This website will be unavailable from Friday, April 26, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, April 29, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. due to data center maintenance.

BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

C.S.S.B. 1003

By: Bettencourt

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

According to interested parties, local school officials can only hire uncertified teachers on a school district teaching permit with approval from the Texas Education Agency and the parties note that the review process for this approval is not clearly outlined. The parties suggest that, following the passage of recent sweeping education legislation, the increased demand for career and technical education teachers is hard to meet within the current teacher certification and teaching permit structure. C.S.S.B. 1003 seeks to simplify the local school district teaching permit process with regard to career and technical education.

 

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

 

C.S.S.B. 1003 amends the Education Code to authorize a school district board of trustees to issue a school district teaching permit to a person who will teach courses only in career and technical education based on qualifications certified by the superintendent of the school district, which must include demonstrated subject matter expertise such as professional work experience, formal training and education, holding an active relevant industry license, certification, or registration, or any combination of work experience, training and education, or industry license, certification, or registration, in the subject matter to be taught. The bill requires the superintendent to certify to the board of trustees that the new employee has undergone a criminal background check and is capable of proper classroom management. The bill requires the district to require the new employee to obtain at least 20 hours of classroom management training and to comply with continuing education requirements as determined by the board of trustees. The bill authorizes the person to teach a career and technical education course immediately on issuance of the permit.

 

C.S.S.B. 1003 requires the board of trustees, promptly after employing a person to teach courses only in career and technical education, to send to the commissioner of education a written statement identifying the person, the course the person will teach, and the person's qualifications to teach the course. The bill exempts a person who will teach only noncore academic career and technical education from certain statutory school district teaching permit requirements. The bill's provisions apply beginning with the 2015–2016 school year.

 

 

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

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

 

COMPARISON OF SENATE ENGROSSED AND SUBSTITUTE

 

While C.S.S.B. 1003 may differ from the engrossed in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the engrossed and committee substitute versions of the bill.

 

SENATE ENGROSSED

HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

SECTION 1. Section 21.055, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d-1) to read as follows:

(b) To be eligible for a school district teaching permit under this section, a person must hold a baccalaureate degree. [This subsection does not apply to a person who will teach only career and technology education.]

(d-1) Subsections (b), (c), and (d) do not apply to a person who will teach only non-core academic career and technical education courses. A school board may issue a school district teaching permit to a person who will teach courses only in career and technical education based on qualifications certified by the superintendent of the school district. Qualifications must include demonstrated subject matter expertise through active professional licensure, certification, or registration by a nationally recognized professional accrediting agency and at least five years of full-time wage earning work experience requiring licensure within the past eight years.

 

The superintendent of the school district shall certify to the school board that a new employee has undergone a criminal background check and is capable of proper classroom management. A school district shall require a new employee to obtain at least 20 hours of classroom management training and to comply with continuing education requirements as determined by the school board. A person may teach a career and technical education course immediately upon issuance of a permit under this subsection. The school board, promptly after employing a person who qualifies under this subsection, shall send to the commissioner a written statement identifying the person, the course the person will teach, and the person's qualifications to teach the course.

 

SECTION 1. Section 21.055, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d-1) to read as follows:

(b) To be eligible for a school district teaching permit under this section, a person must hold a baccalaureate degree. [This subsection does not apply to a person who will teach only career and technology education.]

(d-1) Subsections (b), (c), and (d) do not apply to a person who will teach only noncore academic career and technical education courses. A school district board of trustees may issue a school district teaching permit to a person who will teach courses only in career and technical education based on qualifications certified by the superintendent of the school district. Qualifications must include demonstrated subject matter expertise such as professional work experience, formal training and education, holding an active professional relevant industry license, certification, or registration, or any combination of work experience, training and education, or industry license, certification, or registration, in the subject matter to be taught. The superintendent of the school district shall certify to the board of trustees that a new employee has undergone a criminal background check and is capable of proper classroom management. A school district shall require a new employee to obtain at least 20 hours of classroom management training and to comply with continuing education requirements as determined by the board of trustees. A person may teach a career and technical education course immediately upon issuance of a permit under this subsection. Promptly after employing a person who qualifies under this subsection, the board of trustees shall send to the commissioner a written statement identifying the person, the course the person will teach, and the person's qualifications to teach the course.

SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016 school year.

SECTION 2. Same as engrossed version.

 

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2015.

SECTION 3. Same as engrossed version.