86R12585 MM-F
 
  By: Creighton S.B. No. 2348
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the award of grants by the Texas Higher Education
  Coordinating Board for innovative principal preparation programs.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 61.0767 to read as follows:
         Sec. 61.0767.  PRINCIPAL PREPARATION GRANT PROGRAM. (a)
  The board shall establish and administer the principal preparation
  grant program to provide grants to schools of education at
  institutions of higher education and non-degree granting
  organizations to provide funding to develop, support, or expand and
  administer innovative principal preparation programs.
         (b)  In awarding grants under this section, the board shall
  give priority to programs that demonstrate:
               (1)  a defined competency framework, including the set
  of skills, knowledge, and disposition required of a principal to
  drive high levels of student achievement for all children;
               (2)  a strategic, proactive, and targeted recruitment
  and admission strategy that reflects the competency framework
  described in Subdivision (1);
               (3)  highly selective, clear criteria and rigorous
  processes to evaluate a principal preparation program applicant's
  disposition, skills, and knowledge;
               (4)  experiential training and development;
               (5)  ongoing support for principals who graduate from
  the program to help the principal transition and grow on the job; 
               (6)  a commitment to continuous improvement and use of
  data to assess the effectiveness of the program and principals who
  complete the program; and
               (7)  any additional reasonable criteria prescribed by
  board rule.
         (c)  A grant provided under this section must be used for:
               (1)  financial aid for participants in the principal
  preparation program;
               (2)  rigorous assessment of principal preparation
  program applicants through leadership simulation experiences rated
  by trained assessors;
               (3)  the acquisition and use of technology by the
  institution or organization to support measures of competency in
  the field for principal preparation program participants;
               (4)  recruiting, hiring, and training educational
  leaders to provide ongoing support to principal preparation program
  participants on-site during a participant's residency;
               (5)  hiring experts to design and instruct in select
  areas of the principal preparation program; and
               (6)  other permissible uses as determined by the board.
         (d)  The legislature may appropriate money for purposes of
  this section.  The board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and
  donations from any public or private source for purposes of this
  section.
         (e)  The board shall adopt rules for the administration of
  this section, including rules for governing applications for
  grants, establishing procedures and criteria for evaluating
  applications and awarding grants, and verifying that grant funds
  awarded under this section are used appropriately.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.