SRC-TAG C.S.S.B. 933 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research CenterC.S.S.B. 933
7810508 BDH-DBy: Shapiro
Education
4/9/2003
Committee Report (Substituted)

DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, some parents have left the public school system for private
schools or home schools, but might return if they were offered the support
of a content-rich curriculum, adaptive lessons, and certified teachers
without losing the flexibility of home-based learning.   C.S.S.B. 933
establishes virtual charter schools to be administered by public senior
colleges and universities.              
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education
in SECTION 2 (Section 12.153, Education Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.   Amends Section 12.002, Education Code, to include a college
or university charter as provided by Subchapter E as a class of charter
under this chapter of the Education Code. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Sections 12.151-12.153, Education Code, as follows:

Sec.  12.151.  New heading:  DEFINITIONS.  Defines " educational
activity,"  and "virtual charter school."  Makes a nonsubstantive change. 

Sec.  12.152.  AUTHORIZATION.  Authorizes the State Board of Education
(SBOE), in accordance with this subchapter or Subchapter D, to grant a
charter on the application of a public senior college or university for a
virtual charter school administered by a public senior college or
university to operate from an administrative office in the same county in
which the campus of the college or university is located. 

Sec.  12.153.  RULES.  (a)  Authorizes the commissioner of education
(commissioner) to adopt rules to implement this chapter. 

(b)  Requires the commissioner to adopt rules to administer virtual
charter schools under this subchapter.  Requires the commissioner to
determine the number of hours of virtual charter school educational
activities that are the equivalent of one day of school attendance, for
the purpose of charter school funding under Section 12.106. 

SECTION 3.  Amends Chapter 12E, Education Code, by adding Section 12.157,
as follows: 

 Sec.  12.157.  VIRTUAL CHARTER SCHOOL.  (a)  Requires a virtual charter
school to  meet a certain standard. 

(b)  Requires a student enrolled in a virtual charter school to meet
certain requirements. 

(c)  Requires a teacher employed by a virtual charter school to be
appropriately certified under Chapter 21B and to be available to meet with
the parents or legal guardian of each students at least four times each
school year. 

 (d)  Provides that a virtual charter school is entitled for each student
in average daily attendance to funding at a level equal to an
open-enrollment charter school. 

(e)  Requires a public senior college or university that holds a charter
for a virtual charter school to annually conduct an evaluation of the
school, including an analysis of certain measures. 

SECTION 4.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2003.    


SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE CHANGES

Differs from original by changing wording of relating clause.

SECTION 1.  Differs from the original bill by redesignating SECTION 2 as
SECTION 1.  

Differs from the original bill in redesignated SECTION 1 by adding a new
Subdivision (4). 

SECTION 2.  Differs from the original in proposed SECTION 2 by modifying
the definition of "educational activity," and by deleting the definition
of public senior college or university charter school. 

Differs from the original bill in proposed SECTION 2 by adding new text in
Sections 12.152 and 12.153, Education Code.      

SECTION 3.  Differs from the original bill in adding new text to SECTION 3.

SECTION 4.  Differs from the original bill by adding new text that changes
the effective date.