BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 233

By: Krause

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that many public school districts in Texas are designated as districts of innovation but that state law does not specifically provide for school start dates for these districts. In addition, it has been suggested that this lack of guidance in start dates makes it difficult for families to plan summer vacations and for recreation and tourism industries to plan adequately to allocate staff and resources. C.S.H.B. 233 seeks to address this issue by revising the scheduling of the first day of school for students by districts of innovation and open‑enrollment charter schools.

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.H.B. 233 amends the Education Code to authorize a public school district designated as a district of innovation to begin instruction for students for a school year on or after the third Monday in August as an alternative to beginning instruction on the fourth Monday in August. The bill prohibits a local innovation plan from providing an exemption from that first day of instruction provision to such a district and subjects an open-enrollment charter school to that first day of instruction provision applicable to such a district. The bill applies beginning with the 2020-2021 school year.    

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 233 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute does not include provisions:

· changing the first day on which a public school district may begin instruction to the Tuesday after Labor Day;

· prohibiting a district that does not operate on a year-round schedule from scheduling the last day of school after the Friday preceding Memorial Day;

· prohibiting a local innovation plan from providing an exemption from the last day of instruction requirement to a district designated as a district of innovation; or

· authorizing a district operating a year-round system to modify the standard first and last days of instruction.

The substitute provides instead for an alternative first day of instruction for a district designated as a district of innovation and subjects an open-enrollment charter school to that first day of instruction provision.

The substitute includes a provision establishing that its provisions prevail over another act of the 86th Legislature, Regular Session, 2019, relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted codes.