84R4859 MK-F
 
  By: Aycock H.B. No. 1842
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the assessment of intervention in and sanction of a
  public school that does not satisfy accreditation criteria.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 39.102(a), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a)  If a school district does not satisfy the accreditation
  criteria under Section 39.052, the academic performance standards
  under Section 39.053 or 39.054, or any financial accountability
  standard as determined by commissioner rule, the commissioner shall
  take any of the following actions to the extent the commissioner
  determines necessary:
               (1)  issue public notice of the deficiency to the board
  of trustees;
               (2)  order a hearing conducted by the board of trustees
  of the district for the purpose of notifying the public of the
  insufficient performance, the improvements in performance expected
  by the agency, and the interventions and sanctions that may be
  imposed under this section if the performance does not improve;
               (3)  order the preparation of a student achievement
  improvement plan that addresses each student achievement indicator
  under Section 39.053(c) for which the district's performance is
  insufficient, the submission of the plan to the commissioner for
  approval, and implementation of the plan;
               (4)  order a hearing to be held before the commissioner
  or the commissioner's designee at which the president of the board
  of trustees of the district and the superintendent shall appear and
  explain the district's low performance, lack of improvement, and
  plans for improvement;
               (5)  arrange an on-site investigation of the district
  to identify deficiencies and possible solutions;
               (6)  appoint an agency monitor to participate in and
  report to the agency on the activities of the board of trustees or
  the superintendent;
               (7)  appoint a conservator to oversee the operations of
  the district;
               (8)  appoint a management team to direct the operations
  of the district in areas of insufficient performance or require the
  district to obtain certain services under a contract with another
  person;
               (9)  if a district has a current accreditation status
  of accredited-warned or accredited-probation, fails to satisfy any
  standard under Section 39.054(e), or fails to satisfy financial
  accountability standards as determined by commissioner rule,
  appoint a board of managers to exercise the powers and duties of the
  board of trustees;
               (10)  if for two consecutive school years, including
  the current school year, a district has received an accreditation
  status of accredited-warned or accredited-probation, has failed to
  satisfy any standard under Section 39.054(e), or has failed to
  satisfy financial accountability standards as determined by
  commissioner rule, revoke the district's accreditation and:
                     (A)  order closure of the district and annex the
  district to one or more adjoining districts under Section 13.054;
  or
                     (B)  in the case of a home-rule school district or
  open-enrollment charter school, order closure of all programs
  operated under the district's or school's charter; or
               (11)  if a district has failed to satisfy any standard
  under Section 39.054(e) due to the district's dropout rates, impose
  sanctions designed to improve high school completion rates,
  including:
                     (A)  ordering the development of a dropout
  prevention plan for approval by the commissioner;
                     (B)  restructuring the district or appropriate
  school campuses to improve identification of and service to
  students who are at risk of dropping out of school, as defined by
  Section 29.081;
                     (C)  ordering lower student-to-counselor ratios
  on school campuses with high dropout rates; and
                     (D)  ordering the use of any other intervention
  strategy effective in reducing dropout rates, including mentor
  programs and flexible class scheduling.
         SECTION 2.  Section 39.103(b), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  For a campus described by Subsection (a), the
  commissioner, to the extent the commissioner determines necessary,
  may:
               (1)  order a hearing to be held before the commissioner
  or the commissioner's designee at which the president of the board
  of trustees, a majority of the members of the board of trustees, the
  superintendent, and the campus principal shall appear and explain
  the campus's low performance, lack of improvement, and plans for
  improvement; or
               (2)  establish a school community partnership team
  composed of members of the campus-level planning and
  decision-making committee established under Section 11.251 and
  additional community representatives as determined appropriate by
  the commissioner.
         SECTION 3.  Sections 39.106(a), (b), (c), and (e-1),
  Education Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  If a campus performance is below any standard under
  Section 39.054(e), the commissioner shall assign a campus
  intervention team.  A campus intervention team shall:
               (1)  conduct, with the involvement and advice of the
  school community partnership team, if applicable:
                     (A)  a targeted on-site needs assessment relevant
  to an area of insufficient performance of the campus as provided by
  Subsection (b); or
                     (B)  if the commissioner determines necessary, a
  comprehensive on-site needs assessment, using the procedures
  provided by Subsection (b);
               (2)  recommend appropriate actions as provided by
  Subsection (c);
               (3)  assist in the development of a targeted
  improvement plan;
               (4)  assist the campus in submitting the targeted
  improvement plan to the board of trustees for approval and
  presenting the plan in a public hearing as provided by Subsection
  (e-1); and
               (5)  assist and advise the commissioner in monitoring
  the progress of the campus in implementing the targeted improvement
  plan.
