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.