BILL ANALYSIS
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Senate Research Center |
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AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Interested parties, noting the benefits of prekindergarten programs, point to a need for additional half-day prekindergarten funding for school districts, such as Cameron County's Brownsville Independent School District and others. The parties explain that while some low-income students currently qualify for free state-funded prekindergarten, many other low-income families do not. H.B. 731 seeks to address this need by providing more students the opportunity to attend half-day prekindergarten
H.B. 731 amends current law relating to a pilot program under the foundation school program for funding prekindergarten programs provided by certain school districts with early high school graduation programs.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education in SECTION 1 (Section 42.2527, Education Code) of this bill.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter E, Chapter 42, Education Code, by adding Section 42.2527, as follows:
Sec. 42.2527. ADJUSTMENT FOR CERTAIN DISTRICTS WITH EARLY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION PROGRAMS. (a) Requires the commissioner of education (commissioner), as a pilot program to enable the state to evaluate the benefit of providing additional funding at the prekindergarten level for low-income students, to provide prekindergarten funding in accordance with this section to a school district located in a county that borders the United Mexican States and the Gulf of Mexico.
(b) Requires the commissioner to provide funding for a school district's prekindergarten program on a half-day basis for a number of low-income prekindergarten students equal to twice the number of students who received, as a result of participation in an early high school graduation program operated by the district, a high school diploma from the district during the preceding school year after three years of secondary school attendance.
(c) Authorizes the commissioner to adopt rules necessary to implement this section.
(d) Provides that this section expires September 1, 2023.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2015.