| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to local control over reforming school board governance of |
|
|
academically unacceptable school districts of a certain size. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 11 of the Education Code, |
|
|
is amended by adding Section 11.0525 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 11.0525. LOCAL CONTROL OVER REFORMING GOVERNANCE OF |
|
|
ACADEMICALLY UNACCEPTABLE SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF A CERTAIN SIZE. |
|
|
(a) In this section, "mayor" means the presiding officer of |
|
|
a municipality with the largest overlapping population. |
|
|
(b) This section only applies to independent school |
|
|
districts that have been designated Academically Unacceptable by |
|
|
the Texas Education Agency under section 39 of the Education Code in |
|
|
any of the prior three years and that have a total population of |
|
|
315,000 people or more. |
|
|
(c) If at least 15 percent or 15,000 of the registered |
|
|
voters of the school district, whichever is less, sign and present |
|
|
to the board of trustees a petition requesting submission to the |
|
|
voters of a proposition that trustees of the district be selected in |
|
|
the following manner: four elected from single-member trustee |
|
|
districts as defined by section 11.052 of the Education Code, and |
|
|
three appointed by the mayor, the board shall order that the |
|
|
proposition be placed on the ballot at the first regular election |
|
|
held after the 30th day after the date the petition is submitted to |
|
|
the board. |
|
|
(d) Beginning with the first regular election held after an |
|
|
election at which a majority of the registered voters voting |
|
|
approve the proposition, trustees of the district shall be selected |
|
|
in the manner prescribed by the approved proposition. |
|
|
(e) If voters authorize the mayor to appoint a trustee to |
|
|
the school board as specified by this section, a citizens advisory |
|
|
committee comprised of eleven residents of the school district |
|
|
shall be appointed by the mayor to conduct a call for and vetting of |
|
|
nominations. |
|
|
(f) The mayor shall make his or her appointment from a list |
|
|
of recommended candidates produced by a majority of the citizens |
|
|
advisory committee. |
|
|
(g) A school district governed under this section shall be |
|
|
governed and shall function in compliance with general law relating |
|
|
to independent school districts as provided by this chapter; and |
|
|
the board of trustees of a school district under this section may |
|
|
exercise any power specifically granted or reasonably implied by |
|
|
general law to the board of an independent school district. |
|
|
(h) If a school board is reconstituted based on this |
|
|
section, every twelve years after its restructuring the board of |
|
|
trustees shall order that the original proposition creating the |
|
|
reformed governance structure be placed on the ballot for |
|
|
reauthorization by a majority of the registered voters voting. If a |
|
|
majority of the registered voters voting fails to approve |
|
|
reauthorization of the reformed governance structure, the |
|
|
selection process of the board of trustees returns to its process |
|
|
prior to allowing for mayoral appointment. |
|
|
SECTION 2. 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 on the 91st day after the last day of the |
|
|
legislative session. |