By: Eissler H.B. No. 3425

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the review of the public school system accountability.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. (a) The Select Committee on Public School Accountability is established.

(b) The committee is composed of:

(1) the chairs of the Senate Education Committee and the House Public Education Committee;

(2) one member of the senate, appointed by the lieutenant governor;

(3) one members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(4) one teacher, one principal, one school district superintendent and two other educators, appointed jointly by the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives;

(5) one representative of business or community, appointed by the lieutenant governor

(6) one representative of business or community, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(7) two members of businesses and communities, at least one of whom currently has one or more children attending public schools, appointed by the Governor; and

(8) the Commissioner of Education and the Commissioner of Higher Education.

(c) The chairs of the Senate Education Committee and the House Public Education Committee serve as co-chairs of the committee.

(d) The committee shall conduct an in-depth and comprehensive review of the public school accountability system. In conducting its review, the committee shall study the mission, organizational structure, design, processes and practices of similar systems in other states and the requirements established by the Elementary and Secondary School Act. The committee must review:

(1) each element of the accountability system with special emphasis on the indicators used to determine accreditation status; rewards and incentives for campus excellence; and the responsibilities of the commissioner of education in assisting and, if necessary, sanctioning districts not meeting state performance standards;

(2) the extent to which the system is aligned with federal requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act;

(3) the extent to which the system reflects the public education mission, objectives, and goals;

(4) the extent to which the system meets public expectations;

(5) the extent to which the system fairly and accurately reports the effectiveness of teachers, instructional programs, support services and financial outlays and their impact on student achievement;

(6) methods available to monitor the progress of each individual public school student, with special emphasis on demonstrable growth in academic achievement;

(7) performance indicators that would successfully measure the effectiveness of the campus teaching and learning environment, to include student discipline;

(8) the effectiveness of the system in reporting the performance of charter schools and alternative education programs;

(9) the implementation of statewide assessment instruments, particularly end-of-course exams;

(10) the extent to which the system measures the performance of districts and campuses on important indicators and aspects of the educational process other than standardized student test scores;

(11) the extent to which the system clearly, accurately, and understandably reports to parents and other constituents the overall performance of districts and campuses; and

(12) the extent to which the system takes into consideration the differing student demographics of districts and campuses.

(e) The commissioner of education shall ensure that the committee has access to any documentation and agency personnel the committee requests.

(f) Meetings of the committee shall be held at the call of the co-chairs.

(g) A majority of the members of the committee constitutes a quorum.

(h) Not later than October 1, 2007, the committee shall be established and hold an organizational meeting.

(i) The committee shall conduct public hearings throughout Texas and solicit testimony from parents and other constituents about the system, including holding at least one public hearing for public school students in a public school setting.

(j) Not later than December 1, 2008, the committee shall issue a report stating the findings of its review under Subsection (d) of this section, including any recommendations for statutory changes. The report must be approved by a majority of the membership of the committee. Any dissenting member may attach a statement to the report.

(k) Staff members of the Senate Education Committee and the House Public Education Committee shall serve as the staff of the committee.

(l) The Legislative Budget Board, comptroller, state auditor, and other state agencies, officials, and personnel shall cooperate with the committee in carrying out its duties under this section.

(m) Each member of the committee is entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in performing committee duties. Each legislative member is entitled to reimbursement from the appropriate fund of the member's respective house. Each public member is entitled to reimbursement from funds appropriated to the committee.

(n) The committee may coordinate its study with any other legislative study.

(o) The committee expires January 13, 2009.

SECTION 2. Effective September 1, 2009, Chapter 39, Subchapters C, D and E of the Education Code are repealed.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all of the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article II, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2007.