Extra funding for school military training programs

The text as introduced · 1,142 words

By: Curry
H.B. No. 1079

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the inclusion of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps

and Leadership Officer Training Corps programs as public school

career and technology education programs and the indicator of

achievement for military readiness under the public school

accountability system.

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) courses of study in a Junior Reserve Officer

Training Corps program or Leadership Officer Training Corps program

are provided as part of a career and technology education program .

SECTION 2. Section 39.053(c), Education Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(c) School districts and campuses must be evaluated based on

three domains of indicators of achievement adopted under this

section that include:

(1) in the student achievement domain, indicators of

student achievement that must include:

(A) for evaluating the performance of districts

and campuses generally:

(i) an indicator that accounts for the

results of assessment instruments required under Sections

39.023(a), (c), and (l), as applicable for the district and campus,

including the results of assessment instruments required for

graduation retaken by a student, aggregated across grade levels by

subject area, including:

(a) for the performance standard

determined by the commissioner under Section 39.0241(a), the

percentage of students who performed satisfactorily on the

assessment instruments, aggregated across grade levels by subject

area; and

(b) for the college readiness

performance standard as determined under Section 39.0241, the

percentage of students who performed satisfactorily on the

assessment instruments, aggregated across grade levels by subject

area; and

(ii) an indicator that accounts for the

results of assessment instruments required under Section

39.023(b), as applicable for the district and campus, including the

percentage of students who performed satisfactorily on the

assessment instruments, as determined by the performance standard

adopted by the agency, aggregated across grade levels by subject

area; and

(B) for evaluating the performance of high school

campuses and districts that include high school campuses,

indicators that account for:

(i) students who satisfy the Texas Success

Initiative (TSI) college readiness benchmarks prescribed by the

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under Section 51.334 on

an assessment instrument in reading or mathematics designated by

the coordinating board under that section;

(ii) students who satisfy relevant

performance standards on advanced placement tests or similar

assessments;

(iii) students who earn dual course credits

in the dual credit courses;

(iv) students who demonstrate military

readiness by:

(a) enlisting [ enlist ] in the armed

forces of the United States or the Texas National Guard;

(b) achieving a passing score set by

the applicable military branch on the Armed Services Vocational

Aptitude Battery test; or

(c) successfully completing a Junior

Reserve Officer Training Corps program;

(v) students who earn industry

certifications;

(vi) students admitted into postsecondary

industry certification programs that require as a prerequisite for

entrance successful performance at the secondary level;

(vii) students whose successful completion

of a course or courses under Section 28.014 indicates the student's

preparation to enroll and succeed, without remediation, in an

entry-level general education course for a baccalaureate degree or

associate degree;

(viii) students who successfully met

standards on a composite of indicators that through research

indicates the student's preparation to enroll and succeed, without

remediation, in an entry-level general education course for a

baccalaureate degree or associate degree;

(ix) high school graduation rates, computed

in accordance with standards and definitions adopted in compliance

with the Every Student Succeeds Act (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.)

subject to the exclusions provided by Subsections (g), (g-1),

(g-2), (g-3), and (g-4);

(x) students who successfully completed an

OnRamps dual enrollment course;

(xi) students who successfully completed a

practicum or internship approved by the State Board of Education;

(xii) students who are awarded an associate

degree; and

(xiii) students who successfully completed

a program of study in career and technical education;

(2) in the school progress domain, indicators for

effectiveness in promoting student learning, which must include:

(A) for assessment instruments, including

assessment instruments under Subdivisions (1)(A)(i) and (ii), the

percentage of students who met the standard for improvement, as

determined by the commissioner; and

(B) for evaluating relative performance, the

performance of districts and campuses compared to similar districts

or campuses; and

(3) in the closing the gaps domain, the use of

disaggregated data to demonstrate the differentials among students

from different racial and ethnic groups, socioeconomic

backgrounds, and other factors, including:

(A) students formerly receiving special

education services;

(B) students continuously enrolled; and

(C) students who are mobile.

SECTION 3. Section 48.106, Education Code, is amended by

adding Subsection (a-2) to read as follows:

(a-2) In addition to the amounts under Subsections (a) and

(a-1), a district is entitled to an annual allotment equal to the

basic allotment, or if applicable, the sum of the basic allotment

and the allotment under Section 48.101 to which the district is

entitled, multiplied by:

(1) 1.28 for each student enrolled in an approved

Leadership Officer Training Corps program, as determined by the

agency; and

(2) 1.47 for each student enrolled in an approved

Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program, as determined by the

agency.

SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026

school year.

SECTION 5. 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, 2025.