86R9124 MM-D

By: Hall S.B. No. 1619

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the availability of certain information regarding school district employee compensation and employment contracts and to the term of a contract for a teacher and a superintendent of a school district.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 11, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 11.1519 to read as follows:

Sec. 11.1519. POSTING OF DISTRICT EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION AND CONTRACT INFORMATION. (a) In this section, "compensation" means salaries, wages, and employment stipends.

(b) Not later than the 30th day after the date the agency posts the information submitted by the district under the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS), a school district that maintains an Internet website shall post on the district's website:

(1) a listing of each district employee and the employee's compensation for the school year;

(2) subject to Subsection (d), a copy of a contract signed by:

(A) the district's superintendent;

(B) an athletic director; and

(C) each coach of any extracurricular athletic activity employed by the district; and

(3) a blank copy of each type of contract used by the district under Section 21.002(a).

(c) If a school district does not maintain an Internet website, the district shall submit the information required by Subsection (b) to the agency within the period provided by that subsection. On receipt of the information submitted under this subsection, the agency shall post the district's information on the agency's Internet website.

(d) A copy of a contract described by Subsection (b)(2) that is posted on an Internet website under that subsection or Subsection (c) must be redacted to exclude any information that is confidential under Chapter 552, Government Code.

(e) Information posted on an Internet website by a school district or the agency as required by this section must be maintained on that website until the applicable entity posts the information for the following school year.

(f) The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to implement this section.

SECTION 2. Section 11.201(b), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) The board of trustees of an independent school district may employ by contract a superintendent for a term not to exceed the length of the term of a trustee of the district [five years].

SECTION 3. Section 21.205, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 21.205. TERM OF CONTRACT. Except as provided by Section 11.201(b), once [Once] a teacher has completed the probationary contract period, the term of a contract under this subchapter may not exceed five school years.

SECTION 4. Section 21.206, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

(d) The board of trustees may not renew a teacher's term contract earlier than the sixth month before the contract ends.

SECTION 5. Section 21.212, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:

(g) The board of trustees may not renew a superintendent's term contract earlier than the sixth month before the contract ends.

SECTION 6. Section 11.201(b), Education Code, as amended by this Act, and Sections 21.206(d) and 21.212(g), Education Code, as added by this Act, apply only to a contract executed on or after the effective date of this Act. A contract executed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the contract was executed, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2019.