(a) Training required. Unless exempted under subsection (g) or (h) of this section, a member of the governing body of a charter holder or a member of the governing body of a charter school must complete a training course consisting of 12 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 member of the governing body of a charter holder or a member of the governing body of a charter school must complete the training course required by this section within one calendar year of appointment or election to such governing body.
(c) Transition timeline. A member serving on the governing body of a charter holder or the governing body of a charter school on the effective date of this section must complete at least the first six 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 six 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 six 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 540 minutes (nine hours) of the required 12 hours. The remaining 180 minutes (three hours) of the required 12 hours may be selected from any of these modules:
  (1) a module consisting of at least 150 minutes of instruction in basic school law, with special emphasis on corporate director duties and liabilities, non-delegable duties, nepotism, conflicts of interest, management companies, appropriate roles concerning internal and external audits, and the legal requirements specific to members of the governing body of a charter holder;
  (2) a module consisting of at least 60 minutes of instruction in basic 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 the financial duties specific to the members of the governing body of a charter holder;
  (3) a module consisting of at least 30 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 120 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 60 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 Texas Education Code (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 60 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 member serving on the governing body of a charter holder or the governing body of a charter school who has completed the 12-hour training course required by this section must annually thereafter receive six 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 member of the governing body of a charter holder 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 or a member of the governing body of a charter school whose school has been rated with an "academically acceptable" rating or higher 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. Furthermore, a board chair or vice chair may opt to train the remaining board members in such subjects as best fits the needs of the school or schools, provided the chair or vice chair has taken the initial 12 hours otherwise required under these rules. 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 members of the governing body 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, or a member of the governing body of a charter school whose school has been 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 one hour of continuing training. Twenty-five percent of hours earned in excess of the requirements set forth in this subsection by a member serving on the governing body of a charter holder or the governing body of a charter school may be carried over to meet the following year's requirement under this section.
(g) Exemptions. A member of the governing body of a charter holder who serves on the governing body of a governmental entity or an institution of higher education as defined under TEC, §61.003, is exempt from the training required by this section if, by virtue of such service, the member is subject to other mandatory training and the members of the governing body of the charter school operated by the charter holder comply with this section.
(h) Limited exemptions. A member of the governing body of a charter holder whose organization has operated campuses that are all rated the highest or second highest ratings for at least two out of three of the most recent ratings, or a member of the governing body of a charter school whose campuses have all been rated the highest or second highest ratings 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. A rating that does not meet the criteria for "academically acceptable" as defined by §100.1001(26) of this title shall not be considered the highest or second highest academic performance rating for purposes of this section. For organizations that meet the requirements for this exception, the required amount of training is eight hours. The training courses required by this section shall include the following modules as Cont'd...