AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

S.B. 1004 allows the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and other school districts in Harris County and surrounding counties to contract with any of the 10 community college districts in the region to provide dual credit programs, to the benefit of students who would have expanded choices of programs and more opportunities to earn college credit and career training.

 

Presently, HISD can work with another community college system if the chancellor at Houston Community College (HCC) signs off on our state waiver of service, commonly considered the “right of first refusal.”  However, this is still a limitation, because HCC has the authority to decline the waiver.

 

A statutory change would warrant better courses and stronger programming for students. There are quite a few courses offered by other community colleges that are not offered at HCC.

 

As proposed, S.B. 1004 amends current law relating to the school district students to whom certain public junior colleges may offer certain courses and programs.

 

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 adding Subsection (a-1), as follows:

 

(a-1) Authorizes a public junior college with a service area located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million or in a county adjacent to a county with a population of more than three million to enter into an articulation agreement described by Subsection (a) (authorizing a public junior college to enter into an articulation agreement to partner with one or more school districts located in the public junior college district to provide on the campus of the public junior college a dropout recovery program for certain students to successfully complete and receive a diploma from a high school of the appropriate partnering school district) with any school district located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million.

 

SECTION 2. Amends Section 130.008, Education Code, by adding Subsection (g), as follows:

 

(g) Provides that Subsection (f) (prohibiting a student from enrolling in more than three courses under this section at a junior college if the junior college does not have a service area that includes the student's high school except as provided by this section) does not apply to a student enrolled in a school district located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million who seeks to enroll in a course offered by a junior college with a service area located wholly or partly in that county or in a county adjacent to that county.

 

SECTION 3. Amends Section 130.086, Education Code, by adding Subsection (d-1), as follows:

 

(d-1) Provides that Subsection (d) (providing that before any course may be offered by a public junior college within the service area of another operating public junior college, it must be established that the second public junior college is not capable of offering or is unable to offer the course) does not apply to a course offered by a public junior college with a service area located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million or in a county adjacent to a county with a population of more than three million for high school students enrolled in a school district located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million.

 

SECTION 4. Amends Section 130.090, Education Code, by adding Subsection (a-1), as follows:

 

(a-1) Authorizes the governing board of a junior college district located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million or in a county adjacent to a county with a population of more than three million to contract to provide remedial programs under Subsection (a) (authorizing the governing board of a junior college district to contract with the governing board of an independent school district in the junior college district's service area for the junior college to provide remedial programs for students enrolled in secondary schools in the independent school district in preparation for graduation from secondary school and entrance into college) with the governing board of any independent school district located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million.

 

SECTION 5. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2015.