Bill Text: TX HB3088 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the state virtual school network and virtual high schools.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-18 - Referred to Public Education [HB3088 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HB3088-Introduced.html
82R13507 KKA-D | ||
By: Madden | H.B. No. 3088 |
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relating to the state virtual school network and virtual high | ||
schools. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 30A, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 30A.007 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 30A.007. SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICY ON ELECTRONIC COURSES. | ||
A school district shall adopt a policy that provides district | ||
students with the opportunity to enroll in electronic courses | ||
provided through the state virtual school network. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 30A.104, Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
Sec. 30A.104. COURSE ELIGIBILITY IN GENERAL. (a) A course | ||
offered through the state virtual school network must: | ||
(1) be in a specific subject that is part of the | ||
required curriculum under Section 28.002(a); | ||
(2) be aligned with the essential knowledge and skills | ||
identified under Section 28.002(c) for a grade level at or above | ||
grade level three; and | ||
(3) be the equivalent in instructional rigor and scope | ||
to a course that is provided in a traditional classroom setting | ||
during: | ||
(A) a semester of 90 instructional days; and | ||
(B) a school day that meets the minimum length of | ||
a school day required under Section 25.082. | ||
(b) If the essential knowledge and skills with which an | ||
approved course is aligned in accordance with Subsection (a)(2) are | ||
modified, the provider school district or school must be provided | ||
the same time period to revise the course to achieve alignment with | ||
the modified essential knowledge and skills as is provided for the | ||
modification of a course provided in a traditional classroom | ||
setting. | ||
SECTION 3. Section 30A.105, Education Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) and amending Subsection (d) to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(a-1) The administering authority shall publish the | ||
schedule established under Subsection (a)(1), including any | ||
deadlines specified in that schedule, and any guidelines applicable | ||
to the submission and approval process for electronic courses. | ||
(a-2) The evaluation required by Subsection (a)(2) must | ||
include review of each electronic course component, including | ||
off-line material proposed to be used in the course. | ||
(d) If the agency determines that the costs of evaluating | ||
and approving a submitted electronic course will not be paid by the | ||
agency due to a shortage of funds available for that purpose, the | ||
school district, open-enrollment charter school, or public or | ||
private institution of higher education that submitted the course | ||
for evaluation and approval may pay a fee equal to the amount of the | ||
costs in order to ensure that evaluation of the course occurs. The | ||
agency shall establish and publish a fee schedule for purposes of | ||
this subsection. | ||
SECTION 4. Subchapter D, Chapter 30A, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 30A.153 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 30A.153. FOUNDATION SCHOOL PROGRAM FUNDING. (a) A | ||
school district or open-enrollment charter school in which a | ||
student is enrolled is entitled to funding under Chapter 42 for the | ||
student's enrollment in an electronic course offered through the | ||
state virtual school network in the same manner that the district or | ||
school is entitled to funding for the student's enrollment in | ||
courses provided in a traditional classroom setting, provided that | ||
the student successfully completes the electronic course. | ||
(b) A school district or open-enrollment charter school in | ||
which a student is enrolled shall enter into an agreement with the | ||
provider school district or school for the payment to the provider | ||
school district or school of costs associated with the enrollment | ||
of the student in an electronic course. | ||
(c) The administering authority, with the approval of the | ||
commissioner, shall adopt a standard agreement under Subsection (b) | ||
that governs payment of funds and other matters relating to a | ||
student's enrollment in an electronic course offered through the | ||
state virtual school network. A school district or open-enrollment | ||
charter school shall use the standard agreement unless: | ||
(1) the district or school requests from the | ||
commissioner permission to modify the standard agreement; and | ||
(2) the commissioner authorizes the modification. | ||
SECTION 5. Subtitle F, Title 2, Education Code, is amended | ||
by adding Chapter 30B to read as follows: | ||
