HBA-MPM, CCH H.B. 357 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 357
By: Wise
Public Education
4/2/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Prior to the reenactment of the Education Code in 1995, the Texas Education
Agency  (TEA) was authorized to conduct special accreditation
investigations if TEA received reports that a school was violating
effective governance operations, including site-based decision-making
(SBDM).  Because there is such a variance across the state as to how well
SBDM is working, some teachers feel that it is important to have an avenue
of recourse if SBDM is not working properly at a campus.  House Bill 357
authorizes the commissioner of education to authorize special accreditation
investigations in response to allegations that SBDM is not properly
functioning. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 357 amends the Education Code to require the commissioner of
education to conduct a special accreditation investigation when a person
alleges that the district-level and site-based decision-making process is
not functioning properly if that person exhausts the district's grievance
process. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001.