SRC-MWN S.B. 1695 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1695
By: Shapleigh
Education
3/29/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

The Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso has suffered from
contradictory board leadership over the past several years resulting in an
absence of consistent leadership that impairs the quality of education in
the district. As proposed, S.B. 1695 provides for a restructuring of the
Ysleta school district school board to consist of five "single member"
seats and two "at large" seats. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a
state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 11C, Education Code, by adding Section 11.0531,
as follows: 

Sec. 11.0531. SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS IN CERTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICTS. (a)
Provides that this section applies to a school district with an average
daily attendance of more than 40,000 and less than 60,000 that elects
trustees from single-member trustee districts and is located wholly within
a county with a population of more than 550,000 that shares a border with a
foreign country. 

(b) Requires the district to which this section applies to elect five
trustees from single-member trustee districts and two trustees at large. 

(c) Requires the board to divide the school district into five trustee
districts and to number each trustee district. Requires the trustee
districts to be compact and contiguous and to be nearly as practicable of
equal population. Requires districts to be drawn not later than a certain
date. 

(d) Provides that residents of each trustee are entitled to elect one
trustee to the board. Requires a trustee elected to represent a trustee
district at the first election of trustees under this section to be a
resident of the district the trustee represents not later than a certain
date. Requires a candidate for trustee representing a single-member trustee
district, after the first election of trustees under this section, to be a
resident of that trustee district. Provides that a trustee vacates the
office if the trustee fails to move into the trustee district the trustee
represents within the time provided by this subsection or ceases to reside
in the district the trustee represents. 

(e) Requires an at large candidate to be a resident of the district.
Provides that an at large trustee vacates the office if the trustee ceases
to reside in the district. 
 
(f) Requires all positions on the board, at the first election at which
trustees are elected under this section to be filled. Requires all trustees
then elected to draw lots of staggered terms as provided by Section 11.059. 

  (g) Provides that this Section expires January 1, 2005.

SECTION 2. Requires the board of trustees of a district to perform certain
procedures by a certain date. 

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2001.