SB1826 - Relating to career and technology education programs in public schools and the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program, including funding for those programs under the Foundation School Program, and to the new instructional facility allotment and the permissible uses of funding under the Foundation School Program.

  89R13582 KJE-D     By: Schwertner S.B. No. 1826       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to career and technology education programs in public   schools and the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP)   program, including funding for those programs under the Foundation   School Program, and to the new instructional facility allotment and   the permissible uses of funding under the Foundation School   Program.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 29.182(b), Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (b)  The state plan must include procedures designed to   ensure that:                (1)  all secondary and postsecondary students have the   opportunity to participate in career and technology education   programs;                (2)  the state complies with requirements for   supplemental federal career and technology education funding;                (3)  career and technology education is established as   a part of the total education system of this state and constitutes   an option for student learning that provides a rigorous course of   study consistent with the required curriculum under Section 28.002   and under which a student may receive specific education in a career   and technology program that:                      (A)  incorporates competencies leading to   academic and technical skill attainment;                      (B)  leads to:                            (i)  an industry-recognized license,   credential, or certificate; or                            (ii)  at the postsecondary level, an   associate or baccalaureate degree;                      (C)  includes opportunities for students to earn   college credit for coursework; and                      (D)  includes, as an integral part of the program,   participation by students and teachers in activities of career and   technical student organizations supported by the agency and the   State Board of Education; [ and ]                (4)  a school district provides, to the greatest extent   possible, to a student participating in a career and technology   education program opportunities to enroll in dual credit courses   designed to lead to a degree, license, or certification as part of   the program ; and                 (5)     a course of study offered under a Junior Reserve   Officers' Training Corps program established under 10 U.S.C.   Section 2031 is considered a career and technology education   program .          SECTION 2.  Section 29.190(a-1), Education Code, is amended   to read as follows:          (a-1)  A student may not receive more than two subsidies [ one   subsidy ] under this section.          SECTION 3.  Subchapter Z, Chapter 29, Education Code, is   amended by adding Section 29.9016 to read as follows:           Sec.   29.9016.     MILITARY PATHWAY GRANT PROGRAM. (a)   The   agency shall establish a grant program to provide money to school   districts to implement a program under which the district:                 (1)     establishes a Junior Reserve Officers' Training   Corps program under 10 U.S.C. Section 2031 for students enrolled in   high school in the district;                 (2)     annually administers the Armed Services   Vocational Aptitude Battery test to each student participating in   the program described by Subdivision (1); and                 (3)     provides career counseling at least once per year   to each student administered the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude   Battery test under Subdivision (2) based on the results of the test.           (b)     The amount of each grant awarded under the grant program   is $50,000.           (c)     The total amount of grants awarded under the grant   program for a school year may not exceed $2 million.          SECTION 4.  Section 29.912, Education Code, is amended by   adding Subsection (c-1) and amending Subsection (j) to read as   follows:           (c-1)     A school district that has participated in the program   may continue to participate in the program regardless of the number   of students in average daily attendance in the district for the   current school year.          (j)  The commissioner shall make grants available for use by   a coordinating entity for a two-year period to assist with costs   associated with the planning, development, establishment, or   expansion, as applicable, of partnerships under the program using   [ a portion of state funds allocated under Section 48.118 as well as ]   money appropriated for that purpose, federal funds, and any other   funds available.  The commissioner may award a grant only to a   coordinating entity that has entered into a performance agreement   approved under Subsection (i) or, if in the planning stage, has   entered into a memorandum of understanding to enter into a   performance agreement, unless the source of funds does not permit a   grant to the coordinating entity, in which case the grant shall be   made to a participating school district acting as fiscal agent.   Eligible use of grant funds shall include planning, development,   establishment, or expansion of partnerships under the program.  The   commissioner may use not more than 15 percent of the money allocated   for the grants to cover the cost of administering grants awarded   under the program and to provide technical assistance and support   to partnerships under the program.   The total amount of grants   awarded under this subsection for a school year may not exceed $5   million.          SECTION 5.  Section 45.105(c), Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (c)  Local school funds from district taxes, tuition fees of   students not entitled to a free education, other local sources, and   state funds not designated for a specific purpose may be used for   the purposes listed for state and county available funds and for   purchasing appliances and supplies, paying insurance premiums,   paying janitors and other employees, buying school sites, buying,   building, repairing, and renting school buildings, including   acquiring school buildings and sites by leasing through annual   payments with an ultimate option to purchase, providing advising   support as described by Section 48.0035(1), and educating students   as described by Section 48.0035(2), and, except as provided by   Subsection (c-1), for other purposes necessary in the conduct of   the public schools determined by the board of trustees. The   accounts and vouchers for county districts must be approved by the   county superintendent. If the state available school fund in any   municipality or district is sufficient to maintain the schools in   any year for at least eight months and leave a surplus, the surplus   may be spent for the purposes listed in this subsection.          SECTION 6.  Subchapter A, Chapter 48, Education Code, is   amended by adding Sections 48.0035 and 48.0055 to read as follows:           Sec.   48.0035.     USE OF FUNDING FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES. A school   district may use funding to which the district is entitled under   this chapter to:                 (1)     provide district graduates, during the first two   years after high school graduation, advising support toward the   successful completion of a certificate or degree program at a   public institution of higher education or a postsecondary   vocational training program; and                 (2)     educate a student who has graduated from high   school but is enrolled in the district in a program through which   the student may earn dual credit, including the Pathways in   Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program under   Subchapter N, Chapter 29, and the Rural Pathway Excellence   Partnership (R-PEP) program under Section 29.912.           Sec.   48.0055.     ENROLLMENT-BASED FUNDING.   The commissioner   by rule shall establish the method for determining average   enrollment for purposes of funding provided based on average   enrollment under Chapter 46 and this chapter.          SECTION 7.  Section 48.106, Education Code, is amended by   amending Subsection (a-1) and adding Subsection (a-2) to read as   follows:          (a-1)  In addition to the amounts under Subsection (a), for   each student in average enrollment [ daily attendance ], a district   is entitled to $150 [ $50 ] for each of the following in which the   student is enrolled:                (1)  a campus designated as a P-TECH school under   Section 29.556; or                (2)  a campus that is a member of the New Tech Network   and that focuses on project-based learning and work-based   education.           (a-2)     A district is entitled to funding under Subsection   (a-1) for a student who has graduated from high school but is   enrolled in the district in a program offered under Subchapter N,   Chapter 29, through which the student may earn dual credit. The   district is not entitled to any other funding under this chapter for   a student described by this subsection.          SECTION 8.  Sections 48.106(b)(1) and (1-a), Education Code,   are amended to read as follows:                (1)  "Approved career and technology education   program":                      (A)  means :                             (i)   a sequence of career and technology   education courses, including technology applications courses,   authorized by the State Board of Education ; and                             (ii)     courses offered under a Junior Reserve   Officers' Training Corps program established under 10 U.S.C.   Section 2031 ; and                      (B)  includes only courses that qualify for high   school credit.                (1-a)  "Approved program of study" means a course   sequence that:                      (A)  provides students with the knowledge and   skills necessary for success in the students' chosen careers ,   including the military ; and                      (B)  is approved by the agency for purposes of the   Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century   Act (Pub. L. No. 115-224).          SECTION 9.  Section 48.118, Education Code, is amended by   amending Subsections (a) and (f) and adding Subsections (a-1),   (a-2), (a-3), and (g) to read as follows:          (a)   Subject to Subsection (a-1), for [ For ] each full-time   equivalent student in average daily attendance in grades 9 through   12 in a college or career pathway offered through a partnership   under the Rural Pathway Excel [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]