81R26342 E

By: Patrick, Eissler, Anchia, Pitts, H.B. No. 130

Thompson, et al.

Substitute the following for H.B. No. 130:

By: Patrick C.S.H.B. No. 130

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to an enhanced quality full-day prekindergarten program provided by public school districts in conjunction with community providers.

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

SECTION 1. Section 12.104(b), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) An open-enrollment charter school is subject to:

(1) a provision of this title establishing a criminal offense; and

(2) a prohibition, restriction, or requirement, as applicable, imposed by this title or a rule adopted under this title, relating to:

(A) the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) to the extent necessary to monitor compliance with this subchapter as determined by the commissioner;

(B) criminal history records under Subchapter C, Chapter 22;

(C) reading instruments and accelerated reading instruction programs under Section 28.006;

(D) satisfactory performance on assessment instruments and to accelerated instruction under Section 28.0211;

(E) high school graduation under Section 28.025;

(F) special education programs under Subchapter A, Chapter 29;

(G) bilingual education under Subchapter B, Chapter 29;

(H) prekindergarten programs under Subchapter E or E-1, Chapter 29;

(I) extracurricular activities under Section 33.081;

(J) discipline management practices or behavior management techniques under Section 37.0021;

(K) health and safety under Chapter 38;

(L) public school accountability under Subchapters B, C, D, and G, Chapter 39;

(M) the requirement under Section 21.006 to report an educator's misconduct; and

(N) intensive programs of instruction under Section 28.0213.

SECTION 2. Chapter 29, Education Code, is amended by adding Subchapter E-1 to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER E-1. ENHANCED QUALITY FULL-DAY PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM

Sec. 29.164. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "enhanced program" or "program" means an enhanced quality full-day prekindergarten program provided free of tuition or fees in accordance with this subchapter.

Sec. 29.165. ENHANCED QUALITY FULL-DAY PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM GRANTS. (a) From funds appropriated for that purpose, the commissioner by rule shall establish a grant program under which grants are awarded to school districts to implement an enhanced quality full-day prekindergarten program for children eligible for classes under Section 29.153.

(b) A school district may apply to the commissioner to participate in the grant program. In awarding grants under this subchapter for each school year, the commissioner shall give priority in the order listed to the following school districts:

(1) school districts that receive grant funding from the commissioner for early childhood education in a lesser amount than the amount provided for that purpose during the preceding school year;

(2) school districts that are not eligible to receive any other existing early childhood grants awarded by the commissioner; and

(3) school districts with a high percentage of students who are educationally disadvantaged, as determined by the commissioner.

(c) A school district may not enroll more than 22 students in a program class and must maintain an average ratio in the program of not less than one certified teacher or teacher's aide for each 11 students. Each program class must have at least one certified teacher.

(d) A certified teacher in the program must have a minimum of nine semester credit hours of college education courses emphasizing early childhood education.

1) In the event that a certified teacher as described in (d) is unavailable, the community provider shall require a certified teacher within 3 years of receiving grant funding from the district under this subsection. During that time, the teacher must have at minimum a Child Development Associate (CDA) certification with at least 3 years experience in early childhood education.

(e) A school district must select and implement a curriculum for the program that includes the prekindergarten guidelines established by the agency.

(f) A program is subject to any other requirements imposed by law that apply to a prekindergarten program not provided in accordance with this subchapter, except that to the extent a conflict exists between this subchapter and any other provision of law, this subchapter prevails.

Sec. 29.166. CONTRACTS WITH COMMUNITY PROVIDERS REQUIRED. (a) A school district that provides an enhanced program shall use at least 20 percent of grant funds provided under this subchapter to contract with one or more eligible community providers to provide the program.

(b) The commissioner may waive the requirement under Subsection (a) on an annual basis if a school district provides documentation acceptable to the commissioner that:

(1) the area served by the district does not have a sufficient number of eligible community providers;

(2) after a good faith effort, the school district did not receive any applications or other indications of interest in contracting with the district from eligible community providers; or

(3) after a good faith effort and for good cause, the district and one or more eligible community providers interested in contracting with the district were unable to reach an agreement.

(c) Not later than the 30th day after the date the commissioner receives a request for a waiver under Subsection (b), the commissioner shall send a written notice to the school district and the affected community provider, if applicable, granting or denying the request. A school district or community provider affected by a decision of the commissioner under this subsection may appeal the decision as provided by Section 7.057.

Sec. 29.167. ELIGIBLE COMMUNITY PROVIDERS. (a) To be eligible to contract with a school district to provide an enhanced program, a community provider must be center-based and licensed by and in good standing with the Department of Family and Protective Services. For purposes of this subsection, a community provider is in good standing with the Department of Family and Protective Services if the department has not taken an action against the provider's license under Section 42.071, 42.072, or 42.078, Human Resources Code, during the 12-month period preceding the date of a contract with a school district.

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), an eligible community provider must also meet one of the following criteria:

(1) the community provider must be certified through the school readiness certification system established under Section 29.161;

(2) the community provider must be a Texas Early Education Model participant;

(3) the community provider must be a Texas Rising Star Provider with a three-star certification or higher; or

(4) the community provider must be accredited by a research-based, nationally recognized, and universally accessible accreditation system approved by the agency that requires a developmentally appropriate curriculum that includes math, science, social studies, literacy, and social and emotional components.

(c) Notwithstanding failure to satisfy the requirements of Subsection (b) and subject to Subsection (d), a community provider otherwise eligible to contract with a school district under Subsection (a) may contract with a district if:

(1) the community provider meets quality criteria adopted by the district that are:

(A) based on the best available peer-reviewed research; and

(B) made available to the public in a timely manner; and

(2) the commissioner approves the arrangement.

(d) A community provider contracting with a school district as provided by Subsection (c) must meet the requirements for eligibility provided by Subsection (b) not later than the first anniversary of the date the contract was executed.

Sec. 29.168. WRITTEN CONTRACT REQUIRED. A school district and a community provider contracting under this subchapter shall enter a written contract governing the services to be provided by the community provider. The contract may provide for, but is not limited to, the following types of partnerships:

(1) the school district leases school facilities to or from the community provider;

(2) the school district employs a certified teacher for the prekindergarten class and the community provider supplies the school facilities and all other personnel and supplies; or

(3) the community provider supplies the school facilities, certified teachers, personnel, and supplies.

Sec. 29.169. FUNDING TO COMMUNITY PROVIDER. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the amount of reimbursement provided by a school district to a community provider is negotiable between the district and the community provider based on the services provided.

(b) For each school district prekindergarten student in attendance in an enhanced program class provided by a community provider in which the community provider supplies the school facilities, certified teachers, personnel, and supplies, a school district shall reimburse the community provider in an amount not less than the sum of:

(1) the amount of the district's adjusted basic allotment, as determined under Section 42.102 or 42.103, as applicable, multiplied by 1.0; and

(2) the amount of any additional funding received by the district for the student under Subchapter C, Chapter 42.

(c) Funding provided under this section does not affect a community provider's eligibility to receive any other local, state, or federal funds to provide before-school, after-school, and summer child care.

Sec. 29.170. DISCRIMINATION BY COMMUNITY PROVIDER PROHIBITED. A community provider may not deny enhanced program services to a student on the basis of the student's race, religion, sex, ethnicity, national origin, or disability.

Sec. 29.171. ANNUAL ENHANCED PROGRAM REPORT. A school district operating an enhanced program shall provide an annual report to the agency not later than August 1 of each year. The report must include:

(1) the percentage of the grant funds provided under this subchapter used by the district to contract with community providers; and

(2) data components that illustrate acquisition of knowledge and skills consistent with the prekindergarten guidelines established by the agency.

Sec. 29.172. DUTIES OF COMMISSIONER. The commissioner shall:

(1) require regional education service centers to assist:

(A) school districts in:

(i) informing parents of prekindergarten options;

(ii) identifying eligible community providers and maintaining an updated list of eligible community providers; and

(iii) creating standardized forms and processes for outreach to and contracts with community providers for use when considering community partnerships;

(B) community providers in establishing contracts with school districts under this subchapter; and

(C) community providers who are not eligible to contract with a school district under this subchapter by providing information regarding eligibility to contract with a school district; and

(2) encourage regional education service centers and school districts to use locally available child care resources and referral services.

Sec. 29.173. STATE FUNDING; GRANT AMOUNT. (a) From funds appropriated for the purposes of this subchapter the commissioner shall award grants as provided by this subchapter.

(b) The commissioner, in accordance with this subsection, shall determine the amount of each grant awarded under this subchapter. A grant must provide an amount of funding for each student in the program equal to 70 percent of the statewide average funding provided per student to an open-enrollment charter school under Section 12.106, including all adjustments used in computing per-student funding under that section.

(c) Funding provided for each program student through a grant under this subchapter is in addition to funding otherwise provided for the student under Chapter 42.

Sec. 29.174. RULES. The commissioner may adopt rules necessary to implement this subchapter.

Sec. 29.175. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR VOUCHERS. Funds provided for the operation of the enhanced program through a grant awarded under this subchapter must be paid directly to a public school district or open-enrollment charter school. It is the intent of the legislature that this requirement is absolute and that the terms of this requirement be broadly construed so as to prevent the use of public funds for any program having the same effect as a voucher program. This section does not prohibit the use of state funding by a school district or open-enrollment charter school under a contract entered into by the district or school before January 1, 2009, under a law in effect at the time the contract was approved, if state funds are paid directly to the district or school.

Sec. 29.176. ENHANCED PROGRAM EVALUATION. (a) Using information provided to the agency under Section 29.171 and using funds available for that purpose, in an amount not to exceed $150,000 each fiscal year, the commissioner shall contract for an evaluation of the effectiveness of the enhanced program in promoting student achievement and school readiness.

(b) Not later than December 1, 2012, the commissioner shall deliver an interim report to the legislature containing the preliminary results of the evaluation.

(c) Not later than December 1, 2016, the commissioner shall deliver to the legislature a final report regarding the program.

(d) This section expires December 1, 2016.

SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it 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, this Act takes effect September 1, 2009.