| |
| |
| |
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the administration of the work-study student mentorship |
|
|
program by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 56.079, Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 56.079. WORK-STUDY STUDENT MENTORSHIP PROGRAM. |
|
|
(a) In this section: |
|
|
(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher |
|
|
Education Coordinating Board. |
|
|
(2) "Eligible institution" means: |
|
|
(A) an institution of higher education; or |
|
|
(B) a private or independent institution of |
|
|
higher education, as defined by Section 61.003(15), other than a |
|
|
private or independent institution of higher education offering |
|
|
only professional or graduate degrees. |
|
|
(3) "Participating entity" means an eligible |
|
|
institution, a school district, or a nonprofit organization that |
|
|
has filed a memorandum of understanding with the coordinating board |
|
|
under this section to participate in the work-study student |
|
|
mentorship program established under this section[, "general
|
|
|
academic teaching institution" has the meaning assigned by Section
|
|
|
61.003]. |
|
|
(b) In accordance with this section and coordinating board |
|
|
rules, the coordinating board shall administer [A general academic
|
|
|
teaching institution may establish] a work-study student |
|
|
mentorship program under which students who are enrolled [in their
|
|
|
junior or senior year] at participating eligible institutions [the
|
|
|
institution] and who meet the eligibility requirements for |
|
|
employment in the Texas college work-study program under Section |
|
|
56.075 may be employed by participating entities [the institution] |
|
|
under the Texas college work-study program to: |
|
|
(1) mentor students at participating eligible |
|
|
institutions or high school students in participating school |
|
|
districts; or |
|
|
(2) counsel high school students at GO Centers or |
|
|
similar high school-based recruiting centers designed to improve |
|
|
student access to higher education [who are on academic probation
|
|
|
at the institution]. |
|
|
(c) To participate in the work-study student mentorship |
|
|
program, an eligible institution and one or more school districts |
|
|
or nonprofit organizations interested in jointly participating in |
|
|
the program shall file with the coordinating board a joint |
|
|
memorandum of understanding detailing the roles and |
|
|
responsibilities of the participating entities. |
|
|
(d) The coordinating board, in consultation with eligible |
|
|
institutions, school districts, and nonprofit organizations that |
|
|
express interest in participating in the work-study student |
|
|
mentorship program, shall develop a standard contract establishing |
|
|
the roles and responsibilities of participating entities to be used |
|
|
as a model for a memorandum of understanding entered into by |
|
|
participating entities under Subsection (c). |
|
|
(e) The coordinating board: |
|
|
(1) shall establish criteria to ensure that the |
|
|
participating eligible institution's contribution toward the wages |
|
|
and benefits of a student employed as a mentor under the work-study |
|
|
student mentorship program is matched by funds provided by the |
|
|
participating entity benefiting from the services of the employed |
|
|
student in an amount that is at least equal to the amount of the |
|
|
participating eligible institution's contribution; |
|
|
(2) may accept appropriate in-kind contributions from |
|
|
participating nonprofit organizations to satisfy the matching |
|
|
funds requirement of this subsection; and |
|
|
(3) may waive the matching funds requirement of this |
|
|
subsection for a participating entity that meets criteria |
|
|
established by the coordinating board for a waiver. |
|
|
(f) The coordinating board shall partner with participating |
|
|
nonprofit organizations to establish additional GO Centers or |
|
|
similar high school-based recruiting centers designed to improve |
|
|
student access to higher education in this state. |
|
|
(g) The coordinating board shall ensure that each student |
|
|
employed under the work-study student mentorship program: |
|
|
(1) receives appropriate training and supervision; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(2) is paid at least at the minimum wage required by |
|
|
law. |
|
|
(h) The coordinating board may accept gifts, grants, and |
|
|
donations from any public or private source for the purposes of this |
|
|
section. |
|
|
(i) An eligible [A general academic teaching] institution |
|
|
participating in the [that has established a] work-study student |
|
|
mentorship program under this section may require students who are |
|
|
on academic probation at the institution to be matched with a |
|
|
student mentor employed under the program. |
|
|
(j) [(d)] Not later than November 1 of each year, each |
|
|
eligible [general academic teaching] institution participating in |
|
|
the [that has established a] work-study student mentorship program |
|
|
[under this section] shall submit to the coordinating board [Texas
|
|
|
Higher Education Coordinating Board] a report regarding the |
|
|
progress resulting from [of] the institution's participation in the |
|
|
program. The report must include: |
|
|
(1) the number of students of the institution employed |
|
|
[by the institution] as mentors under the program in the preceding |
|
|
academic year; |
|
|
(2) the number of students of the institution |
|
|
receiving mentoring under the program in the preceding academic |
|
|
year; |
|
|
(3) the number of high school students receiving |
|
|
mentoring or counseling from students of the institution under the |
|
|
program in the preceding academic year; |
|
|
(4) [and] information relating to the costs of the |
|
|
program; and |
|
|
(5) if available, information in the form prescribed |
|
|
by the coordinating board regarding the following indicators of |
|
|
[and] the academic progress of the students of the institution |
|
|
employed as mentors under the program, students of the institution |
|
|
receiving mentoring under the program, and the high school students |
|
|
receiving mentoring or counseling from students of the institution |
|
|
under the program: |
|
|
(A) changes in grade point averages; |
|
|
(B) changes in graduation rates; |
|
|
(C) changes in the percentage of high school |
|
|
students who enroll in higher education; and |
|
|
(D) effects on higher education readiness and |
|
|
preparation [in that year]. |
|
|
(k) [(e)] Each eligible [general academic teaching] |
|
|
institution participating in the [that has established a] |
|
|
work-study student mentorship program under this section shall set |
|
|
aside a portion of the institution's Texas college work-study |
|
|
program funds to pay for the state's contribution toward the costs |
|
|
of the program. |
|
|
(l) [(f)] Notwithstanding Section 56.076, a participating |
|
|
entity [a general academic teaching institution] that employs a |
|
|
student mentor under the work-study student mentorship program |
|
|
shall provide from sources other than federal college work-study |
|
|
funds: |
|
|
(1) not less than 10 percent of the employed student's |
|
|
wages; and |
|
|
(2) 100 percent of other employee benefits for the |
|
|
employed student. |
|
|
SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
|
|
shall adopt rules relating to the administration of the work-study |
|
|
student mentorship program under Section 56.079, Education Code, as |
|
|
amended by this Act, as soon as practicable after the effective date |
|
|
of this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 3. 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, 2007. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
______________________________ |
______________________________ |
| |
President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
| |
|
|
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1050 passed the Senate on |
|
|
April 19, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
|
|
|
| |
| |
______________________________ |
| |
Secretary of the Senate |
| |
|
|
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1050 passed the House on |
|
|
May 23, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 144, Nays 0, two
|
|
|
present not voting. |
|
|
|
| |
| |
______________________________ |
| |
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Approved: |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Date |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Governor |