By: King of Hemphill H.B. No. 2811
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to a revision of the essential knowledge and skills of the
  public school foundation curriculum, the instructional materials
  allotment, and proclamations for the production of instructional
  materials.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 28.0025 to read as follows:
         Sec. 28.0025.  REVIEW AND REVISION OF ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE
  AND SKILLS. (a) The State Board of Education shall: 
               (1)  conduct a review of the essential knowledge and
  skills for the foundation curriculum adopted under Section
  28.002(a)(1); and
               (2)  revise the essential knowledge and skills for that
  curriculum to narrow the number and scope of student expectations
  for each subject and grade level in accordance with this section.
         (b)  The scope of the essential knowledge and skills for each
  subject and grade level of the foundation curriculum must:
               (1)  be more narrow than the scope of the essential
  knowledge and skills adopted as of January 1, 2015; and 
               (2)  require less time for a demonstration of mastery
  than required for the essential knowledge and skills adopted as of
  January 1, 2015.
         (c)  In complying with this section, the State Board of
  Education shall:
               (1)  ensure that a revision of the essential knowledge
  and skills for the foundation curriculum does not result in a need
  for the adoption of new instructional materials;
               (2)  consider for each subject and grade level, the
  time:
                     (A)  a teacher would require to provide
  comprehensive instruction on a particular student expectation; and
                     (B)  a typical student would require to master a
  particular student expectation;
               (3)  determine whether, in light of the consideration
  required by Subdivision (2), each essential knowledge and skill of
  a subject can be comprehensively taught within the shorter of the
  following periods:
                     (A)  the number of school days available for
  instruction before the date a state assessment instrument is
  administered for the subject; or
                     (B)  the number of school days required under
  Section 25.081, not including the number of days required for
  testing;
               (4)  determine whether the college and career readiness
  standards have been appropriately integrated in the essential
  knowledge and skills for each subject and grade level; and
               (5)  consider whether an assessment instrument
  administered under Section 39.023 adequately assesses a particular
  student expectation.
         (d)  Not later than September 1, 2018, the State Board of
  Education shall complete the review and revision of the essential
  knowledge and skills for each subject and grade level of the
  foundation curriculum that was last revised before September 1,
  2012.
         (e)  This section expires September 1, 2019.
         SECTION 2.  Section 31.002, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subdivision (1-b) to read as follows:
               (1-b)  "Proclamation" means a request for production of
  instructional materials issued by the State Board of Education.
         SECTION 3.  Sections 31.0211(a) and (d), Education Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A school district is entitled to an [annual] allotment
  each biennium from the state instructional materials fund for each
  student enrolled in the district on a date during the last year of
  the preceding biennium [school year] specified by the
  commissioner.  The commissioner shall determine the amount of the
  allotment per student each biennium [year] on the basis of the
  amount of money available in the state instructional materials fund
  to fund the allotment.  An allotment under this section shall be
  transferred from the state instructional materials fund to the
  credit of the district's instructional materials account as
  provided by Section 31.0212.
         (d)  Each biennium [year] a school district shall use the
  district's allotment under this section to purchase, in the
  following order:
               (1)  instructional materials necessary to permit the
  district to certify that the district has instructional materials
  that cover all elements of the essential knowledge and skills of the
  required curriculum, other than physical education, for each grade
  level as required by Section 28.002; and
               (2)  any other instructional materials or
  technological equipment as determined by the district.
         SECTION 4.  Section 31.0212(a), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  The commissioner shall maintain an instructional
  materials account for each school district. In the first year of
  each biennium [Each school year], the commissioner shall deposit in
  the account for each district the amount of the district's
  instructional materials allotment under Section 31.0211.
         SECTION 5.  Sections 31.0215(a) and (b), Education Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The commissioner shall, as early as practicable during
  each biennium [fiscal year], notify each school district and
  open-enrollment charter school of the estimated amount to which the
  district or charter school will be entitled under Section 31.0211
  during the next fiscal biennium [year].
         (b)  The commissioner may allow a school district or
  open-enrollment charter school to place an order for instructional
  materials before the beginning of a fiscal biennium [year] and to
  receive instructional materials before payment.  The commissioner
  shall limit the cost of an order placed under this section to 80
  percent of the estimated amount to which a school district or
  open-enrollment charter school is estimated to be entitled as
  provided by Subsection (a) and shall first credit any balance in a
  district or charter school instructional materials account to pay
  for an order placed under this section.
         SECTION 6.  Section 31.022, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsections (b-1), (b-2), and (b-3) and amending Subsection
  (f) to read as follows:
         (b-1)  For any state fiscal biennium, the board may only
  issue proclamations for instructional materials in which the total
  projected cost of instructional materials under the proclamations
  does not exceed 75 percent of the total amount used to fund the
  instructional materials allotment under Section 31.0211 for that
  biennium.
         (b-2)  Following the adoption of revised essential knowledge
  and skills for any subject, the board shall determine whether
  issuance of a proclamation is necessary based on the significance
  of the changes to the essential knowledge and skills. If the board
  determines a proclamation is necessary, the board shall issue:
               (1)  a full call for instructional materials aligned to
  all of the essential knowledge and skills for the subject and grade
  level;
               (2)  a supplemental call for instructional materials
  aligned to new or expanded essential knowledge and skills for the
  subject and grade level;
               (3)  a call for new information demonstrating alignment
  of current instructional materials to the revised essential
  knowledge and skills; or
               (4)  any combination of the calls described by
  Subdivisions (1), (2), and (3).
         (b-3)  In determining the disbursement of money to the
  available school fund and the amount of that disbursement that will
  be used, in accordance with Section 43.001(d), to fund the
  instructional materials allotment under Section 31.0211, the board
  must consider the cost of all instructional materials and
  technology requirements for that state fiscal biennium.
         (f)  The board shall amend any proclamation [request for
  production] issued for the purchase of instructional materials to
  conform to the instructional materials funding levels provided by
  the General Appropriations Act for the year of implementation and
  to comply with Subsection (b-1).
         SECTION 7.  Section 43.001(d), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (d)  Each biennium [year] the State Board of Education shall
  set aside an amount equal to 50 percent of the [annual] distribution
  for that biennium [year] from the permanent school fund to the
  available school fund as provided by Section 5(a), Article VII,
  Texas Constitution, to be placed, subject to the General
  Appropriations Act, in the state instructional materials fund
  established under Section 31.021.
         SECTION 8.  Section 403.093(d), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (d)  The comptroller shall transfer from the general revenue
  fund to the foundation school fund an amount of money necessary to
  fund the foundation school program as provided by Chapter 42,
  Education Code. The comptroller shall make the transfers in
  installments as necessary to comply with Section 42.259, Education
  Code, and permit the Texas Education Agency, to the extent
  authorized by the General Appropriations Act, to make temporary
  transfers from the foundation school fund for payment of the
  instructional materials allotment under Section 31.0211, Education
  Code. Unless an earlier date is necessary for purposes of temporary
  transfers for payment of the instructional materials allotment, an
  [An] installment must be made not earlier than two days before the
  date an installment to school districts is required by Section
  42.259, Education Code, and must not exceed the amount necessary
  for that payment and any temporary transfers for payment of the
  instructional materials allotment.
         SECTION 9.  Sections 31.101(d) and (e), Education Code, are
  repealed.
         SECTION 10.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.