By Dutton                                             H.B. No. 2713
         76R4589 BDH-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to an accelerated education system for students to
 1-3     complete public education requirements.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Education Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 25.0845 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 25.0845.  ACCELERATED EDUCATION SYSTEM.  (a) If at least
 1-8     15 students in the same grade level in the school agree to enroll
 1-9     in an accelerated education system,  a school district must operate
1-10     a school in the district year-round on a multitrack calendar to
1-11     provide one calendar track with more than the minimum number of
1-12     days of instruction required under Section 25.081 so that a student
1-13     may begin a grade level immediately after completing the preceding
1-14     grade level.
1-15           (b)  If a school district operates an accelerated education
1-16     system under this section, the district may modify:
1-17                 (1)  the number of contract days of employees and the
1-18     number of days of operation, including any time required for staff
1-19     development, planning and preparation, andcontinuing education
1-20     otherwise required by law;
1-21                 (2)  testing dates, data reporting, and related
1-22     matters; and
1-23                 (3)  a student's eligibility to participate in
1-24     extracurricular activities when the student's calendar track is not
 2-1     in session or conflicts with another calendar track.
 2-2           (c)  The operation of schools year-round by a district does
 2-3     not affect the amount of state funds to which the district is
 2-4     entitled under Chapter 42.
 2-5           (d)  A child who participates in an accelerated education
 2-6     system under this section and graduates from high school before the
 2-7     child's 18th birthday is exempt from the compulsory school
 2-8     attendance requirements of Section 25.085.
 2-9           SECTION 2.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-10           (b)  A school district must offer an accelerated education
2-11     program under Section 25.0845, Education Code, as added by this
2-12     Act, beginning with the summer session of the 1999-2000 school year
2-13     if at least 15 students in the same grade level in a school agree
2-14     to enroll in the accelerated education system.
2-15           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-16     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-17     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-18     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-19     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.