Proposed Guidelines and Application for Public College or University Charters
July 22, 2011
COMMITTEE ON SCHOOL INITIATIVES: ACTION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: ACTION
SUMMARY: This item provides the State Board of Education (SBOE) an opportunity to adopt the request for application form for public college or university open-enrollment charters.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §12.152 and §12.154.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION: Prior to each charter school award cycle, the SBOE has adopted a public college or university charter guidelines and application document establishing the contents of the request for applications and the criteria by which charter schools would be awarded to eligible entities. The SBOE last adopted such a document on July 23, 2010.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND SIGNIFICANT ISSUES: TEC, Chapter 12, Charters, Subchapter E, College or University Charter School, was added by HB 6, 77th Texas Legislature, 2001, authorizing the SBOE to grant open-enrollment charters to public senior colleges or universities as defined in TEC, §61.003. HB 6 gave the SBOE authority to grant charters, outside the 215 limit, to public senior colleges or universities that met additional requirements.
HB 1423, 81st Texas Legislature, 2009, amended TEC, Chapter 12, Subchapter E, to allow public junior colleges to be awarded charters. The Public College or University Charter Guidelines and Application is a modified version of the Seventeenth Generation Open-Enrollment Charter Guidelines and Application. It has been modified specifically to address open-enrollment charter school applications by public colleges and universities as authorized by TEC, §12.152 and §12.154.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
PUBLIC AND STUDENT BENEFIT: Open-enrollment charter schools provide avenues for local restructuring, flexibility, innovation, and choice for parents and students. The open-enrollment charter school system is strengthened by including public colleges and universities as active sponsors of charter schools.
PROCEDURAL AND REPORTING IMPLICATIONS: None.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.
ALTERNATIVES: None.
OTHER COMMENTS AND RELATED ISSUES: The SBOE is scheduled to consider for adoption the Seventeenth Generation Open-Enrollment Charter Guidelines and Application in a separate item.
MOTION TO BE CONSIDERED:
Adopt the Public College or University Charter Guidelines and Request for Application
Respectfully submitted,
Robert Scott
Commissioner of Education
Staff Members Responsible:
Laura Taylor, Associate Commissioner
Accreditation
Mary Perry, Director
Charter School Administration
Separate Exhibit:
Public College or University Charter Guidelines and Request for Application
(to be distributed at the committee meeting)