         (b)  An on-site needs assessment of the campus under
  Subsection (a) must determine the contributing education-related
  and other factors resulting in the campus's low performance and
  lack of progress. The team shall use all of the following guidelines
  and procedures relevant to each area of insufficient performance in
  conducting a targeted on-site needs assessment and shall use each
  of the following guidelines and procedures in conducting a
  comprehensive on-site needs assessment:
               (1)  an assessment of the staff to determine the
  percentage of certified teachers who are teaching in their field,
  the percentage of teachers who are fully certified, the number of
  teachers with more than three years of experience, and teacher
  retention rates;
               (2)  compliance with the appropriate class-size rules
  and number of class-size waivers received;
               (3)  an assessment of the quality, quantity, and
  appropriateness of instructional materials, including the
  availability of technology-based instructional materials;
               (4)  a report on the parental involvement strategies
  and the effectiveness of the strategies;
               (5)  an assessment of the extent and quality of the
  mentoring program provided for new teachers on the campus and
  provided for experienced teachers on the campus who have less than
  two years of teaching experience in the subject or grade level to
  which the teacher is assigned;
               (6)  an assessment of the type and quality of the
  professional development provided to the staff;
               (7)  a demographic analysis of the student population,
  including student demographics, at-risk populations, limited
  English proficiency populations, and special education
  percentages;
               (8)  a report of disciplinary incidents and school
  safety information;
               (9)  financial and accounting practices;
               (10)  an assessment of the appropriateness of the
  curriculum and teaching strategies;
               (11)  a comparison of the findings from Subdivisions
  (1) through (10) to other campuses serving the same grade levels
  within the district or to other campuses within the campus's
  comparison group if there are no other campuses within the district
  serving the same grade levels as the campus; and
               (12)  any other research-based data or information
  obtained from a data collection process that would assist the
  campus intervention team in:
                     (A)  recommending an action under Subsection (c);
  and
                     (B)  executing a targeted improvement plan under
  Subsection (d-3).
         (c)  On completing the on-site needs assessment under this
  section, the campus intervention team shall, with the involvement
  and advice of the school community partnership team, if applicable,
  recommend actions relating to any area of insufficient performance,
  including:
               (1)  reallocation of resources;
               (2)  technical assistance;
               (3)  changes in school procedures or operations;
               (4)  staff development for instructional and
  administrative staff;
               (5)  intervention for individual administrators or
  teachers or teams of administrators or teachers;
               (6)  waivers from state statutes or rules;
               (7)  teacher recruitment or retention strategies and
  incentives provided by the district to attract and retain teachers
  with the characteristics included in Subsection (b)(1); or
               (8)  other actions the campus intervention team
  considers appropriate.
         (e-1)  After a targeted improvement plan or updated plan is
  submitted to the board of trustees of the school district, the
  board:
               (1)  shall conduct a hearing for the purpose of:
                     (A)  notifying the public of the insufficient
  performance, the improvements in performance expected by the
  agency, and the intervention measures or sanctions that may be
  imposed under this subchapter if the performance does not improve
  within a designated period; and
                     (B)  soliciting public comment on the targeted
  improvement plan or any updated plan;
               (2)  must post the targeted improvement plan on the
  district's Internet website before the hearing;
               (3)  may conduct one hearing relating to one or more
  campuses subject to a targeted improvement plan or an updated plan;
  [and]
               (4)  shall submit the targeted improvement plan or any
  updated plan to the commissioner for approval; and
               (5)  shall notify the parents of students enrolled at
  the campus subject to a targeted improvement plan or updated plan of
  the scheduled hearing not later than the seventh day before the date
  of the hearing.
         SECTION 4.  Sections 39.107(b), (d), (f), and (k), Education
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (b)  The campus intervention team shall decide which
  educators may be retained or reassigned at that campus.  A
  principal who has been employed by the campus in that capacity
  during the full period described by Subsection (a) may not be
  retained at that campus unless the campus intervention team
  determines that retention of the principal would be more beneficial
  to the student achievement and campus stability than removal.
