June 22, 2021 Committee of the Full Board Item 2

Public Hearing on the Consideration of the Commissioner of Education’s Generation 26 Open-Enrollment Charter School Proposals

June 22, 2021

COMMITTEE OF THE FULL BOARD: DISCUSSION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: NO ACTION

SUMMARY: A public hearing before the State Board of Education (SBOE) is scheduled for Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Testimony will be presented regarding the consideration of the commissioner of education’s Generation 26 Open-Enrollment Charter School proposals. In accordance with SBOE operating procedures, oral testimony will be limited to two minutes per person.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §12.101.

TEC, §12.101 requires the commissioner to notify the SBOE of each charter the commissioner proposes to grant. Unless, before the 90th day after the date on which the board receives the notice from the commissioner, a majority of the members of the board present and voting, vote against the grant of that charter, the commissioner's proposal to grant the charter takes effect.

The full text of statutory citations can be found in the statutory authority section of this agenda.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND JUSTIFICATION: Texas Education Code, §12.101 grants the commissioner the authority to award up to 305 open-enrollment charters to eligible entities that are considered capable of carrying out the responsibilities of the charter, are likely to operate a school of high quality, have been proposed by the commissioner, and are not vetoed by a majority of the SBOE members present and voting. Prior to the charter school award cycle, the commissioner adopted the Generation 26 Open-Enrollment Charter Instructions and Guidance and Request for Application document, establishing the timeline and procedures for the application cycle, the contents of the application, and the criteria by which charter schools would be awarded to eligible entities. Generation 26 applications must have earned a minimum cut score of 85% to be granted an interview.

Twenty-seven applications were submitted by the January 21, 2021 deadline, and after eligibility, completion, and plagiarism checks by Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff, 18 applications advanced to external review. The external reviewers, designated through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process, scored the 18 charter applications. Twelve of the applications met the minimum cut score of 85% to advance to capacity interviews. The commissioner’s designee and TEA staff conducted interviews from May 10 - 13, 2021 (Monday - Thursday). State Board of Education members were invited to attend the interviews.

Staff Members Responsible:
Kelvey Oeser, Deputy Commissioner, Educator Support
Marian Schutte, Director, Charter School Authorizing and Administration