| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the state virtual school network and virtual high |
|
|
schools. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 30A, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 30A.007 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 30A.007. SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICY ON ELECTRONIC COURSES. |
|
|
A school district shall adopt a policy that provides district |
|
|
students with the opportunity to enroll in electronic courses |
|
|
provided through the state virtual school network. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 30A.104, Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 30A.104. COURSE ELIGIBILITY IN GENERAL. (a) A course |
|
|
offered through the state virtual school network must: |
|
|
(1) be in a specific subject that is part of the |
|
|
required curriculum under Section 28.002(a); |
|
|
(2) be aligned with the essential knowledge and skills |
|
|
identified under Section 28.002(c) for a grade level at or above |
|
|
grade level three; and |
|
|
(3) be the equivalent in instructional rigor and scope |
|
|
to a course that is provided in a traditional classroom setting |
|
|
during: |
|
|
(A) a semester of 90 instructional days; and |
|
|
(B) a school day that meets the minimum length of |
|
|
a school day required under Section 25.082. |
|
|
(b) If the essential knowledge and skills with which an |
|
|
approved course is aligned in accordance with Subsection (a)(2) are |
|
|
modified, the provider school district or school must be provided |
|
|
the same time period to revise the course to achieve alignment with |
|
|
the modified essential knowledge and skills as is provided for the |
|
|
modification of a course provided in a traditional classroom |
|
|
setting. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 30A.105, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) and amending Subsection (d) to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a-1) The administering authority shall publish the |
|
|
schedule established under Subsection (a)(1), including any |
|
|
deadlines specified in that schedule, and any guidelines applicable |
|
|
to the submission and approval process for electronic courses. |
|
|
(a-2) The evaluation required by Subsection (a)(2) must |
|
|
include review of each electronic course component, including |
|
|
off-line material proposed to be used in the course. |
|
|
(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 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 a fee equal to the amount of the |
|
|
costs in order to ensure that evaluation of the course occurs. The |
|
|
agency shall establish and publish a fee schedule for purposes of |
|
|
this subsection. |
|
|
SECTION 4. Subchapter D, Chapter 30A, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 30A.153 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 30A.153. FOUNDATION SCHOOL PROGRAM FUNDING. (a) A |
|
|
school district or open-enrollment charter school in which a |
|
|
student is enrolled is entitled to funding under Chapter 42 for the |
|
|
student's enrollment in an electronic course offered through the |
|
|
state virtual school network in the same manner that the district or |
|
|
school is entitled to funding for the student's enrollment in |
|
|
courses provided in a traditional classroom setting, provided that |
|
|
the student successfully completes the electronic course. |
|
|
(b) A school district or open-enrollment charter school in |
|
|
which a student is enrolled shall enter into an agreement with the |
|
|
provider school district or school for the payment to the provider |
|
|
school district or school of costs associated with the enrollment |
|
|
of the student in an electronic course. |
|
|
(c) The administering authority, with the approval of the |
|
|
commissioner, shall adopt a standard agreement under Subsection (b) |
|
|
that governs payment of funds and other matters relating to a |
|
|
student's enrollment in an electronic course offered through the |
|
|
state virtual school network. A school district or open-enrollment |
|
|
charter school shall use the standard agreement unless: |
|
|
(1) the district or school requests from the |
|
|
commissioner permission to modify the standard agreement; and |
|
|
(2) the commissioner authorizes the modification. |
|
|
SECTION 5. Subtitle F, Title 2, Education Code, is amended |
|
|
by adding Chapter 30B to read as follows: |
|
|
CHAPTER 30B. VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOLS |
|
|
Sec. 30B.001. CREATION OF VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOLS. (a) The |
|
|
commissioner by rule shall establish a process under which an |
|
|
eligible entity, as determined by the commissioner, may submit an |
