| (a) Training required. Unless exempted under subsection
(g) or (h) of this section, a chief executive officer or a central
administrative officer, including persons providing management services
that include the functions of a chief executive officer or central
administrative officer, must complete a training course consisting
of 30 instructional hours, excluding breaks, administrative tasks,
and other non-instructional time, delivered by a course provider registered
under §100.1107 of this title (relating to Course Providers).
The training course may not use self-instructional materials, unless
as otherwise provided.
(b) Timeline for completing training. Except as provided
in subsection (c) of this section, a chief executive officer or a
central administrative officer must complete the training course required
by this section within one calendar year of beginning service in that
capacity.
(c) Transition timeline. A person serving as a chief
executive officer or central administrative officer on the effective
date of this section must complete at least the first 15 hours of
the training course required by this section within six months of
the effective date of the curriculum outline approved under subsection
(e) of this section, and must complete the remaining 15 hours of such
training within one year of the effective date of the approved curriculum
outline. Training completed prior to the effective date of this section
and after September 1, 2001, may be counted toward the first 15 hours
of the training course required by this section if it meets the requirements
of the curriculum outline approved under subsection (e) of this section.
(d) Course content. The training course required by
this section shall include the following modules, which accounts for
1,260 minutes (21 hours) of the required 30 hours. The remaining 540
minutes (nine hours) of the required 30 hours may be selected from
any of these modules:
(1) a module consisting of at least 240 minutes of
instruction in school law, with special emphasis on Texas Education
Code (TEC), Chapter 12, Subchapter D, and this subchapter;
(2) a module consisting of at least 240 minutes of
instruction in school finance, with special emphasis on accounting
for public funds and property, student attendance accounting, fiduciary
duties related to state and federal funding, federal funds and property
management, grant administration, audit requirements, and capital
financing;
(3) a module consisting of at least 120 minutes of
instruction in health and safety issues, with special emphasis on
health and safety codes, ordinances, and other laws applicable to
operating a Texas public school; student discipline; safe schools;
required reporting of child abuse; and criminal background checks;
(4) a module consisting of at least 240 minutes of
instruction in accountability requirements related to the use of public
funds, with special emphasis on the duties and liabilities of a trustee
under Texas law, the shared use of real property for charter and non-charter
business, bank depository contracts, capital financing, incidental
use of public property by charter holder personnel, and recovery by
the commissioner of education of the public property held by a former
charter holder;
(5) a module consisting of at least 240 minutes of
instruction in other requirements relating to accountability to the
public, with special emphasis on the administration of statewide assessments;
student, staff, financial, and organizational data reporting; dropout
reporting; statewide standards for acceptable student performance;
charter-specific standards for acceptable student performance; accountability
ratings and sanctions under TEC, Chapter 39; and the role of student
performance in actions under TEC, §12.116 and §12.1162;
(6) a module consisting of at least 60 minutes of instruction
in open meetings requirements under Government Code, Chapter 551,
with special emphasis on posting the agenda, executive sessions, accessibility
of the meeting location to the public, employee board members, and
civil and criminal sanctions; and
(7) a module consisting of at least 120 minutes of
instruction in requirements relating to public records, with special
emphasis on the Public Information Act, the Records Retention Act,
confidential student records, records in the possession of a management
company, and other duties respecting public records.
(e) Required course curriculum outline. The commissioner
shall approve and disseminate a curriculum outline that is consistent
with the module topics and minimum durations identified in subsection
(d) of this section. Training that does not conform to the curriculum
outline does not satisfy the training requirements of this section.
The entire duration of the training course must be dedicated to topics
identified in the curriculum outline. The curriculum outline will
be available on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website. The process
for the development and/or revision of a curriculum outline under
this section must include an opportunity for stakeholder comment.
(f) Continuing training. A chief executive officer
or a central administrative officer who has completed the 30-hour
training course required by this section must annually thereafter
receive 15 hours of training, excluding breaks, administrative tasks,
and other non-instructional time, delivered by a course provider registered
under §100.1107 of this title. However, a chief executive or
central administrative officer whose organization has operated charters
that are all rated with an "academically acceptable" rating or higher,
as defined in §100.1001(26) of this title (relating to Definitions),
for at least two out of three of the most recent ratings may take
any training that is documented by the provider and that applies to
the achievement of the charter's academic mission and/or fulfillment
of its responsibilities and/or accountabilities under the law. Continuing
training under this subsection shall fulfill assessed training needs,
including any training needs identified by TEA monitoring, and address
update items identified in the curriculum outline approved under subsection
(e) of this section as well as additional topics selected from the
curriculum outline. Selected topics must be covered in greater depth
than the curriculum outline indicates for initial training on those
topics. With the exception of the chief executive or central administrative
officers of a charter holder whose organization has operated campuses
that are all rated with an "academically acceptable" rating or higher
for at least two out of three of the most recent ratings, no individual
may use self-instructional materials for more than three hours of
continuing training. Twenty-five percent of hours earned by a chief
executive officer or a central administrative officer in excess of
the requirements set forth in this subsection may be carried over
to meet the following year's requirement under this section.
(g) Exemptions. A central administrative officer is
exempt from the training required by this section if the person is
the holder in good standing of a Standard Superintendent Certificate,
or its lifetime equivalent, issued by the State Board for Educator
Certification and all other officers of the charter school comply
with this division.
(h) Limited exemptions. A chief executive or central
administrative officer whose organization has operated campuses that
are all rated with an "academically acceptable" rating or higher for
at least two out of three of the most recent ratings shall be subject
to the requirements in paragraphs (1)-(5) of this subsection in lieu
of those specified in subsections (a) and (d) of this section. For
organizations that meet the requirements for this exception, the required
amount of training is 21 hours. The training course required by this
section shall include the following modules, which accounts for 1,140
minutes (19 hours) of the required 21 hours. The remaining 120 minutes
(two hours) of the required 21 hours may be selected from any of the
following modules, and can consist of self-study:
(1) a module consisting of at least 210 minutes of
instruction in school law, with special emphasis on TEC, Chapter 12,
Subchapter D, and this subchapter;
(2) a module consisting of at least 210 minutes of
instruction in school finance, with special emphasis on accounting
for public funds and property, student attendance accounting, fiduciary
duties related to state and federal funding, federal funds and property
management, grant administration, audit requirements, and capital
financing;
(3) a module consisting of at least 270 combined minutes
of instruction in the following:
(A) health and safety issues, with special emphasis
on health and safety codes, ordinances, and other laws applicable
to operating a Texas public school; student discipline; and safe schools;
(B) open meetings requirements under Government Code,
Chapter 551, with special emphasis on posting the agenda, executive
sessions, accessibility of the meeting location to the public, employee
board members, and civil and criminal sanctions; and
Cont'd... |
