By Truan                                         S.B. No. 561

      75R316 CAS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to Texas Education Agency reporting concerning certain

 1-3     delinquent conduct by public school students.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 39.182(a), Education Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           (a)  The agency shall prepare and deliver to the governor,

 1-8     the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of

 1-9     representatives, each member of the legislature, the Legislative

1-10     Budget Board, and the clerks of the standing committees of the

1-11     senate and house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over

1-12     the public school system a comprehensive report covering the

1-13     preceding two school years and containing:

1-14                 (1)  an evaluation of the achievements of the state

1-15     educational program in relation to the statutory goals for the

1-16     public education system under Section 4.002;

1-17                 (2)  an evaluation of the status of education in the

1-18     state as reflected by the academic excellence indicators adopted

1-19     under Section 39.051;

1-20                 (3)  a summary compilation of overall student

1-21     performance on academic skills assessment instruments required by

1-22     Section 39.023, aggregated by grade level, subject area, campus,

1-23     and district, with appropriate interpretations and analysis and

1-24     disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic status;

 2-1                 (4)  an evaluation of the correlation between student

 2-2     grades and student performance on academic skills assessment

 2-3     instruments required by Section 39.023;

 2-4                 (5)  a statement of the dropout rate of students in

 2-5     grade levels 7 through 12, expressed in the aggregate and by grade

 2-6     level;

 2-7                 (6)  a statement of the projected cross-sectional and

 2-8     longitudinal dropout rates for grade levels 7 through 12 for the

 2-9     next five years, assuming no state action is taken to reduce the

2-10     dropout rate;

2-11                 (7)  a description of a systematic plan for reducing

2-12     the projected cross-sectional and longitudinal dropout rates to

2-13     five percent or less for the 1997-1998 school year;

2-14                 (8)  a summary of the information required by Section

2-15     29.083 regarding grade level retention of students;

2-16                 (9)  a list of each school district or campus that does

2-17     not satisfy performance standards, with an explanation of the

2-18     actions taken by the commissioner to improve student performance in

2-19     the district or campus and an evaluation of the results of those

2-20     actions;

2-21                 (10)  an evaluation of the status of the curriculum

2-22     taught in public schools, with recommendations for legislative

2-23     changes necessary to improve or modify the curriculum required by

2-24     Section 28.002;

2-25                 (11)  a description of all funds received by and each

2-26     activity and expenditure of the agency;

2-27                 (12)  a summary and analysis of the compliance of

 3-1     school districts with administrative cost ratios set by the

 3-2     commissioner under Section 42.201, including any improvements and

 3-3     cost savings achieved by school districts;

 3-4                 (13)  a summary of the effect of deregulation,

 3-5     including exemptions and waivers granted under Section 7.056 or

 3-6     39.112;

 3-7                 (14)  a statement of the total number and length of

 3-8     reports that school districts and school district employees must

 3-9     submit to the agency, identifying which reports are required by

3-10     federal statute or rule, state statute, or agency rule, and a

3-11     summary of the agency's efforts to reduce overall reporting

3-12     requirements; [and]

3-13                 (15)  any additional information considered important

3-14     by the commissioner or the State Board of Education; and

3-15                 (16)  statistical information relating to delinquent

3-16     conduct on school property or at a school-related activity on or

3-17     off of school property, including separate categories for conduct

3-18     involving:

3-19                       (A)  marihuana or a controlled substance, as

3-20     defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, or by 21 U.S.C.

3-21     Section 801 et seq. or a dangerous drug, as defined by Chapter 483,

3-22     Health and Safety Code;

3-23                       (B)  a firearm, an illegal knife, or a club as

3-24     defined by Section 46.01, Penal Code, or a weapon listed as a

3-25     prohibited weapon under Section 46.05, Penal Code;

3-26                       (C)  an assaultive offense under Chapter 22,

3-27     Penal Code; or

 4-1                       (D)  arson under Section 28.02, Penal Code.

 4-2           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

 4-3     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 4-4     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 4-5     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 4-6     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 4-7     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 4-8     passage, and it is so enacted.