HBA-MPM H.B. 1399 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1399 By: Coleman Public Education 4/21/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE School districts in Texas have reported difficulties hiring qualified teachers at every level and subject, including in mathematics, science, special education, bilingual education, foreign languages, and technology. Factors driving the teacher shortage include rising student enrollments, declining enrollment in teacher education and preparation programs, and lack of state and local resources to maintain competitive compensation and provide adequate facilities and supplies for instruction. H.B. 1399 creates the "Teach for Texas" program, which would offer individuals college scholarships in return for a commitment to teach for a specified number of years. This bill also provides for the streamlining of teacher certification requirements, development of integrated coursework to minimize duplicated effort, and a coordinated media outreach campaign to make the target population aware of the program. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the State Board for Educator Certification in SECTION 1 (Section 21.502, Education Code); to the State Board for Educator Certification and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in SECTION 2 (Section 21.0441, Education Code) and SECTION 3 (Section 61.0514, Education Code); and to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in SECTION 4 of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 21, Education Code, by adding Subchapter K, as follows: SUBCHAPTER K. TEACH FOR TEXAS PROGRAM Sec. 21.501. DEFINITIONS. Defines "board" as the State Board for Educator Certification. Defines "program" as the Teach for Texas Program. Defines "public junior college" and "public senior college or university" with the meanings assigned by Section 61.003. This section defines "public junior college" as any junior college certified by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in accordance with Section 61.063 (Listing and Certification of Junior Colleges) and "public senior college or university" as any of the state universities listed under the definition of "general academic teaching institution." Sec. 21.502. DEVELOPMENT. Requires the board to propose rules for establishing the Teach for Texas Program. Sets forth the purpose of the program. Sec. 21.503. STRUCTURE. Provides that the program consists of two tiers: _a professional tier to attract persons employed in other capacities to the profession of teaching; and _a student tier to attract students who are entering the sophomore or junior years at a public junior college or public senior college or university to the profession of teaching. Sec. 21.504. CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS. Requires the board to propose alternative certification requirements under Section 21.049 (Alternative Certification). Sets forth the alternative requirements. Sec. 21.505. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES. (a) Provides that the program must offer participants financial incentives, including tuition assistance and loan forgiveness. Requires the board to contract with each participant who accepts such an incentive for a teaching obligation in a public school in this state for a stated period after certification. Requires the board to provide incentives proportionate to the length of the period the person is obligated to teach after certification, and to give certain incentives to a person who agrees to contract in an underserved area. (b) Specifies that financial incentives are payable from funds appropriated for that purpose and from gifts, grants, and donations solicited by the board. Sec. 21.506. PROGRAM ELEMENTS. Specifies that the program must provide a participant with certain internship or fieldwork requirements during the summer, offer health insurance to each person who leaves employment to complete such requirements, and create incentives for substitute teachers to become certified to teach. Sec. 21.507. MEDIA CAMPAIGN. Requires the board, in conjunction with other state agencies involved in matters of public education, to conduct a coordinated media campaign to educate professionals and students about the program. Specifies the elements emphasized by the media campaign. SECTION 2. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 21, Education Code, by adding Section 21.0441, as follows: Sec. 21.0441. COOPERATION WITH TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD. Requires the board to cooperate with and advise the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in adoption by the coordinating board of rules for educator preparation program curriculum guidelines under Section 61.0514. SECTION 3. Amends Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, by adding Section 61.0514, as follows: Sec. 61.0514. INTEGRATED COURSEWORK. Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board by rule, in cooperation with and with the advice of the board, to adopt educator preparation program curriculum guidelines under which educator preparation courses, to the greatest extent practicable, integrate subject matter material with material concerning classroom teaching techniques in order to minimize the coursework necessary to obtain educator certification under Subchapter B, Chapter 21. SECTION 4. Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to adopt rules in accordance with Section 61.0514, Education Code, and to distribute the rules to public junior colleges and public senior colleges and universities in this state no later than August 15, 2000. Requires these colleges and universities to offer courses in accordance with those rules beginning with the fall semester of the 2002-2003 academic year. SECTION 5. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 6. Emergency clause.