By:  Van de Putte                                                 S.B. No. 112
	(In the Senate - Filed November 14, 2002; January 29, 2003, 
read first time and referred to Committee on Education; 
March 13, 2003, reported adversely, with favorable Committee 
Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 9, Nays 0; March 13, 2003, 
sent to printer.)


COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 112                                    By:  Van de Putte

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to career and technology education and training. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subsection (b), Section 11.251, Education Code, is amended to read as follows: (b) The board shall adopt a policy to establish a district- and campus-level planning and decision-making process that will involve the professional staff of the district, parents, and community members in establishing and reviewing the district's and campuses' educational plans, goals, performance objectives, and major classroom instructional programs. The board shall establish a procedure under which meetings are held regularly by district- and campus-level planning and decision-making committees that include representative professional staff, parents of students enrolled in the district, business representatives, and community members. The committees shall include a business representative [representatives,] without regard to whether the [a business] representative resides in the district or whether the business the person represents is located in the district. The board, or the board's designee, shall periodically meet with the district-level committee to review the district-level committee's deliberations. SECTION 2. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (n) to read as follows: (n) The State Board of Education may by rule develop and implement a plan designed to incorporate foundation curriculum requirements into the career and technology education curriculum under Subsection (a)(2)(F). SECTION 3. Subchapter F, Chapter 29, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 29.187 to read as follows: Sec. 29.187. AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION; PROGRAM. (a) In addition to the authority granted under Section 29.183, the board of trustees of a school district may develop and offer a program that provides a rigorous course of study consistent with the required curriculum under Section 28.002 and under which a student may: (1) receive specific education in a career and technology profession that: (A) leads to postsecondary education; or (B) meets or exceeds business or industry standards; and (2) obtain from the district an award for distinguished achievement in career and technology education and a stamp or other notation on the student's transcript that indicates receipt of the award. (b) An award granted under this section is not in lieu of a diploma or certificate of coursework completion issued under Section 28.025. (c) In developing a program under this section, the board of trustees of a school district shall consider the state plan for career and technology education required under Section 29.182. (d) The board of trustees of a school district may contract with an entity listed in Section 29.184(a) for assistance in developing the program or providing instruction to district students participating in the program. (e) The board of trustees of a school district may also contract with a local business or a local institution of higher education for assistance in developing or operating a program under this section. A program may provide education in areas of technology unique to the local area. (f) The board of trustees of a school district may provide insurance to protect a business that contracts with the district under Subsection (e) against liability for a bodily injury sustained by or the death of a district student while working for the business as part of a program established under this section. The board shall notify the parent or guardian of each student working for a business if the board provides insurance to the business under this subsection. The amount of insurance the district provides must be reasonable considering the financial condition of the district. The insurance must be: (1) obtained from a reliable insurer authorized to engage in business in the state; and (2) submitted on a form approved by the commissioner of insurance. (g) If a business that contracts with a district under Subsection (e) obtains any insurance related to the student other than liability insurance, any proceeds of the insurance must be used for the benefit of the student and the student's family. (h) The board of trustees of a school district must submit a proposed program under this section to the commissioner of education in accordance with criteria established by the commissioner. SECTION 4. Subchapter F, Chapter 29, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 29.188 to read as follows: Sec. 29.188. RECOGNITION OF SUCCESSFUL CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAM. The governor is encouraged to present a proclamation or certificate to each member of the business and industry community that the Texas Workforce Commission, in cooperation with the agency, determines has successfully assisted in the provision of a career and technology education program under this subchapter. SECTION 5. Subsection (a), Section 41.122, Education Code, is amended to read as follows: (a) After first executing an agreement under this subchapter other than an agreement under Section 41.125, the board of trustees of the district that will be educating nonresident students shall order and conduct an election, in the manner provided by Sections 13.003(d)-(g), to obtain voter approval of the agreement. SECTION 6. Section 41.123, Education Code, is amended to read as follows: Sec. 41.123. WADA COUNT. For purposes of Chapter 42, students served under an agreement under this subchapter are counted only in the weighted average daily attendance of the district providing the services, except that students served under an agreement authorized by Section 41.125 are counted in a manner determined by the commissioner. SECTION 7. Subchapter E, Chapter 41, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 41.125 to read as follows: Sec. 41.125. CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAMS. (a) The board of trustees of a school district with a wealth per student that exceeds the equalized wealth level may reduce the district's wealth per student by executing an agreement to provide students of one or more other districts with career and technology education through a program designated as an area program for career and technology education. (b) The agreement is not effective unless the commissioner certifies that: (1) implementation of the agreement will not result in any of the affected districts' wealth per student being greater than the equalized wealth level; and (2) the agreement requires the district with a wealth per student that exceeds the equalized wealth level to make expenditures benefiting students from other districts in an amount at least equal to the amount that would be required for the district to purchase the number of attendance credits under Subchapter D necessary, in combination with any other actions taken under this chapter other than an action under this section, to reduce the district's wealth per student to a level that is equal to or less than the equalized wealth level. SECTION 8. Subsection (b), Section 61.077, Education Code, is amended to read as follows: (b) The purposes of this committee shall include the following: (1) to advise the two boards on the coordination of postsecondary career and technology education and the articulation between postsecondary career and technology education and secondary career and technology education; (2) to facilitate the transfer of responsibilities for the administration of postsecondary career and technology education from the State Board of Education to the board in accordance with Section 111(a)(I) of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act, Public Law 98-524; (3) to cooperate with [advise] the commissioner of higher education and the State Board of Education, when it acts as the State Board for Career and Technology Education, on the following: (A) the transfer of federal funds to the board for allotment to eligible public postsecondary institutions of higher education; (B) the career and technology education funding for projects and institutions as determined by the board when the State Board for Career and Technology Education is required by federal law to endorse such determinations; (C) the development and updating of the state plan for career and technology education and the evaluation of programs, services, and activities of postsecondary career and technology education and such amendments to the state plan for career and technology education as may relate to postsecondary education; (D) other matters related to postsecondary career and technology education; and (E) the coordination of curricula, instructional programs, research, and other functions as appropriate, including areas listed in Section 61.076 [of this code], school-to-work and school-to-college transition programs, and professional development activities; and (4) to advise the Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness on educational policy issues related to workforce preparation. SECTION 9. Subchapter D, Chapter 301, Labor Code, is amended by adding Section 301.0611 to read as follows: Sec. 301.0611. COORDINATION OF CERTAIN AWARDS AND INCENTIVES. The commission, in cooperation with the Texas Education Agency, the comptroller, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, shall prepare and make available to the public a list of all awards and incentives available for business participation in: (1) a school district's career and technology education program under Subchapter F, Chapter 29, Education Code; or (2) any other career and technology education training. SECTION 10. It is the intent of the legislature that public schools provide career and technology education by teaching fundamental academic skills and providing practical, hands-on learning experiences. Career and technology education should not include mandatory career-tracking for students or result in professional certification instead of receipt of a high school diploma. The purpose of career and technology education is to prepare students for postsecondary educational opportunities and high-skill, high-wage employment opportunities. SECTION 11. This Act takes effect September 1, 2003, except that Sections 1 and 3 of this Act take effect immediately and apply beginning with the 2003-2004 school year if this Act receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, Sections 1 and 3 of this Act take effect September 1, 2003.
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