AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Current Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Texas Education Agency rules allow high school students to take a wide range of academic and non-academic college courses approved for dual credit. In fiscal year 2009, 1,900 Texas high school students received both high school and college credit for physical education courses. Physical education courses are not included as part of the required 36 semester credit hour state core curriculum for colleges, so not every community college requires such courses to earn an associate degree. This bill would amend Section 130.008 (Courses for Joint High School and Junior College Credit), Education Code, to prohibit physical education dual credit courses from being available for dual credit funding purposes.
S.B. 419 amends current law relating to prohibiting state funding to public junior colleges for physical education courses offered for joint high school and junior college credit.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 130.008(c), Education Code, as follows:
(c) Requires that the contact hours attributable to the enrollment of a high school student in a course offered for joint high school and junior college credit under this section, excluding a course for which the student attending high school may receive course credit toward the physical education curriculum requirement under Section 28.002(a)(2)(c) (relating to physical education requirement), be included in the contact hours used to determine the junior college's proportionate share of the state money appropriated and distributed to public junior colleges under Sections 130.003 (State Appropriations for Public Junior Colleges) and 130.0031 (Transfers: When Made), even if the junior college waives all or part of the tuition or fees for the student under Subsection (b) (relating to junior college tuition and fee waivers).
SECTION 2. Provides that this Act applies beginning with funding for the 2011 fall semester.
SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2011