BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	S.B. 725
86R2254 MM�-D	By: Lucio
	Education
	4/15/2019
	As Filed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

With the growth of various dual-credit programs across the state, more and more students are finishing high school in less than four years. However, districts have no monetary incentive to promote such programs, as students who graduate in three years do not generate funding for what would have been their senior years. In 2015, the legislature authorized a pilot program to keep funding local by allowing districts in Cameron County to keep the funding for an early graduate's senior year and use it to fund two slots for half-day pre-kindergarten. This program has proven successful, allowing Brownsville ISD to expand its dual-credit offerings while funding pre-k for students who would otherwise not have this important early education opportunity. Interested stakeholders have noted that this program could be successful in expanding both dual-credit and pre-K programs across the state.

 

S.B. 725 builds on the success of this pilot program by expanding it to the entire state of Texas. This approach to funding early education comes at no fiscal cost to the state, since funding for all students' 12th grade years is already accounted for in the state budget. By opening the opportunity to take advantage of additional pre-k funding to all districts, S.B. 725 will help improve student success, beginning with the state's youngest and neediest students, by keeping local money within local schools.

 

As proposed, S.B. 725 amends current law relating to funding for prekindergarten programs at certain school districts that operate early high school graduation 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 42.2527, Education Code, as follows:

 

Sec. 42.2527. ADJUSTMENT FOR CERTAIN DISTRICTS WITH EARLY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION PROGRAMS. (a) Requires the commissioner of education (commissioner), as a pilot program to enable the state to evaluate the benefit of providing additional funding at the prekindergarten level for students, rather than low-income students, who are educationally disadvantaged, to provide prekindergarten funding in accordance with this section to a school district operating an early high school graduation program other than a program under Section 28.0255 (Pilot Program), rather than a school district located in a county that borders the United Mexican States and the Gulf of Mexico.�

 

(b) Requires the commissioner to provide funding for a school district's prekindergarten program on a half-day basis for a number of prekindergarten students who are educationally disadvantaged, rather than low-income students, equal to twice the number of students who received, as a result of participation in an early high school graduation program operated by the district, a high school diploma from the district during the preceding school year after three years of secondary school attendance.

 

(c) Makes no changes to this subsection.

 

(d) Provides that this section expires September 1, 2027, rather than 2023.

 

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2019.