By:  Bernsen                                           S.B. No. 903
         99S0537/1                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to class size in public schools.
 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-3           SECTION 1.  Effective July 1, 2000, and applicable beginning
 1-4     with the 2000-2001 school year, Section 25.112, Education Code, is
 1-5     amended by amending Subsection (a)  and adding Subsection (e) to
 1-6     read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  Except as otherwise authorized by this section, a school
 1-8     district may not enroll more than 18 students in each
 1-9     prekindergarten class or other instructional setting or 22 students
1-10     in each [a] kindergarten, first, second, third, [or] fourth, or
1-11     fifth grade class or other instructional setting.  These
1-12     limitations do [That limitation does] not apply during:
1-13                 (1)  any 12-week period of the school year selected by
1-14     the district, in the case of a district whose average daily
1-15     attendance is adjusted under Section 42.005(c); or
1-16                 (2)  the last 12 weeks of any school year in the case
1-17     of any other district.
1-18           (e)  A school district shall report to the commissioner the
1-19     number of students enrolled in each class. The report shall be
1-20     organized by grade level, curriculum subject, and special program.
1-21           SECTION 2.  Effective September 1, 2000, Subsections (b) and
1-22     (c), Section 39.052, Education Code, are amended to read as
1-23     follows:
1-24           (b)  The report card shall include the following information
 2-1     where applicable:
 2-2                 (1)  the academic excellence indicators adopted under
 2-3     Sections 39.051(b)(1) through (8);
 2-4                 (2)  class sizes, organized by grade level, curriculum
 2-5     subject, and special program [student/teacher ratios]; and
 2-6                 (3)  administrative and instructional costs per
 2-7     student.
 2-8           (c)  The commissioner shall adopt rules for requiring
 2-9     dissemination of appropriate class size and student performance
2-10     portions of campus report cards annually to the parent, guardian,
2-11     conservator, or other person having lawful control of each student
2-12     at the campus.  On written request, the school district shall
2-13     provide a copy of a campus report card to any other party.
2-14           SECTION 3.  Effective July 1, 2001, and applicable beginning
2-15     with the 2001-2002 school year, Subsection (a), Section 25.112,
2-16     Education Code, is amended to read as follows:
2-17           (a)  Except as otherwise authorized by this section, a school
2-18     district may not enroll more than 18 students in each
2-19     prekindergarten, kindergarten, or first or second grade class or
2-20     other instructional setting or 22 students in each [a kindergarten,
2-21     first, second,] third, [or] fourth, fifth, or sixth grade class or
2-22     other instructional setting.  These limitations do [That limitation
2-23     does] not apply during:
2-24                 (1)  any 12-week period of the school year selected by
2-25     the district, in the case of a district whose average daily
2-26     attendance is adjusted under Section 42.005(c); or
 3-1                 (2)  the last 12 weeks of any school year in the case
 3-2     of any other district.
 3-3           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
 3-4     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 3-5     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 3-6     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 3-7     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.