BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 879

By: Lucio

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There have been calls to make changes to the evaluation and designation of dropout recovery schools, which serve some of the state's vulnerable students and help students prepare to enter and participate in the workforce, to reflect students who drop out of school before the age of 17. S.B. 879 seeks to answer these calls by requiring a dropout recovery school's student population to consist of at least 60 percent of students 16 years of age or older.

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

S.B. 879 amends the Education Code to revise the student population criteria that qualify a public school district or open-enrollment charter school for designation as a dropout recovery school as follows:

·         changes the criterion for a district, district campus, charter school, or charter school campus, for purposes of public school system accountability to:

o   change from an enrollment of which at least 50 percent of the students are 17 years of age or older to an enrollment of which at least 60 percent of the students are 16 years of age or older; and

o   include a district, charter school, or campus that applies for and receives designation as a dropout recovery school in accordance with commissioner of education rule as an alternative to the required enrollment criterion;

·         changes the criterion for a charter school or charter school campus, for purposes of evaluation for charter renewal, in the same manner; and

·         lowers the minimum enrollment age from 17 to 16 years of age for a charter school designated as a dropout recovery school that is authorized to provide combined services to certain adult and high school dropout recovery programs.

The bill applies beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2021.