Full-Day Prekindergarten Waiver
| Date: | January 9, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Full-Day Prekindergarten Waiver |
| Category: | Early Childhood Education |
| Next Steps: | Share with appropriate early childhood staff working with prekindergarten programs. |
House Bill (HB) 3 requires school districts and open-enrollment charters to provide a full-day prekindergarten program to eligible four-year-old children. The commissioner shall exempt a district or open-enrollment charter school if the implementation of a full day program would require the district or charter school to construct classroom facilities or result in fewer eligible children enrolled in prekindergarten. Full-day prekindergarten waivers are due by March 2, 2020. The agency will review and approve/deny waivers within 30 days of receipt.
Pursuant to the Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.153(d-1), a district or charter school may only receive an exemption if it has solicited and considered at a public meeting a proposal(s) for partnerships with public or private entities regarding prekindergarten classes. A decision of the board of trustees or governing board regarding a partnership is final. An exemption may be granted for a period of up to three school years and may be renewed once. Districts or charter schools must ensure that they adhere to the Full-day Prekindergarten Exemption Process when applying for a waiver.
Now Available: Full Day Prekindergarten Waiver
Districts and charter schools may access the full day prekindergarten waiver in the TEAL waiver application and find information on the State Waivers Unit page, https://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Schools/Waivers/State_Waivers.
The following information will be on the waiver for the district or charter school (LEA) to provide to TEA:
- LEA contact name, phone, and email
- Date of LEA Board Meeting
- Exemption Condition
- Date of Public Meeting
- Did your LEA solicit partnership opportunities? Yes/No
- Did your LEA receive proposals for partnerships? Yes/No
- Did your LEA consider the proposals for the partnership it received? Yes/No
- If yes, type of partnership and number of solicitations received
- If yes, type of partnership and number of solicitations received
| Type | Number of Solicitations |
|---|---|
| Texas Rising Star 3 or 4 Star Certification | |
| Nationally Accredited | |
| Head Start | |
| Texas School Ready | |
| Met the requirements of TEC §29.1532 | |
| Other |
Requested Years:
- 2019-2020
- 2020-2021
- 2021-2022
Full-day prekindergarten waivers are due by March 2, 2020. The agency will review and approve/deny waivers within 30 days of receipt.
Questions
If you have any questions related to this letter regarding full day prekindergarten waivers under HB 3, please contact the Division of Early Childhood by email at earlychildhoodeducation@tea.texas.gov or email HB3info@tea.texas.gov.
Sincerely,
Jacquie Porter,
State Director of Early Childhood Education