|
|
application to the commissioner for authorization to operate a |
|
|
virtual high school. |
|
|
(b) A virtual high school authorized by the commissioner |
|
|
may: |
|
|
(1) enroll eligible students on a full-time basis; and |
|
|
(2) grant high school diplomas to students who meet |
|
|
the requirements for a diploma imposed under this title. |
|
|
Sec. 30B.002. ELIGIBLE STUDENTS. (a) A student may enroll |
|
|
in a virtual high school on a full-time basis if the student resides |
|
|
in this state and is under 26 years of age. |
|
|
(b) A virtual high school may also elect to admit: |
|
|
(1) a student described by Subsection (a) on a |
|
|
part-time basis; or |
|
|
(2) a student who resides in this state and is 26 years |
|
|
of age or older. |
|
|
Sec. 30B.003. CURRICULUM. (a) A virtual high school shall |
|
|
permit students to enroll in courses provided through the state |
|
|
virtual school network under Chapter 30A in addition to courses |
|
|
offered directly by the virtual high school. |
|
|
(b) A virtual high school may develop a community-based |
|
|
course in physical education or fine arts. A course developed under |
|
|
this subsection must be approved by the agency before the virtual |
|
|
high school may offer the class to a student for academic credit. |
|
|
Sec. 30B.004. FUNDING. (a) For each student described by |
|
|
Section 30B.002(a) enrolled in the school, a virtual high school is |
|
|
entitled to allotments under Chapter 42 as if the school were a |
|
|
school district without a tier one local share for purposes of |
|
|
Section 42.253. |
|
|
(b) A virtual high school is not entitled to allotments |
|
|
under Chapter 42 for students described by Section 30B.002(b). A |
|
|
virtual high school may: |
|
|
(1) charge a fee for enrollment to students described |
|
|
by Section 30B.002(b); or |
|
|
(2) use adult basic education funds to pay the costs of |
|
|
enrollment of students described by Section 30B.002(b)(2), if those |
|
|
funds are available for that purpose. |
|
|
SECTION 6. Section 42.003(a), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a) A student is entitled to the benefits of the Foundation |
|
|
School Program if, on September 1 of the school year, the student is |
|
|
5 years of age or older and under 21 years of age and has not |
|
|
graduated from high school, or is at least 21 years of age and under |
|
|
26 years of age and has been admitted by a virtual high school under |
|
|
Chapter 30B or a school district to complete the requirements for a |
|
|
high school diploma. |
|
|
SECTION 7. Section 42.302(a), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a) Each school district is guaranteed a specified amount |
|
|
per weighted student in state and local funds for each cent of tax |
|
|
effort over that required for the district's local fund assignment |
|
|
up to the maximum level specified in this subchapter. The amount |
|
|
of state support, subject only to the maximum amount under Section |
|
|
42.303, is determined by the formula: |
|
|
GYA = (GL X WADA X DTR X 100) - LR |
|
|
where: |
|
|
"GYA" is the guaranteed yield amount of state funds to be |
|
|
allocated to the district; |
|
|
"GL" is the dollar amount guaranteed level of state and local |
|
|
funds per weighted student per cent of tax effort, which is an |
|
|
amount described by Subsection (a-1) or a greater amount for any |
|
|
year provided by appropriation; |
|
|
"WADA" is the number of students in weighted average daily |
|
|
attendance, which is calculated by dividing the sum of the school |
|
|
district's allotments under Subchapters B and C, less any allotment |
|
|
to the district for transportation, any allotment under Section |
|
|
42.158 [, 42.159,] or 42.160, and 50 percent of the adjustment under |
|
|
Section 42.102, by the basic allotment for the applicable year; |
|
|
"DTR" is the district enrichment tax rate of the school |
|
|
district, which is determined by subtracting the amounts specified |
|
|
by Subsection (b) from the total amount of maintenance and |
|
|
operations taxes collected by the school district for the |
|
|
applicable school year and dividing the difference by the quotient |
|
|
of the district's taxable value of property as determined under |
|
|
Subchapter M, Chapter 403, Government Code, or, if applicable, |
|
|
under Section 42.2521, divided by 100; and |
|
|
"LR" is the local revenue, which is determined by multiplying |
|
|
"DTR" by the quotient of the district's taxable value of property as |
|
|
determined under Subchapter M, Chapter 403, Government Code, or, if |
|
|
applicable, under Section 42.2521, divided by 100. |
|
|
SECTION 8. Section 42.159, Education Code, is repealed. |
|
|
SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |