AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The Public Junior College and School District Partnership Program to Provide Dropout Recovery, created by the 82nd Legislature in 2011, calls for improved coordination between independent school districts and institutions of higher education with regard to technical education. However, career and technical education that leads to industry certifications can be expensive to provide and some public junior colleges may not have the needed equipment or expertise to provide the technical coursework.
S.B. 860 affords junior colleges an additional and cost-effective resource by clarifying that participating public junior colleges may partner with public technical institutes to comply with the program's requirement to provide career and technology coursework. The bill clarifies that public technical institutes may receive a negotiated amount from the partnering public junior college for courses taught.
S.B. 860 amends current law relating to the provision of career and technology education courses in certain partnership programs to provide high school dropout recovery.
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 29.402, Education Code, by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c-1), as follows:
(a) Deletes a reference to a September 1, 2012, beginning date and makes a nonsubstantive change.
(c-1) Authorizes a public junior college under this section to partner with a public technical institute, as defined by Section 61.003 (Definitions), to provide, as part of the dropout recovery program curriculum, career and technology education courses that lead to industry or career certification.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 29.403, Education Code, by adding Subsection (c), to authorize a public technical institute to receive from a partnering public junior college for each student enrolled in a career and technology education course as provided by Section 29.402(c-1) an amount negotiated between the public technical institute and the partnering public junior college.
SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2013.