AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Currently, universities are authorized to operate a charter school within the same county as their campus. These charter schools are required to use innovative teaching methods and must have measurable student outcome goals. There are currently five universities that operate charter schools.
The charter educational program must be supervised by a faculty member with substantial experience and expertise in education research, teacher education, classroom instruction, or educational administration. A charter school's financial operations must be supervised by the institution of higher education's business office.
S.B. 955 expands a university's authority to operate beyond the county in which they have a campus. A university-run charter school gives children exposure to higher education and allows student teachers to work innovatively in an alternative public education setting. S.B. 955 will expand learning opportunities to both students and student teachers.
S.B. 955 amends current law relating to permissible locations of open-enrollment charter schools created by certain institutions of higher education.
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 12.152, Education Code, as follows:
Sec. 12.152. AUTHORIZATION. (a) Creates this subsection from existing text. Authorizes the commissioner of education (commissioner), in accordance with this subchapter and Subchapter D (Open-Enrollment Charter School), to a grant a charter on the application of:
(1) a public senior college or university for an open-enrollment charter school to operate on the campus of the public senior college or university or, subject to Subsection (b), at another location in any county in this state, rather than on the campus of the public senior college or university in the same county in which the campus of the public senior college or university is located; or
(2) a public junior college for an open-enrollment charter school to operate on the campus of the public junior college or in the same county in which the campus of the public junior college is located.
(b) Requires the commissioner, in evaluating an application submitted under Subsection (a)(1) for a charter to operate an open-enrollment charter school in a county other the county in which the campus of the applicant is located, to consider:
(1) the locations of existing open-enrollment charter schools, as appropriate, to avoid duplication of services in the area in which the applicant proposes to operate the school; and
(2) the need of the community in the area in which the applicant proposes to operate the school to have an additional open-enrollment charter school.
SECTION 2. Provides that Section 12.152, Education Code, as amended by this Act:
(1) applies to an application for a new charter pending on or submitted on or after the effective date of this Act; and
(2) authorizes a public senior college or university that holds a charter granted before the effective date of this Act to operate a charter school at a location in any county of this state, provided that if the college or university seeks to operate an additional campus and the commissioner's approval of the expansion is required under Chapter 12 (Charters), Education Code, the college or university must obtain the commissioner's approval.
SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2015.