CHAPTER 30B. VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOLS | ||
Sec. 30B.001. CREATION OF VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOLS. (a) The | ||
commissioner by rule shall establish a process under which an | ||
eligible entity, as determined by the commissioner, may submit an | ||
application to the commissioner for authorization to operate a | ||
virtual high school. | ||
(b) A virtual high school authorized by the commissioner | ||
may: | ||
(1) enroll eligible students on a full-time basis; and | ||
(2) grant high school diplomas to students who meet | ||
the requirements for a diploma imposed under this title. | ||
Sec. 30B.002. ELIGIBLE STUDENTS. (a) A student may enroll | ||
in a virtual high school on a full-time basis if the student resides | ||
in this state and is under 26 years of age. | ||
(b) A virtual high school may also elect to admit: | ||
(1) a student described by Subsection (a) on a | ||
part-time basis; or | ||
(2) a student who resides in this state and is 26 years | ||
of age or older. | ||
Sec. 30B.003. CURRICULUM. (a) A virtual high school shall | ||
permit students to enroll in courses provided through the state | ||
virtual school network under Chapter 30A in addition to courses | ||
offered directly by the virtual high school. | ||
(b) A virtual high school may develop a community-based | ||
course in physical education or fine arts. A course developed under | ||
this subsection must be approved by the agency before the virtual | ||
high school may offer the class to a student for academic credit. | ||
Sec. 30B.004. FUNDING. (a) For each student described by | ||
Section 30B.002(a) enrolled in the school, a virtual high school is | ||
entitled to allotments under Chapter 42 as if the school were a | ||
school district without a tier one local share for purposes of | ||
Section 42.253. | ||
(b) A virtual high school is not entitled to allotments | ||
under Chapter 42 for students described by Section 30B.002(b). A | ||
virtual high school may: | ||
(1) charge a fee for enrollment to students described | ||
by Section 30B.002(b); or | ||
(2) use adult basic education funds to pay the costs of | ||
enrollment of students described by Section 30B.002(b)(2), if those | ||
funds are available for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 6. Section 42.003(a), Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(a) A student is entitled to the benefits of the Foundation | ||
School Program if, on September 1 of the school year, the student is | ||
5 years of age or older and under 21 years of age and has not | ||
graduated from high school, or is at least 21 years of age and under | ||
26 years of age and has been admitted by a virtual high school under | ||
Chapter 30B or a school district to complete the requirements for a | ||
high school diploma. | ||
SECTION 7. Section 42.302(a), Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(a) Each school district is guaranteed a specified amount | ||
per weighted student in state and local funds for each cent of tax | ||
effort over that required for the district's local fund assignment | ||
up to the maximum level specified in this subchapter. The amount | ||
of state support, subject only to the maximum amount under Section | ||
42.303, is determined by the formula: | ||
GYA = (GL X WADA X DTR X 100) - LR | ||
where: | ||
"GYA" is the guaranteed yield amount of state funds to be | ||
allocated to the district; | ||
"GL" is the dollar amount guaranteed level of state and local | ||
funds per weighted student per cent of tax effort, which is an | ||
amount described by Subsection (a-1) or a greater amount for any | ||
year provided by appropriation; | ||
"WADA" is the number of students in weighted average daily | ||
attendance, which is calculated by dividing the sum of the school | ||
district's allotments under Subchapters B and C, less any allotment | ||
to the district for transportation, any allotment under Section | ||
42.158 [ |
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Section 42.102, by the basic allotment for the applicable year; | ||
"DTR" is the district enrichment tax rate of the school | ||
district, which is determined by subtracting the amounts specified | ||
by Subsection (b) from the total amount of maintenance and | ||
operations taxes collected by the school district for the | ||
applicable school year and dividing the difference by the quotient | ||
of the district's taxable value of property as determined under | ||
Subchapter M, Chapter 403, Government Code, or, if applicable, | ||
under Section 42.2521, divided by 100; and | ||
"LR" is the local revenue, which is determined by multiplying | ||
"DTR" by the quotient of the district's taxable value of property as | ||
determined under Subchapter M, Chapter 403, Government Code, or, if | ||
applicable, under Section 42.2521, divided by 100. | ||
SECTION 8. Section 42.159, Education Code, is repealed. | ||
SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |