By Barrientos                                          S.B. No. 566
       74R5460 ESH-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the investment capital fund.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Section 11.2092, Education Code, is amended to
    1-5  read as follows:
    1-6        Sec. 11.2092.  Investment Capital Fund.  (a)  The investment
    1-7  capital fund consists of money transferred to the fund as provided
    1-8  by Section 16.152(m) of this code.  The Central Education Agency
    1-9  shall administer the fund.  The purposes <purpose> of this fund are
   1-10  <is> to assist eligible public schools to implement practices and
   1-11  procedures consistent with deregulation and school restructuring in
   1-12  order to improve student achievement and to help schools identify,
   1-13  train, and organize parents and community leaders who will hold the
   1-14  school and the school district accountable for achieving high
   1-15  academic standards <increase parental and community involvement in
   1-16  the schools>.
   1-17        (b)  The commissioner of education may make grants from the
   1-18  fund to eligible schools.  A school may apply for a grant under
   1-19  rules adopted by the State Board of Education.
   1-20        (c)  A school is eligible to apply for a grant if the school
   1-21  has demonstrated a commitment to campus deregulation and to
   1-22  restructuring educational practices and conditions at the school by
   1-23  entering into a <in> partnership with:
   1-24              (1)  school staff;
    2-1              (2)  parents of students at the school;
    2-2              (3)  community and business leaders;
    2-3              (4)  school district officers;
    2-4              (5)  a nonprofit, community-based organization that has
    2-5  a demonstrated capacity to train, develop, and organize parents and
    2-6  community leaders into a large, nonpartisan constituency that will
    2-7  hold the school and the school district accountable for achieving
    2-8  high academic standards; and
    2-9              (6)  the Central Education Agency.
   2-10        (d)  A grant from the fund shall be made directly to the
   2-11  school and may be used for the training and development of school
   2-12  staff, <and> parents, and community leaders  in order that they
   2-13  understand and implement the academic standards and practices
   2-14  necessary for high academic achievement, <and> appropriate
   2-15  strategies to deregulate and restructure the school in order to
   2-16  improve student achievement, and effective strategies to organize
   2-17  parents and community leaders into a large, nonpartisan
   2-18  constituency that will hold the school and the school district
   2-19  accountable for achieving high academic standards.  Not more than
   2-20  25 percent of the grant may be used to implement strategies
   2-21  developed by the partners that are designed to enrich or extend
   2-22  student learning experiences outside of the regular school day.
   2-23        (e)  The commissioner of education may make a grant of up to
   2-24  $50,000 <$25,000> each academic year to an eligible school.  Campus
   2-25  administration personnel of a school that receives a grant under
   2-26  this section are accountable to the commissioner of education and
   2-27  must demonstrate:
    3-1              (1)  the responsible use of the grant to achieve campus
    3-2  deregulation and restructuring to improve academic performance; and
    3-3              (2)  a comprehensive plan to engage in on-going
    3-4  development and training of teachers, parents, and community
    3-5  leaders to:
    3-6                    (A)  understand academic standards;
    3-7                    (B)  develop effective strategies to improve
    3-8  academic performance; and
    3-9                    (C)  organize a large, nonpartisan constituency
   3-10  of parents and community leaders to hold the school and school
   3-11  district accountable to achieve high academic standards; <and>
   3-12              (3)  on-going progress in achieving higher academic
   3-13  performance; and
   3-14              (4)  on-going progress in identifying, training, and
   3-15  organizing parents and community leaders who are holding the school
   3-16  and the school district accountable for achieving high academic
   3-17  standards.
   3-18        SECTION 2.  Section 16.152(m), Education Code, as added by
   3-19  Chapter 907, Acts of the 73rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1993,
   3-20  is amended to read as follows:
   3-21        (m)  From the total amount of funds appropriated for
   3-22  allotments under this section, the commissioner of education shall,
   3-23  each fiscal year, withhold the amount of $5 <$1> million for
   3-24  transfer to the investment capital fund under Section 11.2092 of
   3-25  this code.
   3-26        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   3-27        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
    4-1  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    4-2  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    4-3  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    4-4  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.