Highlights 77th Texas Legislature - Senate

_______________________ E DUCATION/Public
DUCATION/Public
77 th Texas Legislature
Authorizes a peace officer to take a juvenile into custody for violation of a curfew and sets forth
requirements for holding the student.
Classifies unexcused absences of 10 days in a six-month period in the same school or three days in any
four-week period as conduct requiring supervision in counties with a population less than 100,000.
Open-Enrollment Charter School Changes - H.B. 6
by Representative Dunnam, et al.
Senate Sponsor: Senator Bivins
Open-enrollment charter schools (OECS), operating for up to five years, have revealed the need for
enhanced academic and fiscal accountability measures.
Authorizes the State Board of Education (board) to approve charters for only those applicants that meet all
standards adopted by the commissioner of education (commissioner).
Limits the number of OECS the board may authorize to 215.
Requires OECS to abide by municipal zoning ordinances governing public schools in cities with population
above 20,000.
Allows the commissioner to permit OECS to receive services from educational regional service centers and
to participate in state programs for school districts.
Identifies a charter school and its governing body as governmental entities for the purpose of open-meeting
laws, as those laws apply to public schools and boards of trustees. Designates charter school records as
governmental records and provides for transfer and safekeeping of records from a charter school that
ceases to operate.
Requires OECS to abide by state laws on public purchasing and contracting, conflict of interest, and
nepotism.
Limits the number of employees or relatives serving on a governing body unless the charter school has
been rated acceptable for two of the last three years.
Extends school board liability limits to OECS governing body members.
Bases state funding for OECS on statewide averages, rather than the revenue generated in the school
district in which each student resides.
Allows OECS to participate in grant and discretionary programs unless specifically prohibited.
Authorizes the commissioner to adopt rules to provide and account for state funding.
Establishes that state funding for an OECS deposited in a bank is a public fund held in trust for its students
and requires the OECS governing body to deliver a depository contract with a bank to the commissioner.
Requires a charter holder who receives state funds after September 1, 2001, to be subject to and accept
liability for public funds held in trust.
Allows OECS to charge fees as public schools do.
Senate Research Center 93