BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 955

By: Schwertner

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note that a public senior college or university is allowed by law to operate an open-enrollment charter school within the county in which the college or university has a campus. These parties assert that this law is insufficient in meeting the educational needs of many Texas communities. S.B. 955 seeks to help increase the number of charter school classrooms in Texas and promote partnerships between university systems and public schools.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 955 amends the Education Code to expand the locations at which a public senior college or university may operate an open-enrollment charter school from a location in the same county in which the campus of the public senior college or university is located to another location in any Texas county. The bill requires the commissioner of education, in evaluating an application by a public senior college or university to operate an open-enrollment charter school in a county other than the county in which the campus of the applicant is located, to consider 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 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. The bill's provisions apply to an application for a new charter pending on or submitted on or after the bill's effective date. The bill authorizes a public senior college or university that holds a charter granted before the bill's effective date to operate a charter school at a location in any Texas county but requires the college or university to obtain the commissioner's approval if the college or university seeks to operate an additional campus and the commissioner's approval of the expansion is required.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.