         (d)  If the commissioner determines that the campus is not
  fully and effectively implementing the updated targeted
  improvement plan or if the students enrolled at the campus fail to
  demonstrate substantial improvement in the areas targeted by the
  updated plan, the commissioner may order:
               (1)  repurposing of the campus under this section;
               (2)  alternative management of the campus under this
  section; or
               (3)  closure of the campus.
         (f)  If the commissioner orders repurposing of a campus, the
  school district shall develop a comprehensive plan for repurposing
  the campus and submit the plan to the board of trustees for
  approval, using the procedures described by Section 39.106(e-1),
  and to the commissioner for approval. The plan must include a
  description of a rigorous, [and] relevant, and coherent academic
  program for the campus. The plan may include various instructional
  models. The commissioner may not approve the repurposing of a
  campus unless:
               (1)  all students in the assigned attendance zone of
  the campus in the school year immediately preceding the repurposing
  of the campus are provided with the opportunity to enroll in and are
  provided transportation on request to another campus, unless the
  commissioner grants an exception because there is no other campus
  in the district in which the students may enroll;
               (2)  the principal is not retained at the campus,
  unless the commissioner determines that students enrolled at the
  campus have demonstrated significant academic improvement; and
               (3)  teachers employed at the campus in the school year
  immediately preceding the repurposing of the campus are not
  retained at the campus, unless the commissioner or the
  commissioner's designee grants an exception, at the request of a
  school district, for:
                     (A)  a teacher who provides instruction in a
  subject other than a subject for which an assessment instrument is
  administered under Section 39.023(a) or (c) who demonstrates to the
  commissioner satisfactory performance; or
                     (B)  a teacher who provides instruction in a
  subject for which an assessment instrument is administered under
  Section 39.023(a) or (c) if the district demonstrates that the
  students of the teacher demonstrated satisfactory performance or
  improved academic growth on that assessment instrument.
         (k)  To qualify for consideration as a managing entity under
  this section, the entity must submit a proposal that provides
  information relating to the entity's management and leadership team
  that will participate in management of the campus under
  consideration, including information relating to individuals that
  have:
               (1)  documented success in whole school interventions
  that increased the educational and performance levels of students
  as determined by multiple measures in campuses considered to have
  an unacceptable performance rating;
               (2)  a proven record of effectiveness with programs
  assisting low-performing students;
               (3)  a proven ability to apply research-based school
  intervention strategies;
               (4)  a proven record of financial ability to perform
  under the management contract; and
               (5)  any other experience or qualifications the
  commissioner determines necessary.
         SECTION 5.  Section 39.108, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 39.108.  [ANNUAL] REVIEW OF DISTRICT OR CAMPUS SUBJECT
  TO INTERVENTION OR SANCTION. The commissioner shall review
  annually, or more frequently if the commissioner determines
  appropriate, the performance of a district or campus subject to
  this subchapter to determine the appropriate actions to be
  implemented under this subchapter.  The commissioner must review
  at least annually the performance of a district for which the
  accreditation status or rating has been lowered due to insufficient
  student performance and may not raise the accreditation status or
  rating until the district has demonstrated improved student
  performance.  If the review reveals a lack of improvement, the
  commissioner shall increase the level of state intervention and
  sanction unless the commissioner finds good cause for maintaining
  the current status.
         SECTION 6.  Section 39.109, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 39.109.  ACQUISITION OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. In
  addition to other interventions and sanctions authorized under this
  subchapter, the commissioner may order a school district or campus
  to acquire professional services at the expense of the district or
  campus to address the applicable financial, assessment, data
  quality, program, performance, or governance deficiency.  The
  commissioner's order may require the district or campus to:
               (1)  select or be assigned an external auditor, data
  quality expert, professional authorized to monitor district
  assessment instrument administration, or curriculum or special
  program expert; or
               (2)  provide for or participate in the appropriate
  training of district staff or board of trustees members in the case
  of a district, or campus staff, in the case of a campus.
         SECTION 7.  Section 39.111(b), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  At least every 90 days, the commissioner shall review
  the need for the conservator or management team and shall remove the
  conservator or management team unless the commissioner determines
  that continued appointment is necessary for effective governance or
  financial management of the district or delivery of instructional
  services.
         SECTION 8.  This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016
  school year.
         SECTION 9.  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, 2015.