By Allen H.B. No. 1315 74R4275 CAS-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to providing vouchers for at-risk students attending a 1-3 public school or students expelled from a public school. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 21, Education Code, is 1-6 amended by adding Section 21.940 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 21.940. VOUCHERS. (a) A school district may provide a 1-8 voucher to a district student who: 1-9 (1) is expelled from school under Section 21.3011; or 1-10 (2) is considered at risk of dropping out of school as 1-11 provided by Section 21.557(f). 1-12 (b) A voucher provided to a student under this section must 1-13 be used to pay tuition to a private school. 1-14 (c) A school district providing a voucher that a student 1-15 uses to pay tuition to attend a private school is entitled to 1-16 receive foundation school fund payments as if the student continued 1-17 to attend a district school. The district shall pay to the private 1-18 school an amount equal to 80 percent of the amount of foundation 1-19 school fund money and local funds the district spends per weighted 1-20 student in average daily attendance for the portion of the school 1-21 year for which the voucher is issued. 1-22 (d) The school district shall require a private school in 1-23 which the student enrolls to provide to the district a record of 1-24 the student's enrollment and may require periodic reports of the 2-1 student's continued enrollment in and attendance at the private 2-2 school. 2-3 (e) In accordance with State Board of Education rule and at 2-4 the request of the parent or guardian of a student, a district may 2-5 continue to provide funds for a voucher after the period of 2-6 expulsion has ended or the student is no longer considered at risk 2-7 of dropping out of school, as applicable. 2-8 (f) A private school accepting a voucher under this section 2-9 must accept the payment from the school district as full payment 2-10 for the student's tuition. 2-11 (g) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules as 2-12 necessary to implement this section. 2-13 (h) For purposes of this section, "weighted student in 2-14 average daily attendance" is computed in the manner provided by 2-15 Section 16.302. 2-16 SECTION 2. A school district may issue a voucher under 2-17 Section 21.940, Education Code, as added by this Act, beginning 2-18 with the 1995-1996 school year. 2-19 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-20 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-21 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-22 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-23 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-24 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-25 passage, and it is so enacted.