BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3861

By: Rodriguez, Eddie

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

According to interested parties, the community school model under which public schools are open throughout the year to students, families, and community members has been shown to be a successful strategy for improving school performance. H.B. 3861 seeks to expand access to this strategy by providing for a public school campus's election under a campus turnaround plan to operate as a community school.

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

H.B. 3861 amends the Education Code to authorize a campus turnaround plan ordered by the commissioner of education to permit a public school campus to operate as a community school. The bill requires a plan to operate as a community school, in addition to other requirements applicable to a campus turnaround plan, to include strategies and programs to coordinate academic, social, and health services and reduce barriers to learning through partnerships and service coordination. The bill authorizes programs and services offered by a campus operating as a community school under a campus turnaround plan to include early childhood education, after‑school and summer school academic and enrichment programs, college and career preparation, service learning opportunities such as internships and community service programs, leadership and mentoring programs, activities to encourage community and parent engagement in students' education, health and social services for students and their families, and parenting classes.

H.B. 3861 requires a campus that elects to operate as a community school under a campus turnaround plan to establish a school community partnership team, composed of the members required for a campus-level planning and decision-making committee and additional community representatives, to coordinate with the campus intervention team for the campus; to establish a partnership with a lead organization that has experience in developing and implementing a community school plan; to designate a public school district employee or an employee of an organization with experience in developing and implementing a community school plan as the community school coordinator for the campus whose duties must include the recruitment and coordination of services from community partners; to develop a community school plan that satisfies the requirements for a campus improvement plan under statutory provisions relating to campus planning and site-based decision-making; and to gain approval for the community school plan from at least 75 percent of campus faculty and staff and 75 percent of parents of students enrolled at the school and from the board of trustees of the district in which the school is located.

H.B. 3861 prohibits the commissioner of education from ordering the closure of a campus without giving the campus the opportunity to operate as a community school under a campus turnaround plan and at least two years to implement the campus's community school plan.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.