BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	S.B. 2201
86R12304 KJE-D	By: Fallon
	Education
	4/22/2019
	As Filed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

S.B. 2201 requires school districts with an enrollment of 20,000 or more students to have term limits for trustees. For school districts with an enrollment of less than 20,000 students, S.B. 2201 permits school district board of trustees to adopt or remove term limits. Currently, school boards do not have the authority to adopt or remove term limits for their trustees. This bill would amend Subchapter C, Chapter 11, Education Code by adding Section 11.0595 and Section 11.0596, granting them this authority. Implementing term limits will make school boards more accountable and infuse fresh ideas into the school districts.

 

S.B. 2201 also requires school districts to develop student outcome plans at one, three, and five year intervals for improving student outcomes in reading, mathematics, and any other area identifies by the school district. This aligns with our current post-secondary achievement goals and implements a recommendation made by the Texas Commission on Public School Finance.

 

As proposed, S.B. 2201 amends current law relating to local goals for public education and governance of local school districts.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education in SECTION 3 (Section 11.2522, Education Code) of this bill.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter C, Chapter 11, Education Code, by adding Sections 11.0595 and 11.0596, as follows:

 

Sec. 11.0595. TERM LIMITS. Authorizes the board of trustees of an independent school district by resolution to limit the number of terms that trustees may serve, subject to Section 11.0596, if applicable, or remove a limit on the number of terms that trustees may serve other than a limit prescribed by Section 11.0596, if applicable.

 

Sec. 11.0596. TERM LIMITS FOR TRUSTEES OF CERTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICTS. (a) Provides that this section applies only to a school district with an enrollment of 20,000 or more students.

 

(b) Authorizes a trustee of a school district to which this section applies to serve for a maximum of, as applicable, three three-year terms or two four-year terms.

 

SECTION 2. Amends Section 11.252(a), Education Code, to require the district improvement plan be aligned with the student outcomes plans developed under Section 11.2522 and include certain provisions.

 

SECTION 3. Amends Subchapter F, Chapter 11, Education Code, by adding Section 11.2522, as follows:

 

Sec. 11.2522. STUDENT OUTCOMES PLANS. (a) Requires each school district, in addition to the district improvement plan developed under Section 11.252 (District-Level Planning and Decision-Making), to develop one-year, three-year, and five-year plans for improving student outcomes in reading, mathematics, and any other area identified by the district.

 

(b) Requires each plan developed under Subsection (a) to identify student achievement goals for the district and each campus in the district in certain demographic categories.

 

(c) Requires each school district, not later than September 1 of each year, to submit to the Texas Education Agency and post on the district's Internet website a report assessing the progress of the district and each campus in the district toward achieving the goals identified in the district's plans developed under Subsection (a).

 

(d) Authorize commissioner of education to adopt rules as necessary to implement this section.

 

SECTION 4. Amends Section 11.253(d), Education Code, to make a conforming change.

 

SECTION 5. Reenacts Section 12.104(b), Education Code, as amended by Chapters 324 (S.B. 1488), 522 (S.B. 179), and 735 (S.B. 1153), Acts of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017, and amends it as follows:

 

(b) Redesignates existing Paragraph (P) as Paragraph (S) and makes nonsubstantive changes. Provides that an open-enrollment charter school is subject to:

 

(1) makes no changes to this subdivision;

 

(2) a prohibition, restriction, or requirement, as applicable, imposed by this title or a rule adopted under this title, relating to:

 

(A)-(R) makes no changes to these paragraphs;

 

(S) creates this paragraph from existing text; and

 

(T) the student outcomes plans under Section 11.2522.

 

SECTION 6. Provides that a term of office that begins before the effective date of this Act is not counted in determining whether a trustee is eligible to serve on the board of trustees of a school district under Section 11.0596, Education Code, as added by this Act.

 

SECTION 7. Provides that Sections 11.252, 11.253, and 12.104, Education Code, as amended by this Act, and Section 11.2522, Education Code, as added by this Act, apply beginning with the 2019�2020 school year.

 

SECTION 8. Requires each school district, not later than September 1, 2020, to submit and post on the district's Internet website the initial report required under Section 11.2522, Education Code, as added by this Act.

 

SECTION 9. Provides that to the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails over another Act of the 86th Legislature, Regular Session, 2019, relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted codes.

 

SECTION 10. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.