Bill Text: TX HB2616 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to Texas Community Schools.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-04-23 - Withdrawn from schedule [HB2616 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB2616-Introduced.html
| 86R12857 KJE-F | ||
| By: Hinojosa | H.B. No. 2616 | |
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| relating to Texas Community Schools. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 29, Education Code, is amended by adding | ||
| Subchapter M to read as follows: | ||
| SUBCHAPTER M. TEXAS COMMUNITY SCHOOLS | ||
| Sec. 29.501. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, | ||
| "community-based organization" means a nonprofit corporation or | ||
| association located in close proximity to the population the | ||
| organization serves. | ||
| Sec. 29.502. TEXAS COMMUNITY SCHOOL. (a) A Texas Community | ||
| School is a public elementary, middle, junior high, or high school | ||
| that partners with one or more community-based organizations to | ||
| coordinate academic, social, and health services to reduce barriers | ||
| to learning and improve the quality of education for students in the | ||
| community. | ||
| (b) A Texas Community School offers a variety of programs | ||
| and services, which may include: | ||
| (1) early childhood education; | ||
| (2) after-school and summer school academic and | ||
| enrichment programs; | ||
| (3) college and career preparation; | ||
| (4) service learning opportunities, such as | ||
| internships and community service programs; | ||
| (5) leadership and mentoring programs; | ||
| (6) activities to encourage community and parent | ||
| engagement in students' education; | ||
| (7) health and social services for students and their | ||
| families; and | ||
| (8) parenting classes. | ||
| Sec. 29.503. TRANSITION TO TEXAS COMMUNITY SCHOOL. (a) A | ||
| public elementary, middle, junior high, or high school may | ||
| transition to a Texas Community School if the school: | ||
| (1) establishes a school community partnership team to | ||
| function as the campus-level planning and decision-making | ||
| committee required under Section 11.251, composed of the members | ||
| required under Section 11.251 and additional community | ||
| representatives; | ||
| (2) conducts a comprehensive on-site needs assessment | ||
| using the guidelines and procedures described by Section | ||
| 39A.053(c); | ||
| (3) establishes a partnership with a lead | ||
| community-based organization, such as Communities In Schools, a | ||
| social service provider, or an education or youth services | ||
| organization, that has experience in developing and implementing a | ||
| community school plan; | ||
| (4) develops a community school plan that satisfies | ||
| the requirements for a campus improvement plan under Section | ||
| 11.253; and | ||
| (5) gains approval for the community school plan from: | ||
| (A) at least 75 percent of campus faculty and | ||
| staff and 75 percent of parents of students enrolled at the school; | ||
| and | ||
| (B) the board of trustees of the school district | ||
| in which the school is located. | ||
| (b) A school that transitions to a Texas Community School | ||
| under Subsection (a) shall hire a new employee or designate a school | ||
| district employee or an employee of a community-based organization | ||
| with experience in developing and implementing a community school | ||
| plan as the community school coordinator for the school. The | ||
| coordinator's duties include: | ||
| (1) recruiting community partners and building | ||
| community support for the school; | ||
| (2) coordinating: | ||
| (A) the school community partnership team's | ||
| planning and training activities; | ||
| (B) planning and evaluation efforts between the | ||
| school and community partners; | ||
| (C) academic and student and family support | ||
| programs; and | ||
| (D) after-school, summer, and enrichment | ||
| programs for students; | ||
| (3) encouraging community and parent engagement in the | ||
| school; | ||
| (4) seeking available resources for implementing | ||
| community school programs and services; | ||
| (5) conducting an annual needs assessment of the | ||
| school in coordination with the school community partnership team; | ||
| (6) acting as a liaison between the school, other | ||
| community schools, the school district, and community partners; and | ||
| (7) developing a plan for sustaining the community | ||
| school plan. | ||
| (c) In developing or implementing a community school plan, | ||
| the school may seek assistance from other community schools, | ||
| regional education service centers, or technical assistance | ||
| providers. | ||
| (d) For purposes of Subsection (c), a technical assistance | ||
| provider is a public or private entity that has experience in | ||
| developing and implementing a community school plan and that | ||
| provides: | ||
| (1) professional development, training, technical | ||
| assistance, coaching, or quality assurance activities to assist | ||
| schools in transitioning to a Texas Community School, sustaining | ||
| the community school plan, or maximizing the effectiveness of that | ||
| plan; or | ||
| (2) capacity-building training to regional education | ||
| service centers to enable the centers to support a school's | ||
| transition to a Texas Community School or assist the school in | ||
| sustaining the school's community school plan. | ||
| Sec. 29.504. COMMUNITY AND DISTRICT OVERSIGHT. A school | ||
| that transitions to a Texas Community School shall: | ||
| (1) hold a community meeting at least twice each year | ||
| to: | ||
| (A) inform community stakeholders about the | ||
| school's progress in implementing the community school plan; and | ||
| (B) seek community input regarding any | ||
| improvements or changes that could be made to the plan; and | ||
| (2) report annually to the board of trustees of the | ||
| school district in which the school is located regarding the | ||
| school's progress in implementing the plan. | ||
| Sec. 29.505. FUNDING. A Texas Community School or a school | ||
| transitioning to a Texas Community School may seek and accept | ||
| gifts, grants, donations, and funds from federal and state agencies | ||
| and private sources for purposes related to the school's function | ||
| as a Texas Community School. | ||
| Sec. 29.506. RECOGNITION AS TEXAS COMMUNITY SCHOOL. (a) A | ||
| school that transitions to a Texas Community School shall be | ||
| recognized by the state as a Texas Community School. | ||
| (b) The agency shall develop methods for recognizing a | ||
| school as a Texas Community School. | ||
| Sec. 29.507. RULES. The commissioner may adopt rules as | ||
| necessary to implement this subchapter. | ||
| SECTION 2. 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, 2019. | ||
