SB175 - Relating to providing free prekindergarten for certain children.

  89R4350 PRL-D     By: Menéndez S.B. No. 175       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to providing free prekindergarten for certain children.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 28.02124(a), Education Code, is amended   to read as follows:          (a)  Subject to Subsection (c), a parent or guardian may   elect for a student to:                (1)  repeat prekindergarten;                (2)  enroll in prekindergarten, if the student would   have been eligible to enroll in prekindergarten during the previous   school year under Section 29.153 [ 29.153(b) ] and the student has   not yet enrolled in kindergarten;                (3)  repeat kindergarten;                (4)  enroll in kindergarten, if the student would have   been eligible to enroll in kindergarten in the previous school year   and has not yet enrolled in first grade; or                (5)  for grades one through eight, repeat the grade in   which the student was enrolled during the previous school year.          SECTION 2.  Section 29.153(a-1), Education Code, is amended   to read as follows:          (a-1)  A district shall offer prekindergarten classes to any   child [ if the district identifies 15 or more children ] who is [ are   eligible under Subsection (b) and are ] at least four years of age.   A school district may offer prekindergarten classes to any child   [ if the district identifies 15 or more eligible children ] who is   [ are ] at least three years of age. A district may not charge tuition   for a prekindergarten class offered under this section.          SECTION 3.  Section 29.1543, Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          Sec. 29.1543.  EARLY EDUCATION REPORTS.  The agency shall   produce and make available to the public on the agency's Internet   website annual district and campus-level reports containing   information from the previous school year on early education in   school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. A report   under this section must contain:                (1)  the information required by Section 29.1532(c) to   be reported through the Public Education Information Management   System (PEIMS);                (2)  a description of the diagnostic reading   instruments administered in accordance with Section 28.006(c) or   (c-2);                (3)  the number of students who were administered a   diagnostic reading instrument administered in accordance with   Section 28.006(c) or (c-2);                (4)  the number of students whose scores from a   diagnostic reading instrument administered in accordance with   Section 28.006(c) or (c-2) indicate reading proficiency;                (5)  the number of kindergarten students who were   enrolled in a prekindergarten program in the previous school year   in the same district or school as the district or school in which   the student attends kindergarten;                (6)  the number and percentage of students who perform   satisfactorily on the third grade reading or mathematics assessment   instrument administered under Section 39.023[ , disaggregated by   whether the student was eligible for free prekindergarten under   Section 29.153 ];                (7)  the number of students described by Subdivision   (6) who attended kindergarten in the district, disaggregated by:                      (A)  whether the student met the kindergarten   readiness standard on the reading instrument adopted under Section   28.006;                      (B)  whether the student attended prekindergarten   in the district; and                      (C)  the type of prekindergarten the student   attended, if applicable; and                (8)  the information described by Subdivisions (6) and   (7) disaggregated by whether the student is educationally   disadvantaged.          SECTION 4.  Sections 48.005(a) and (i), Education Code, are   amended to read as follows:          (a)  In this chapter, average daily attendance is:                (1)  the quotient of the sum of attendance for each day   of the minimum number of days of instruction as described under   Section 25.081(a) divided by the minimum number of days of   instruction;                (2)  for a district that operates under a flexible year   program under Section 29.0821, the quotient of the sum of   attendance for each actual day of instruction as permitted by   Section 29.0821(b)(1) divided by the number of actual days of   instruction as permitted by Section 29.0821(b)(1);                (3)  for a district that operates under a flexible   school day program under Section 29.0822, the average daily   attendance as calculated by the commissioner in accordance with   Sections 29.0822(d) and (d-1); or                (4)  for a district that operates a prekindergarten   [ half-day program or a full-day ] program under Section 29.153(c) :                       (A)  for a half-day program , one-half of the   average daily attendance calculated under Subdivision (1) ; or                       (B)     for a full-day program, the average daily   attendance calculated under Subdivision (1) .          (i)  A district or a charter school operating under Chapter   12 that operates a half-day prekindergarten program is eligible to   receive one-half of average daily attendance under Subsection (a)   if the district's or charter school's prekindergarten program   provides at least 32,400 minutes of instructional time to students.          SECTION 5.  Sections 29.153(b), (e-1), and (f), Education   Code, are repealed.          SECTION 6.  This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026   school year.          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, 2025.