By Solis H.B. No. 2325
77R6790 CAS-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the investment capital fund.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 7.024, Education Code, is amended to read
1-5 as follows:
1-6 Sec. 7.024. INVESTMENT CAPITAL FUND. (a) The investment
1-7 capital fund consists of money transferred to the fund as provided
1-8 by Section 42.152(l). The agency shall administer the fund. The
1-9 purposes of this fund are to:
1-10 (1) assist [eligible] public schools in implementing
1-11 one-on-one structured academic mentoring programs that have been
1-12 documented to be effective in improving the performance on
1-13 assessment instruments administered under Sections 39.023(a), (c),
1-14 and (l) of students at risk of dropping out of [to implement
1-15 practices and procedures consistent with deregulation and] school;
1-16 [restructuring in order to improve student achievement] and
1-17 (2) involve [to help schools identify and train]
1-18 parents, [and] community leaders, and other volunteers in academic
1-19 mentoring [who will hold the school and the school district
1-20 accountable for achieving high academic standards].
1-21 (b) The commissioner shall [may] make grants from the fund
1-22 to [eligible] schools in accordance with this section.
1-23 (c) A school may [is eligible to] apply for a grant under
1-24 this section [if the school has demonstrated a commitment to campus
2-1 deregulation and to restructuring educational practices and
2-2 conditions at the school by entering into a partnership with:]
2-3 [(1) school staff;]
2-4 [(2) parents of students at the school;]
2-5 [(3) community and business leaders;]
2-6 [(4) school district officers;]
2-7 [(5) a nonprofit, community-based organization that
2-8 has a demonstrated capacity to train, develop, and organize parents
2-9 and community leaders into a large, nonpartisan constituency that
2-10 will hold the school and the school district accountable for
2-11 achieving high academic standards; and]
2-12 [(6) the agency].
2-13 (d) A grant from the fund shall be made directly to the
2-14 school. The school may use the grant only for purposes described
2-15 by Subsection (a) and, through the academic mentoring program
2-16 described by Subsection (a), to:
2-17 (1) reduce the number of students referred to special
2-18 education programs under Subchapter A, Chapter 29;
2-19 (2) reduce the number of students retained at a grade
2-20 level;
2-21 (3) reduce the number of students who drop out of
2-22 school before graduation from high school; and
2-23 (4) increase the number of parents and community
2-24 volunteers actively involved in the school's educational program
2-25 [and may be used for the training and development of school staff,
2-26 parents, and community leaders in order that they understand and
2-27 implement the academic standards and practices necessary for high
3-1 academic achievement, appropriate strategies to deregulate and
3-2 restructure the school in order to improve student achievement, and
3-3 effective strategies to organize parents and community leaders into
3-4 a large, nonpartisan constituency that will hold the school and the
3-5 school district accountable for achieving high academic standards.
3-6 The grant may be used to implement strategies developed by the
3-7 partners that are designed to enrich or extend student learning
3-8 experiences outside of the regular school day].
3-9 (e) The commissioner shall [may] make a grant of up to
3-10 $50,000 each academic year to a [an eligible] school selected by
3-11 the commissioner in accordance with this section and rules adopted
3-12 by the commissioner to receive a grant under this section. An
3-13 administrator [Campus administration personnel] of a school that
3-14 receives a grant under this section [are accountable to the
3-15 commissioner of education and] must demonstrate:
3-16 (1) integration of the structured academic mentoring
3-17 program described by Subsection (a) with the school's regular
3-18 educational program based on a curriculum that covers the essential
3-19 knowledge and skills identified under Section 28.002 and enables
3-20 students to satisfy state standards established under Section
3-21 39.051 [the responsible use of the grant to achieve campus
3-22 deregulation and restructuring to improve academic performance];
3-23 (2) provision for teachers, paraprofessionals, and
3-24 other school staff of continuing professional development related
3-25 to improving student performance on the assessment instruments
3-26 under Section 39.023(a), (c), or (l), as applicable [a
3-27 comprehensive plan to engage in ongoing development and training of
4-1 teachers, parents, and community leaders to:]
4-2 [(A) understand academic standards;]
4-3 [(B) develop effective strategies to improve
4-4 academic performance; and]
4-5 [(C) organize a large constituency of parents
4-6 and community leaders to hold the school and school district
4-7 accountable to achieve high academic standards];
4-8 (3) meaningful involvement of parents and community
4-9 volunteers in the academic mentoring program described by
4-10 Subsection (a) [ongoing progress in achieving higher academic
4-11 performance]; [and]
4-12 (4) continuing improvement in student performance on
4-13 the assessment instruments administered under Section 39.023(a),
4-14 (c), or (l), as applicable, any other criterion-referenced
4-15 assessment instrument administered, and any norm-referenced
4-16 assessment instrument administered, as reported under Sections
4-17 39.052, 39.053, and 39.182; and
4-18 (5) use of grant funds to supplement rather than to
4-19 supplant existing state-funded programs and services [ongoing
4-20 progress in identifying, training, and organizing parents and
4-21 community leaders who are holding the school and the school
4-22 district accountable for achieving high academic standards].
4-23 (f) A school district shall obtain from a law enforcement or
4-24 criminal justice agency all criminal history record information
4-25 that relates to a person who volunteers in an academic mentoring
4-26 program described by Subsection (a).
4-27 (g) In this section, "student at risk of dropping out of
5-1 school" has the meaning assigned by Section 29.081.
5-2 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.