SRC-DPW S.B. 1784 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 1784 By: Gallegos Education 4/12/1999 As Filed DIGEST Currently, Texas law identifies a number of education programs a school district must design and implement for students with special needs. Section 29.081, Education Code, grants a school district the authority to utilize community-based dropout recovery education programs to provide alternative education programs for students at risk of dropping out of school. In March 1995, the attorney general advised that school districts, which contract with public or private entities to provide educational services, are not relieved of their obligations to comply with statutory requirements applicable to school districts. The attorney general's position has prevented school districts from contracting with community-based programs that are providing creative solutions to students who have dropped out of school or are at risk of dropping out of school. S.B. 1784 would give school districts the local authority to develop and regulate community-based dropout recovery education programs in order to provide an alternative education program that parallels the needs of at-risk students. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 1784 sets forth guidelines for the administration of private community-based dropout recovery education programs to provide alternative education programs for students at risk of dropping out of school. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 29C, Education Code, by adding Section 29.081(e), to require a school district to develop goals, objectives, and guidelines that best address the needs of students at risk of dropping out of school, when utilizing a community-based dropout recovery education program. Requires the guidelines to regard grading of students' work, offering course credit, curriculum development and implementation, modifying instructional time requirements, performance standards, qualifications of staff and faculty, class size, student-faculty ratios, and methods of evaluating subject mastery as part of the development process. Authorizes the guidelines to comply with all the requirements of this code. Deletes text requiring the program to perform certain tasks. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.