AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Open-enrollment public charter school students in Texas are currently funded based on a calculation of the statewide average of Foundation School Program dollars provided to independent school districts. Unlike independent school districts, public charter schools do not receive direct state aid for facilities and do not levy an ad valorem tax to support their schools. As a result, students enrolled in a public charter schools receive, on average, $1000 less Foundation School Program funding than students enrolled in independent school district campuses.
S.B. 1900 provides funding per public charter student in an amount equal to the state average Foundation School Program funding collected by independent school districts through the ad valorem tax levy.
As proposed, S.B. 1900 amends current law relating to funding for an open-enrollment charter school based on certain ad valorem taxes collected by school districts.
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 12.106, Education Code, by adding Subsection (d), to entitle a charter holder, in addition to other amounts provided by this section, to receive for the open-enrollment charter school funding per student in weighted average daily attendance in an amount equal to the state average amount of revenue per student in weighted average daily attendance collected by independent school districts under Section 45.001(a)(2) (authorizing the governing board of an independent school district to levy, pledge, assess and collect annual ad valorem taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds as or before the principal and interest become due).
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2015.