By: Truitt (Senate Sponsor - Nelson) H.B. No. 2366

(In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 2011; May 9, 2011, read first time and referred to Committee on Education; May 19, 2011, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 1; May 19, 2011, sent to printer.)

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the authority of an open-enrollment charter school operated by a municipality to give a preference in admissions to children of employees of the municipality.

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

SECTION 1. Section 12.117, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

(c) An open-enrollment charter school authorized by a charter granted under this subchapter to a municipality:

(1) is considered a work-site open-enrollment charter school for purposes of federal regulations regarding admissions policies that apply to open-enrollment charter schools receiving federal funding; and

(2) notwithstanding Subsection (a), may admit children of employees of the municipality to the school before conducting a lottery to fill remaining available positions, provided that the number of children admitted under this subdivision constitutes only a small percentage, as may be further specified by federal regulation, of the school's total enrollment.

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 September 1, 2011.

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