SB2003 - Relating to training requirements for certain governing bodies and administrators of public schools and making publicly available information regarding the expenditure of money by those public schools.

  89R4927 CS-D     By: Hinojosa of Nueces S.B. No. 2003       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to training requirements for certain governing bodies and   administrators of public schools and making publicly available   information regarding the expenditure of money by those public   schools.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 7, Education Code, is   amended by adding Section 7.032 to read as follows:           Sec.   7.032.     TRAINING FOR GOVERNING BODIES AND   ADMINISTRATORS. (a) The agency shall contract with one or more   third parties to provide in-person or virtual training to the board   of trustees of a school district, the governing body of an   open-enrollment charter school, and district or school   superintendents, principals, chief financial officers, and other   administrators involved with issues regarding school finance and   academic achievement.           (b)  The training must include information regarding:                 (1)  instruction and programming, including:                       (A)     research on proven practices in reading and   mathematics; and                       (B)     how to interpret and act on state and local   assessment instrument data;                 (2)     personnel, including contracts that allow for   innovative practices;                 (3)     fiscal management, including budgeting practices   and transparency requirements;                 (4)  operations, including capital planning; and                 (5)     governance, including applicable state and   federal laws and the potential for innovative practices.           (c)     The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to   implement this section, including rules providing a schedule for   the training required under this section.          SECTION 2.  Subchapter B, Chapter 403, Government Code, is   amended by adding Section 403.0243 to read as follows:           Sec.   403.0243.     PUBLIC SCHOOL EXPENDITURE DATABASE. (a) For   purposes of this section, "public school" means a school district   or an open-enrollment charter school granted a charter under   Subchapter D, Chapter 12, Education Code.             (b)     The comptroller shall establish and post in a prominent   location on the comptroller's Internet website a database of public   school expenditures that is electronically searchable by the public   except as provided by Subsection (d). The database must include:                 (1)     the amount, date, payor, and payee of each   expenditure;                   (2)     for a payment to an employee of a public school,   the employee's job title or other information that identifies the   employee's role;                 (3)     for a payment for curriculum, instructional   materials, software, or other educational materials, the name and   organization that developed the product or service; and                 (4)  a listing of each expenditure by:                       (A)     object of expense with links to the warrant   or check register level; and                       (B)     to the extent maintained by public school   accounting systems in a reportable format, class and item levels.           (c)     To the extent possible, the comptroller shall present   information in the database established under this section in a   manner that is searchable by and intuitive to users. The   comptroller shall enhance and organize the presentation of the   information through the use of graphical representations, such as   pie charts, as the comptroller considers appropriate. At a   minimum, the database must allow users to:                 (1)     search and aggregate public school expenditures by   any element of the information;                 (2)     ascertain through a single search the total amount   of public school money awarded to a person by a public school; and                 (3)     download information yielded by a search of the   database.           (d)     The comptroller may not allow public access under this   section to a payee's address, except that the comptroller may allow   public access under this section to information identifying the   county in which the payee is located. The comptroller may not allow   public access under this section to information that is identified   by a public school as excepted from required disclosure under   Chapter 552 or as confidential. It is an exception to the   application of Section 552.352(a) that the comptroller or an   officer or employee of the comptroller's office posted information   under this section in reliance on a determination made by a public   school regarding the confidentiality of information relating to the   school's expenditures. The comptroller or an officer or employee   of the comptroller's office is immune from civil liability for   posting confidential information under this section if the   comptroller, officer, or employee posted the information in   reliance on a determination made by a public school regarding the   confidentiality of information relating to the school's   expenditures.           (e)     Each transaction by a public school must be assigned a   function and subfunction category as defined by the National Center   for Education Statistics.           (f)     Each public school shall submit to the comptroller in   accordance with comptroller rule the information required to be   included in the database.           (g)     The comptroller shall update information in the   database annually.           (h)     The comptroller may not charge a fee to the public to   access the database.           (i)     The comptroller may establish procedures and adopt   rules to implement this section.           (j)     Each public school shall post on the school's Internet   website a link to the webpage in the database established under this   section that displays a summary of the expenditures from the school   for the most recent state fiscal year.          SECTION 3.  Not later than December 1, 2025, the comptroller   of public accounts shall adopt all rules necessary to implement   Section 403.0243, Government Code, as added by this Act.          SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.