Parker Bill Orders Attendance Credit Reports, Leaves The Money Alone

The text as introduced · 473 words

89R12950 AMF-D

By: Parker
S.B. No. 1894

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a transparency review and report on attendance credit

under the public school finance system.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 49, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 49.159 to read as follows:

Sec. 49.159. ATTENDANCE CREDIT TRANSPARENCY REVIEW AND

REPORT. (a) The agency, in collaboration with the state auditor,

shall conduct a comprehensive review of attendance credit purchased

under this subchapter. The review must include an explanation of:

(1) the calculation method used to determine the cost

of attendance credit;

(2) the agency's process for collecting purchased

attendance credit; and

(3) how the receipts of each school district's

attendance credit are distributed and the purposes for which the

receipts are used, including identifying which school districts are

receiving the receipts and in what amounts.

(a-1) Not later than December 1, 2026, the agency, in

collaboration with the state auditor, shall prepare and submit an

initial report summarizing the findings of the review conducted

under Subsection (a) to:

(1) the governor;

(2) the lieutenant governor;

(3) the speaker of the house of representatives; and

(4) the chair of each standing legislative committee

with primary jurisdiction over primary and secondary education.

(a-2) Subsection (a-1) and this subsection expire September

1, 2027.

(b) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year,

the agency shall prepare and submit to the governor, the lieutenant

governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the

chair of each standing legislative committee with primary

jurisdiction over primary and secondary education a report on

attendance credit under this subchapter during the preceding two

state fiscal years. The report must include:

(1) an explanation of any material changes to the

calculation method or process described by Subsection (a)(1) or

(2);

(2) an explanation of how the receipts of each school

district's attendance credit are distributed and the purposes for

which the receipts are used, including any change in the school

districts receiving the receipts and the amounts received; and

(3) a summary of any other developments the agency

considers relevant to maintaining the transparency of the process

for collecting and distributing attendance credit under this

subchapter.

(c) A report required by this section must:

(1) be presented in a format that is easily

understandable by school districts, policymakers, and members of

the public;

(2) provide sufficient information for each school

district to verify the district's attendance credit is correctly

calculated and appropriately allocated in accordance with Section

49.154(b); and

(3) be published on the agency's Internet website.

SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2028, the Texas

Education Agency shall submit its initial report required by

Section 49.159(b), Education Code, as added by this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.