Bill Text: TX SB30 | 2011 | 82nd Legislature 1st Special | Engrossed
Bill Title: Relating to the state virtual school network.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-06-14 - Referred to Public Education [SB30 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-SB30-Engrossed.html
By: Shapiro | S.B. No. 30 |
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relating to the state virtual school network. | ||
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. LOCAL POLICY ON ELECTRONIC COURSES. (a) A | ||
school district or open-enrollment charter school shall adopt a | ||
policy that provides district or school students with the | ||
opportunity to enroll in electronic courses provided through the | ||
state virtual school network. The policy must be consistent with | ||
the requirements imposed by Section 26.0031. | ||
(b) For purposes of a policy adopted under Subsection (a), | ||
the determination of whether or not an electronic course will meet | ||
the needs of a student with a disability shall be made by the | ||
student's admission, review, and dismissal committee in a manner | ||
consistent with state and federal law, including the Individuals | ||
with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq.) | ||
and Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section | ||
794). | ||
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 30A, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 30A.1021 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 30A.1021. PUBLIC ACCESS TO USER COMMENTS REGARDING | ||
ELECTRONIC COURSES. (a) The administering authority shall | ||
provide students who have completed or withdrawn from electronic | ||
courses offered through the virtual school network and their | ||
parents with a mechanism for providing comments regarding the | ||
courses. | ||
(b) The mechanism required by Subsection (a) must include a | ||
quantitative rating system and a list of verbal descriptors that a | ||
student or parent may select as appropriate. | ||
(c) The administering authority shall provide public access | ||
to the comments submitted by students and parents under this | ||
section. The comments must be in a format that permits a person to | ||
sort the comments by teacher, electronic course, and provider | ||
school district or school. | ||
SECTION 3. 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) For purposes of Subsection (a)(2), a course is | ||
considered in compliance with the requirement imposed under that | ||
subdivision if: | ||
(1) the course contains at least 80 percent of the | ||
applicable essential knowledge and skills; and | ||
(2) the provider school district or school provides | ||
written documentation that the remaining 20 percent of the | ||
applicable essential knowledge and skills will be provided by the | ||
teacher of the course. | ||
(c) 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 4. 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 5. 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) The commissioner, after considering comments from | ||
school district and open-enrollment charter school | ||
representatives, shall adopt a standard agreement 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. The agreement may not require a school | ||
district or open-enrollment charter school to pay the provider the | ||
full amount until the student has successfully completed the | ||
electronic course. | ||
(c) A school district or open-enrollment charter school | ||
shall use the standard agreement adopted under Subsection (b) | ||
unless: | ||
(1) the district or school requests from the | ||
commissioner permission to modify the standard agreement; and | ||
(2) the commissioner authorizes the modification. | ||
(d) The commissioner shall adopt rules necessary to | ||
implement this section, including rules regarding attendance | ||
accounting. | ||
SECTION 6. Subsection (a), Section 42.302, 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 7. Section 42.159, Education Code, is repealed. | ||
SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011, if this | ||
Act 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 to take effect on | ||
that date, this Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day | ||
of the legislative session. |