
provides for the assistance of the institution of higher education | ||
in improving the district's performance; | ||
(10) if a district has a current accreditation status | ||
of accredited-warned or accredited-probation, fails to satisfy any | ||
standard under Section 39.054(e), or fails to satisfy financial | ||
accountability standards as determined by commissioner rule, | ||
appoint a board of managers to exercise the powers and duties of the | ||
board of trustees; | ||
(11) [ |
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including the current school year, a district has received an | ||
accreditation status of accredited-warned or accredited-probation, | ||
has failed to satisfy any standard under Section 39.054(e), or has | ||
failed to satisfy financial accountability standards as determined | ||
by commissioner rule, revoke the district's accreditation and: | ||
(A) order closure of the district and annex the | ||
district to one or more adjoining districts under Section 13.054; | ||
or | ||
(B) in the case of a home-rule school district or | ||
open-enrollment charter school, order closure of all programs | ||
operated under the district's or school's charter; or | ||
(12) [ |
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standard under Section 39.054(e) due to the district's dropout | ||
rates, impose sanctions designed to improve high school completion | ||
rates, including: | ||
(A) ordering the development of a dropout | ||
prevention plan for approval by the commissioner; | ||
(B) restructuring the district or appropriate | ||
school campuses to improve identification of and service to | ||
students who are at risk of dropping out of school, as defined by | ||
Section 29.081; | ||
(C) ordering lower student-to-counselor ratios | ||
on school campuses with high dropout rates; and | ||
(D) ordering the use of any other intervention | ||
strategy effective in reducing dropout rates, including mentor | ||
programs and flexible class scheduling. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 39.111(c), Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(c) A conservator or management team, if directed by the | ||
commissioner, shall prepare a plan for the implementation of action | ||
under Section 39.102(a)(10) or (11) [ |
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conservator or management team: | ||
(1) may direct an action to be taken by the principal | ||
of a campus, the superintendent of the district, or the board of | ||
trustees of the district; | ||
(2) may approve or disapprove any action of the | ||
principal of a campus, the superintendent of the district, or the | ||
board of trustees of the district; | ||
(3) may not take any action concerning a district | ||
election, including ordering or canceling an election or altering | ||
the date of or the polling places for an election; | ||
(4) may not change the number of or method of selecting | ||
the board of trustees; | ||
(5) may not set a tax rate for the district; and | ||
(6) may not adopt a budget for the district that | ||
provides for spending a different amount, exclusive of required | ||
debt service, from that previously adopted by the board of | ||
trustees. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018 | ||
school year. | ||
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |