Amend CSSB 1 (house committee report) by adding the following appropriately numbered new ARTICLE to the bill and renumbering subsequent ARTICLES and SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

ARTICLE ____. STATE VIRTUAL SCHOOL NETWORK

SECTION ____.01.  Section 30A.105, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a), (c), and (d) and adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), and (a-3) to read as follows:

(a)  The administering authority shall:

(1)  establish a schedule for an annual submission and approval process for electronic courses;

(2)  evaluate electronic courses to be offered through the state virtual school network; and

(3)  not later than the 90th day after the date of submission [August 1 of each year], approve electronic courses that:

(A)  meet the criteria established under Section 30A.103; and

(B)  provide the minimum instructional rigor and scope required under Section 30A.104.

(c)  The agency shall require each school district, open-enrollment charter school, or public or private institution of higher education that submits an electronic course for evaluation and approval to pay a fee in the amount of $500 for each course submitted. The agency shall use the fees to pay the reasonable costs of evaluating and approving electronic courses. If the amount of fees collected under this subsection is [funds available to the agency for that purpose are] insufficient to pay the costs of evaluating and approving all electronic courses submitted for evaluation and approval, the agency shall give priority to paying the costs of evaluating and approving the following courses:

(1)  courses that satisfy high school graduation requirements;

(2)  courses that would likely benefit a student in obtaining admission to a postsecondary institution;

(3)  courses, including dual credit courses, that allow a student to earn college credit or other advanced credit;

(4)  courses in subject areas most likely to be highly beneficial to students receiving educational services under the supervision of a juvenile probation department, the Texas Youth Commission, or the Texas Department of Criminal Justice; and

(5)  courses in subject areas designated by the commissioner as commonly experiencing a shortage of teachers.

(d)  If the agency determines that the costs of evaluating and approving a submitted electronic course will not be paid by the agency due to a shortage of fees collected [funds available] for that purpose, the school district, open-enrollment charter school, or public or private institution of higher education that submitted the course for evaluation and approval may pay the costs in order to ensure that evaluation of the course occurs.