BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center C.S.S.B. 1644
Committee Report (Substituted)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Each year, the Texas Education Agency honors an elementary teacher of the year and a secondary teacher of the year. Teachers are also selected as regional teachers of the year in their respective educational service center regions. These teachers serve as ambassadors for public education but the state does not take advantage of their knowledge and expertise, as all teachers are currently prohibited from serving as members of the their regional education service center boards of directors and the State Board of Education (SBOE) does not provide for any sort of teacher membership.
C.S.S.B. 1644 authorizes the state elementary and secondary teachers of the year to serve as a nonvoting member of SBOE and a regional teacher of the year to serve as a nonvoting member of the teacher’s regional education service center board of directors.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
Rulemaking authority previously granted to the commissioner of education is modified in SECTION 2 (Section 8.003, Education Code), of this bill.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 7.101, Education Code, as follows
Sec. 7.101. COMPOSITION. Provides that the State Board of Education (SBOE) is composed of 15 voting members elected from districts and two nonvoting members, selected as provided by Subsection (c). Provides that each district from which an SBOE member is elected is composed as provided by law, rather than former Sections 11.2101(b)-(t), as enacted by Chapter 2, Acts of the 72nd Legislature, 2nd Called Session, 1991.
(b) Provides that voting members, rather than members, of SBOE are elected at biennial general elections held in compliance with the Election Code.
(c) Entitles a teacher selected as the state teacher of the year under a program adopted by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to serve as a nonvoting member of SBOE, notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter. Provides that a state teacher of the year serving on SBOE as provided by this section serves a two-year term beginning on the first day of the teacher's term as state teacher of the year.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 8.003(b), Education Code, to require rules adopted by the commissioner of education regarding the selection of regional education service center board members to entitle a teacher selected as a regional teacher of the year under a program adopted by TEA to serve as a nonvoting member of the board of directors for that region.
SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2007.